[.ca] Micah Clarke (ISBN 0809595591)

Review of Arthur Conan Doyle's Micah Clarke:
Narrated by the character for whom the title is named and set in the late 1600's, Micah Clarke describes the battle of peasants against the existing king of England in the hopes that they can replace the monarch with his brother who feels he has been unjustly denied the throne. Micah Clarke, a young, innocent peasant joins forces with other peasants, among the Puritans, to fight for this pathetic duke's cause. Not a subject that would appear to be on the surface to be too exciting, in reality it is enjoyable reading. From the descriptions of the English settings, not unlike some of Thomas Hardy's relaxing paragraphs of the moors, to the gory horrors of the culminating battle, Doyle's writing keeps you turning the pages for more. At the same time, each chapter is so rich in dialogue and setting description, that you feel you can set down the book, and then pick it up the next day, thereby getting your fill of a relaxing, interesting trip into another world. As an aside, Doyle's thoughts on God and organized religion that appear in some of his other literature, are found here too. Through various character's dialogue, he's able to respectfully discuss differing "sides" of this sensitive subject, while appreciating the plight of all men, whatever their beliefs, church, political party, or economic class. Those who have read Sherlock Holmes should attempt Arthur Conan Doyle's historical fiction, such as Micah Clarke. It's well worth it.