Wednesday, 30 April 2014

The Greenland Breach by Bernard Besson: Review & Giveaway




Review
When any new land is discovered, there is always a scramble for who gets control over the place. The rare metals, oil and gas underneath dazzle us with their brilliance so do the chance for a viable human settlement, it could be on Moon or even Greenland. Greenland is not a new land, but with the climate change it could be the answer to all humanities problem. In 'The Greenland Breach' by Bernard Besson, as a young Independent nation Greenland has to deal with the American, Canadian, French, Norwegian, Danish and Chinese companies and governments that wants access to its rare earths and secrets. Its not just with these scavengers they have to deal with, but also with Global Warming, which is no longer a thing of distant future but a very happening present, that is melting away their Great Island.

The book starts with a huge tidal wave that starts in Greenland with the breaking away of a great mass of land that is moving towards the coast of United States. Fermatown, a French Security company run by an ex-agent, John Spencer Lariviere, his wife Victoire, along with Luc, a hacker with killer edge technology in their hands, is contacted to provide security to the heiress of North Land, a scientific and excavating company with stakes in Greenland. The Trio get involved in events that impact the world. Terre Noire, a rival for North Land in Greenland, is holding immense secretive knowledge about Earth core that could change the very course of our life on Earth. Somebody is out to kill John. Who wants to kill John? Is it connected with what is happening in Greenland? Why would such big stakeholders in such a 'climate' be interested in a minuscule agency like Frematown?

There is intrigue, conspiracy, assassins, killer blondes, catastrophe, a world-wide disaster, the kind of things that you find in a Michael Crichton book, that would hook me to a book. The kind of things that would hold my attention from beginning to end, the kind of things that would make me read a book in a sitting or two. Unfortunately, I found myself drifting away every few pages in the first two thirds of the book. I couldn't help wondering if something is lost in translation.There were things that held my interest like the Captain of Bouc-Bel-Air who seems to be inspired by Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, to history of Greenland and incorporating Inuit mythology into the story. It was the last one third that did really hold my attention with John's visit to Great Wound of the Wild Dog and Luc's visit to the Terre Noire, with all the twists and turns, and surprises that made the book worth reading.

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SYNOPSIS

A stylish, fast-paced spy thriller about the intrigue, economic warfare and struggles for natural resources promised by global warming. The Arctic ice caps are breaking up. Europe and the East Coast of the Unites States brace for a tidal wave. Meanwhile, former French intelligence officer John Spencer Larivière, his karate-trained, steamy Eurasian partner, Victoire, and their bisexual computer-genius sidekick, Luc, pick up an ordinary freelance assignment that quickly leads them into the glacial silence of the great north, where a merciless war is being waged for control of discoveries that will change the future of humanity.
A plausible vision of climate catastrophe combines with French freelance spies and Bond-like action forming a gripping page-turner of a thriller.[provided by the publisher]
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E-Release date: October 30, 2013
Print release: April 30, 2014
from Le French Book
113,000 words/285 pages
Author’s page | Goodreads
Buying Links

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AUTHOR AND TRANSLATOR

Award-winning thriller writer Bernard Besson, who was born in Lyon, France, in 1949, is a former top-level chief of staff of the French intelligence services, an eminent specialist in economic intelligence and Honorary General Controller of the French National Police. He was involved in dismantling Soviet spy rings in France and Western Europe when the USSR fell and has real inside knowledge from his work auditing intelligence services and the police. He has also written a number of prize-winning thrillers and several works of nonfiction. He currently lives in the fourteenth arrondissement of Paris, right down the street from his heroes.

Julie Rose is a prize-winning, world-renowned translator of major French thinkers, known for, among other works, her acclaimed translation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, which was published by Random House in 2008. She has translated twenty-eight books, including many French classics, and writes on the side. She lives in her hometown of Sydney, Australia, with her husband, dog and two cats.

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Disclaimer: I received an ebook from the France Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own. Giveaway is sponsored by France Book Tours.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for your honest review, as you highlight what worked and didn't work for you. To tell the truth, as a professional translator myself, I thought it was very well crafted.

srivalli said...

Thanks Emma for stopping by!

Unknown said...

Thanks for your review. We always appreciate the feedback.

srivalli said...

Thanks Anne for stopping by!