Reading matters

Lure of the Falcon: An Emirate of Dubai Thriller by J. Jackson Bentley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I reached approximately page 160 of 330 of "Lure of the Falcon". After two reading sessions the Kindle progress bar tells me that I am at the half-way point. However I am seriously thinking of leaving the rest of the story unread for the time being. My reviews of the author's three books in the 'City of London' series are posted. I have been 'entertained' by what I have read... having made allowances for a style of storytelling I find frankly a bit odd... the almost breathless "here's what happened next" approach.

By the mid-point of the book I find myself fatigued by the abundance of Dubai factoids. But I am irritated by my conclusion that in spite of the accuracy of much of the specific scene-setting,I do not find any compelling evocation of the magical 'otherness' of Araby, something which never failed to fascinate me in my decade in the Emirates. Strip away the myriad items of well-researched information and what remains is simply the basic action-adventure plot with its flawed hero, the arch-villain and again a female character with barely concealed roman à clef origins.

Like JJ, I thoroughly enjoy research, and in my own storytelling I include a good deal of factual information... probably more than is conventionally thought of as appropriate for commercial light fiction. But I sincerely hope that such elements contribute to establishing a 'mood', and allow the reader to find his or her 'home' for a while in the storyworld I have crafted.

My exposure to J Jackson Bentley's work has indeed provided a good few evenings of entertainment. I have been moved to be even more self-critical in my editing of "Chance of Reign", my current work-in-progress (see AuthorCentral page on Amazon).

But now I think I now need something different to read.

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