The Shadow of War by Jack Murray is the first of three books following two boys/soldiers from their homes and families North Africa and the battle of El Alamein.

In 1933, Danny Shaw was a schoolboy in a rural English village and Manfred Brehme was growing up in a city in Germany. Manfred enjoyed school, Danny didn’t. Danny’s father fought in the Great War, Manfred’s didn’t. Danny skips school to steal apples and enjoy the countryside with his two friends. Manfred is uneasy at school when his Jewish teacher is taken away, but the lure of the Hitler Youth is strong. Danny leaves school to help in his father’s blacksmith workshop while Manfred leaves school to sign into the German Army. When war is declared both Danny Manfred undergo basic training after which both are shipped off to North Africa – which is where this first book in the trilogy ends.

Each boy’s/soldier’s are told with clarity, humour, emotion, and a strong sense of ‘war is coming’ and that both will be involved. It’s interesting for the reader to read in such detail two soldier’s preparations for war.

The Shadow of War is well-written with careful attention to detail giving the book a strong feel of reality. The story is balanced between Manfred and Danny and their characters are well-developed through the whole book. We’re given a keen sense of their characters by following their child and teenage years, who they have strongest relationships with, their fears and weaknesses as well as their strengths. It’s reasonably clear that the later books will bring these two together in some way and I’m eager to know how that will look.

The Shadow of War by Jack Murray is a work of fiction [Hitting Shelves 2022]. Two stories of four boys who live a parallel life are told in a closely connected manner; yet, each pair of the characters is far apart. Danny Shaw and Tom Shaw are brothers who live in Britain. They are in a quiet village with hardworking people, loving parents, and many friends to make mischief with and against. Danny is the leader of a trio who enjoys missing out on classes and feasting on looted goods. They fight and swim and are happy with life and their existence. There is usually a dark mood in the old generation in the village. They are the group that fought in the war or lost someone to the war. Stan Shaw is one of the characters, and although he has a happy family with hardworking sons, he lives behind the gruesome events.

In Germany, two boys play on opposing teams of football. They are Manfred and Gerhardt. They find themselves in Hitler Youth and later in real training to fight in the army. Danny, Manfred, and Gerhardt could have been triplets from their manner of thinking to analyzing situations and dealing with problems.

I enjoyed many aspects of this writing. The plot was amazing. It was progressive, with fresh events and backgrounds. It was fast-paced but covered key transitions. I also enjoyed the details as well as the clear descriptions. The lives of people in Britain and Germany were clearly contrasted, yet there were common events. For instance, in both countries, they listened to the radio called 'wireless' as a pass time and to hear the news; however, in Germany, young boys were happy to go to fight, while those in Britain were brave and felt it was their duty to defend their nation.

I found absolutely nothing to dislike about The Shadow of War. The story was gripping, the characters lovable, and relatable, and an interesting setting.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I withheld the one star because the editing did not impress me. Otherwise, this book is a page-turner with such clear details that one is completely transported into the events.

I recommend this book to lovers of classical works, Young Adults, and plot-driving works. People interested in military tactics with a historical base will love The Shadow of War by Jack Murray. The writing contains love hints of Victorian style and certainly no explicit contents.

I started his book. Then got to a point that I can’t do the bad language..
sorry. I just don’t do bad language…. Some probably don’t think it’s bad m but to me it is ..
hate to stop reading a book 😞. I always like to know the ending .. and hard to leave a star rating.
I’m sure a good book ….war is hard , times were hard ..