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| What people are saying about LIFE OF THE EAGLE:
“Richard Evans’ novel ‘Life of the Eagle’ was not at all what I had expected. I read the synopsis and expected to read another alternative history novel and see how the world faired in this author’s mind. I was mistaken.
“Richard Evans shows us a world from one man’s eye that is truly magnificent. It never dawned on me that the main character’s name is never given throughout the entire novel. Yet we see our American history through the eyes of one man who lived during the past two hundred plus years. The history is real, the emotion, genuine, my reaction to the words on the page, heartfelt.
“Mr. Evans did a superb job of linking the past three hundred years through the life and eyes of one man. Attentions to detail of periods of history were dead on and the research that went into all the eras, described in ‘Life of the Eagle’ had to be daunting. As a writer of alternative fiction myself, I appreciate the effort that Mr. Evans went to, to provide such accurate accountings of life through the different centuries.
“This book would be of interest to history buffs, military enthusiasts and those in the medical profession. All are historically chronicled accurately and in a well-prepared novel that should find its way to the must read list of any reader who enjoys a well-written book.
“This is a book I will read more than once and still find new nuances with each read.
“Outstanding.”
Jake George
(Mr. George is a free lance writer, author and is a civilian employed by the U.S. Air Force. He is also a facilitator with the National Association for Graves’ Disease)
Another Review of LIFE OF THE EAGLE
What would it be like to live forever? He was child when he learned about his gift and he was over 200 years old when he learned its secret!
So begins this unique tale of a man with the gift of healing; but it’s a rather uncontrolled gift because every time he uses what he thinks is the gift of longevity, the receiver dies! How can this be?
The narrator describes the main character’s (who changes his name and address every twenty or thirty years), journey through the chief historical events occurring between 1737 and the late 1960’s. During that time, he forges special but brief relationships; however his adventures span the length of history.
Meet George Washington, a man who encourages his soldiers to fight and forge ahead in the cruelest of weather conditions. Experience the horror of a slave ship bound for America but leaving behind a scarred, addicted young man whose character is indelibly shaped by his discovery of just how far one human being will fall into the pit of cruelty and immorality. Meet an African-American healer, named Titus, who will save this emotionally distraught young man from his own devils and memories. Rejoice when he finds love and marriage with two Shawnee women, one who is the love of his life but who dies after he shares his gift in trying to save her; share his outrage and murderous response. Live the life of a “mountain man” and know what it is like to depend upon nature for one’s food but also to appreciate the grandeur of the American West as its pioneer adventurers seek fortune and fame. Get to know Sylvia, a feelingless temptress who becomes one of the largest financiers in America and until her death remains attached to our hero. Feel and envision the horror of the Sharpsburg battle during the Civil War and discover the kindnesses that Confederate and Union men and women share in the midst of their mission to kill each other. Discover how our hero seeks the thrill of battle and perhaps even death through Europe in two World Wars only to seek more in Korea and Vietnam.
While one might be tempted to say, “Oh, I’ve read all about that,” one should stop and read this book—for its presentation of personalities has a robust yet compassionate quality that is absolutely mesmerizing. Every sense you have will be awakened in every section, including some rousing sexual and military scenes. The solution to the mystery haunting its pages is simple but profound!
This is a novel that should receive a large audience. Richard L. Evans is a very talented writer and this reviewer hopes he continues to share his “gift” of very creative prose.
Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on December 5, 2004. Another review of LIFE OF THE EAGLE:
If you dream of immortality, the protagonist in Richard Evan's Life Of The Eagle will change your mind about wanting to live forever. Born in 1737, he physically matures to adulthood, then mysteriously stops aging. He lives on and on, experiencing firsthand many of the major events that have shaped the face of America from colonial days to our present post-millennium era. We don't know his name, not because he doesn't have one, but because he's forced to change his identity and his name every ten to twenty years. He has to constantly re-invent himself while he watches generation after generation pass in a continuing cycle of life and death, a cycle he somehow escapes.
As a child he discovers that he has an amazing power to heal. Could this be the reason for his perpetual youth? This gift, however, brings him no joy, because those he saves from dreaded illnesses end up dying later at the hands of violence. Nightmares haunt him as he searches his soul for answers. Unable to solve the mystery of his healing powers - plus other unusual abilities he discovers - and his longevity, he moves from one job, war, friend, and lover to the next in his ongoing search for truth.
Orphaned young, he bids farewell to life on the farm and heads to the coast to become a seafarer. His enthusiasm and burgeoning love of the sea quickly turn him into an able sailor. But when he becomes first mate of a slave ship, what he witnesses - and what, to his horror, he does - aboard the ship propels him to the edge of insanity. His growing addiction to opium nearly pushes him over that edge.
Back ashore, after being beaten, robbed, and left for dead, he awakens at a brothel where he is nursed back to health. There he finds his first true love - one of the ladies of the evening - and his first true friend, a black slave who forces him out of his addiction and, with a Bible, teaches him to read.
Tragedy strikes and the protagonist is forced to move on to his next role, becoming a patriot in the Revolutionary War under General George Washington. As he fights, he finds himself wondering why he's there. Those who don't die in battle become prey to diseases like dysentery and cholera. When that role comes to an end, he moves on. This becomes the pattern of his life: Take part, serve a purpose, then start over in a new place with a new name and identity. Whenever those around him become increasingly suspicious of his perpetual youth, he knows it's time to disappear.
He finds peace roaming through the vast forests of Virginia's mountains. He marries a Shawnee woman, becomes a father, and lives happily until tragedy strikes again. He lives on the prairie and hunts buffalo. He becomes a frontiersman and meets up with mountain man Jedediah Smith. He ends up in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. He fights in the Civil War. Time keeps marching forward, but his looks remain unchanged.
Despite his ability to heal others, he's no saint. He takes lives, sometimes for a cause he believes in, other times for revenge. He takes lovers, for company and pleasure. But as the years pass, and as the eras come and go, we see a transformation in him as he begins to find a purpose to his life while getting closer and closer to the answers he so desperately seeks.
Life Of The Eagle is an eye-opening look at the last 250+ years of American history, offered up in a highly creative fantasy. Author Richard Evans takes readers on a realistic time-travel journey with an unusual character who experiences multiple lives in one very long lifetime. The storytelling is to the point and fast-paced. Nothing is sugarcoated. Whether writing about the protagonist's moments on the battlefield or in the bedroom, Evans creates scenes that are raw, real, and graphic.
What I found most interesting was the character's growth, which in ways seems to parallel the growth of our nation. At times he appears a hopeless drifter, and then with the aid of unlikely sources he receives an epiphany that helps him align with his true purpose. He learns to put guns away and instead put his special gifts and abilities to good use.
Life Of The Eagle is a fascinating read, carefully woven to tie all the pieces together into a satisfying ending. If you're sensitive to graphic scenes, this may not be the book for you. But if you're comfortable following an imperfect character's life through the best and worst humanity has to offer, you'll find this book interesting and, in many ways, enlightening. By bringing the hardships and struggles to life, Evans does a superb job of humanizing, not glorifying, the growth of a nation. reviewed by By Graciela Sholander "Co-author of Dream It Do It
What People are saying about THE SHORT HAPPY LIFE OF DAVEY MONROE: "Innocence Lost!"
This book is a hilarious hoot!
It consists of a series of accounts of a young boy growing up and discovering what is true and what is definitely not only false but leads to disaster - his own personal disaster!
Remember when you heard that boys shouldn't look up girls' dresses? Well, what healthy young guy's curiosity isn't peaked by such a command? For Davey, the discovery is hardly worth the tumult following his disobedience of that ultimate command!
And what about those so-called "bad words" that one dare not utter under any circumstance but which are ultimately bound to escape one's lips at the worst possible moment? Yep, Davey slips for sure!
"See Davey Run" will set your sides splitting with laughter as you read Davey's revision of the proverbial "Dick and Jane" stories, what Davey refers to as "the most boring piece of American literature" in existence.
Yes, Davey is "a sucker born every minute," to quote the famous P. T. Barnum, especially when he is invited on the "snipe hunt".
The nature of the scenes change as Davey gets older but get no less funny and indeed acquire charm, concluding with the last account of his first kiss.
But don't just take my word for it. Buying this book is a MUST and sharing it as well as is buying copies for your friends and relatives!
Davey Monroe's tales deserve to be on the national bestseller list for sure!
Great job, Richard Evans!
Reviewed by Viviane Crystal
Courtesy Crystal Reviews
Posted July 6, 2006
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