This is a book that at the end left me wanting for more. I admire the dedication of research put into this novel. On a note, Townshend was the worst general ever to have been employed in the British Army. One of the worst Generals. Even Wellington and Napoleon would have despised this man for his tactics in warfare. And Rat-face. What a character. Reminds me of the typical stupidity that the upper class officers of the British Army had in WW1. They were unoriginal in thought, and lacked strategical thinking. It was no wonder that in WW1 that the Allies couldn't gain a kilometre of land without shells firing in the sky.

I also applaud Pyram for exposing us to the Ottoman Arena of Warfare. In my mind, most of the conflicts in the Middle East stem directly from WW1 and the negotiations that surround it. I did feel the hidden secret was under-explored, as I felt it was being built up for something bigger. Now I realise that in the second novel, we'll get to know more. I would appeal to Pyram to show more scenes of the Crusades, and inherently remove the religious backdrop that has been given in other popular forms of entertainment when you actually realise the Crusades was on the scale of WW1 in the Middle East. It was mostly fought for power and expansion of land but then again, every Kingdom wants to do it. The Romans often sacked Parthia's capital Ctesphion quite often and had dreams of becoming the next Alexander the Great. The Ottomans had in 1453, with Sultan Mehmed wanting to become the next Caesar.

I also would like to see more scenes of Saladin himself. Honestly I feel like an entire novel could be written on him. His life is something that was on the scale of Alexander and Napoleon. The man devoted his entire wealth away for his funeral and gave it to the poor. I think some depictions of his generosity would be the most beneficial.

Moving on, I loved the images and they really added to the story. All of the characters were great, and I loved the German POW character, Sauer, he was awesome. I liked this, and would def rec.

I did see some formatting errors and there was a page, I can't remember, but it said Rat-face, and then whatever came next was: Rate-face. Something that could be cleared up.

Overall, we rarely get books like this now, and I want to read more!

My rating: 7,8/10

Received this through Net Gallery and so glad I was able to read this! You have anything and everything that you would want and more for a spy story! The travels he goes through,the situations he encounters is fast paced and exciting! You learn so very much of his travels and the people and situations he comes across i in his life!! A very much need to read story! The characters you will relate to as the story goes on and relate to!! You learn of the Ottoman with the British war and what affects it had on the history of the world!

This story takes place during WWI, in the Middle East, and is based on the real diaries of Francis Marion Jäger, an american who travelled extensively in that region, even working as a spy of sorts for Gertrude Bell.

The book is fast paced and entertaining, while being at the same time very informative. It is obviously based on a thorough research of the events of the time and the people involved. Relevant events and persons are mentioned, but without overloading the reader with details. It definitely made me want to learn more about this part of history.

I'll be impatiently looking forward to the next episode of this story.

A fast paced and action pack book that reminds the old action&adventure books.
It was an entertaining and engaging read, well written and with a well thought cast of characters.
A fun read, well researched and well written.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Destiny's War will be a series of novellas set in WWI. The hero, Francis Marion Jager, is a young adventurer, modeled in the style of Kipling's Kim. The author's decision to offer his work as a serialized novel, also harks back to Kipling who first published Kim in Mcclure's magazine. Part I, reviewed here, titled Saladin's Secret will be closely followed by Assassin Awakes. (Part 2).

In his author introduction, King relates a non traditional upbringing. Perhaps this non structured education has allowed him to create an unusual hybrid format. The fictional story is carefully footnoted. The footnotes relate the historically accurate parts of the narrative. In addition soft charcoal drawings illustrated by Daniela Irizarry enhance the text. All in all this format creates an ideal middle grade reader.

There is adventure a plenty. Spies, battles won and lost, battles on Camel back! all contribute to a fast paced read. In addition King has allowed a soupcon of paranormal mystery into the plot. What is Saladin's Secret? How will this impact the life of our very charismatic hero? Most of all what happens next? This reviewer is counting the days for part 2.