what an adventure..
Attending school in the U.S., I didn't learn much about the French Foreign Legion, except from Pepe LePew. However, since the National Geographic issue with the outline of Africa on the cover, my knowledge of the continent and its people has increased. This book plays a role in that. First, the writing and language is surprisingly modern. A nice aspect of some writers of this time, including Mr. Byrne, is the use of several languages throughout. Obviously French, but also Spanish, Arabic and Latin. I had to look up obiter dicta. The beginning is a bit sappy, with a lovely girl etc., but still well written. From there, the story takes off. The Angel of Death sounds amazing and I can't imagine resisting her. This character is much more important than the reader realizes. The fighting in Algiers is exciting and surprising. Even more clever is how the beginning starts with a scene from the middle--really well done. Wren's ability to engage the reader is commendable--he's even quite amusing, at times. This book stands as a novel on its own, though it is meant to be the third part of a series. To be sure, the story is a bit too fantastic, but it is a marvelous adventure. This is a classic everyone should read. The religious conflicts in the story aren't much different than the Africa of today.