Well, folks, here’s the second review I promised. This one is for the novelette Down the Rabbit Hole: Escape and Evasion by Jason Walker. As the sequel to Into France, this review will contain spoilers, so proceed with caution if you haven’t read the first novelette yet. You’ve been warned.
Escape and Evasion picks up right where Into France left off. Danielle is leading two POW escapees through the sewers of France, presumably to freedom; Mitchell, Babcock, and Patterson, along with Oliver, are attempting a rescue of SAS commander Jim Garner; and, all the while, Vera Atkins is trying to hold the entire operation together from her offices in London. Right on the trail of the escapees and French Resistance are the Gestapo, Nazi soldiers willing to do anything and hurt anyone to capture the POWs and anybody helping them.
Will any of the escapees make it out of France? What will become of the spies? Of Danielle and Bridgette? Most urgently, will any of them survive their separate bids at life and freedom from Nazi oppression?
Escape and Evasion is, admittedly, much more emotional than Into France. Without giving away any spoilers, it especially gets emotional in the four or five chapters. As with any war story, friendships are formed, enemies are made, and death and betrayal abound. For such a short novelette—49 pages, compared to the 66 pages of Into France—this one packs a lot of punch.
Even plot twists which are typical for these sorts of stories—and, in hindsight, Walker heavily hints at earlier in the books—took me by surprise. I became so wrapped up in the story, in the characters particularly, that I didn’t engage in my usual “guess the plot twist before it happens” frame of mind. I simply enjoyed the story, and I’m not too proud to admit that I often forget to do that nowadays.
As with the first book, Walker utilizes a minimalist style of writing for this novelette. Again, this leads to more exposition than I usually like, but that exposition and the minimalist approach also create a storyteller feel which both fits the narrative and captures the reader’s attention. That’s not to say that Walker is all tell and no show. Rather, he reserves descriptions for when they are needed most. In a war/espionage story, that might just be the best approach.
The only minor issue I had with Escape and Evasion—the only worth mentioning—is the sheer number of characters. Given the subject matter, the large cast is absolutely necessary. After all, war is not one by a single man or woman. However, some of the characters blurred for me as the cast grew. I mainly had an issue keeping Fontaine and Nadeau straight. They have distinctly different personalities, yet I somehow had a hard time remembering which name belonged to which personality. Of course, that might just be my jumbled brain and lack of sleep causing issues.
I also feel as though the female characters waver somewhat in their strength in this novelette. It’s probably just a result of the stress they’re experiencing. I mean, I know I would not hold up half as well as they do under similar circumstances. Still, I didn’t feel quite as much of their strength this time as I did in Into France. I suppose, though, that this weakness and vulnerability might just fuel renewed strength in a future installment, making the women more powerful foes to the Nazis than ever before. Besides, a new female is introduced in this novelette who is a very strong female herself, and unfortunately that’s all I can say without giving too much away.
Overall, I think that Escape and Evasion by Jason Walker is a more-than-fitting follow-up to Into France. In fact, I think I might have liked it a little better than the first novelette. It put me through the emotional gamut. While such experiences typically leave me drained, this one has also left me eager for the third installment. As with the first novelette, Escape and Evasion ends on a cliffhanger, one which will have you scrambling for the next book. This story is the perfect quick read, but you might still want to set some time aside for it—you’ll want to start the third novelette, Secret Agents, immediately!
You can buy Escape and Evasion by Jason Walker as an eBook on Amazon. Also remember to check out my review of Into France as well as Jason Walker’s website.
Do you know of a book I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!
Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011