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Black Sun, Red Moon: A Novel of Java (Black Sun, Red Moon #1)
by
Rory Marron (Goodreads Author)
Drama and Tragedy during the Indonesian Revolution.... 'An ambitious, unconventional, compelling saga of men at war, captivity, forced prostitution, murder, political dirty tricks and mob terror in Japanese-occupied and revolutionary Indonesia. Rory Marron's Black Sun, Red Moon gives us an almost tangible glimpse of the chaos that was Java in 1945-46. His writing, infused
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Paperback, First, 338 pages
Published
August 15th 2013
by Seventh Citadel
(first published August 1st 2013)
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30 of 873)
Rory Marron's Black Sun Red Moon is a sweeping epic in the style of James Clavell's Shogun that manages to be both historical in subject matter, yet surprisingly contemporary in its concerns. At the beginning of the Second World War, the Japanese had easily conquered the islands now known as Indonesia, but which then formed the Dutch East Indies, a colonial empire that rivaled in history, size and, above all, profitability the British raj in India. As Japanese rule over the main island of Java c
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During the last throes of the Second World War, the Japanese are reluctant to leave Indonesia, which they rule from 1942. Thus, in this novel we’ll witness the struggle for independence of other forces. Both, the Japanese and the Dutch, are undesirable settlers for many of the natives.
Most of the Dutch were sent to internment camps, but some families had agreed to co-operate with the Japanese. That's how they could keep their houses. Kate van Dam and her family are in the group of the lucky ones ...more
Most of the Dutch were sent to internment camps, but some families had agreed to co-operate with the Japanese. That's how they could keep their houses. Kate van Dam and her family are in the group of the lucky ones ...more
A well told story of the start of the Indonesia’s independence. The story starts after the fall of Singapore and in the third person, tells of the experiences from a variety of people’s perspective – an English soldier, a Dutch East Indian girl in a prison camp, a Japanese officer, an Indonesian freedom fighter, as well as sections from Dutch, Japanese and English Generals and Admirals as well as including Sukarno and Hatta.
No one is the hero in the story – maybe the Japanese officer Ota and the ...more
No one is the hero in the story – maybe the Japanese officer Ota and the ...more
Set against the backdrop of Indonesia’s fight for Independence at the end of the Second World War, ‘Black Sun, Red Moon: A Novel of Java’ is packed with period detail and does not shy away from the realities of war. From Kate and Ota to Lamban, Ishida and Meg, Rory Marron has created a host of fascinating characters through which he brings the factual events (both extraordinary and unexpected) to life. Their individual struggles to cope with the conflicts of warfare are woven skilfully into a we
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This has been a very interesting read.
Set against a fascinating historical period, it is well written, introduces a few solid, likeable characters.
My only issue with it is that, like in the case of other stories with numerous point of view, not all are equally interesting. I personally found the female-reporter story and the Scottish soldier a bit of a bore. Not that they are bad, but I found those story lines not as absorbing as lets say Ota's or Kate's. They seemed to be a lot more developed. ...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned so much about events that were almost a footnote in history classes I took. My uncle served in Burma and would never talk about his experiences so this has helped me to see that period in context. Can't wait for the next book.
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‘Rory Marron’ is an unrepentant ‘flags and gun smoke’ historian. He was born in Lancashire, England. Rory’s doctoral thesis examined British foreign policy in Southeast Asia after the Japanese surrender. He has lived in Japan, working in the international sales section of a major Japanese company in Tokyo. His interests include Iyengar yoga, kendo and tai-chi. Black Sun, Red Moon: A Novel of Java
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