Blood From A Shadow is an interesting book that attempts an new approach to the conspiracy action thriller, but even read on this surface level alone, its written in a way that delivers thrills without insulting your intelligence. Con Maznazpy, an Irish-American with a Polish surname, is a New York veteran of the Iraq war, still bearing the scars of his experience. Hes still trying to pull his life together when hes asked to make a trip to Ireland to visit the family of his former best friend Ferdia McErlane, whose father has committed suicide apparently after a failed property deal in Turkey. Suspicious of the means by which this request is delivered, Con nonetheless returns to the old homeland only to find that there is indeed rather more to the request than was admitted, and it leads him across Europe and Asia before back to New York on the trail of much a bigger conspiracy. Cappa however hints that there is a parallel reading to be found here with the book of Irish legends featuring the mythical hero Cú Chulainn, known as the Táin. Those references arent obvious or belabored however, the novel drawing from them rather in order to examine wider questions on the need for heroes - which still have relevance in the modern age, whether through movie action heroes or sporting superstars - and on the attributes of bonds of loyalty to friends, to a cause or to an ideal that goes beyond consideration of duty or political gain. But it also questions whether that is even possible and whether there isnt an overriding genealogical imperative of blood at work that drives these unknowable actions. Whether its through this literary subtext or whether its through the strengths in the writing itself, Blood From A Shadow does have an indefinable quality and true originality, finding a way to delve into a particularly Irish sensibility that has deep historical and mythological roots in its connection with the United States, and it places an unusual spin on a conventional genre that at times gives it an almost otherworldly quality. Cons arrival in Belfast and Ireland as the first stop in his journey is an important starting point, his encounters with the legacy of the Troubles managing to touch on some dark moments in history and reveal aspects of national characteristics that go back through the ages. It serves as a means for the Irish-American Con to get in touch with his roots before the theme is developed further as he travels to Rome and Istanbul to discover that there are parallels to Irish history throughout the age and across the globe, and seemingly no end in sight to the cycle of conflict, war and atrocity that has been the legacy of the ambitions of mankind from time immemorial. Whether its the Cattle Raid of Cooley, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Auschwitz, 9/11 or Iraq, its a scene that has been played out time and time again, and Con finds himself following in the footsteps of other legendary great warriors that history has had need for in such times. Blood From A Shadow then uses the conspiracy thriller plot - as well as considerations of history and religion - in their context of a wider search for meaning. Considering these subjects, war, religion, conflict, heroism and atrocities have been always with us, surely this must be part of a bigger picture, or at least say something about human nature? Gerard Cappa brings all these themes and deeper considerations together with admirable ease. Blood From A Shadow is very well-written in this respect, the descriptions are strong and clear enough to follow exactly where you are, the dialogue rings true without being openly expositional, reflecting the nature of the characters, their motivations and actions. Personally, my only issue is that Con is a bit of a stock character, a war veteran, tormented by what he has experienced, prone to violent thoughts and flashbacks, but in some respects, Cappa uses these characteristics in order to subvert them and the traditional idea of how a hero should be as Con struggles with the question of whether his actions, undertaken for the most noble of reason, dont indeed serve the agendas of others. As far-fetched as the revelations of a complex worldwide conspiracy might seem, in many ways it reflects the reality and the wider implications of military intervention in the world today, and the dangers of them spinning off to have unforeseen and devastating consequences.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:17:27 +0000
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