Book Review: Race to Tibet by Sophie Schiller

Race to Tibet by Sophie Schiller
E-Book, 342 pages
Tradewinds Publishing
January 14, 2015
★★★½☆☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review for France Book Tours

"An intrepid band of explorers headed by Gabriel Bonvalot, France’s greatest explorer, and his partner, Prince Henri d’Orléans, attempt to be the first living Europeans to reach Lhasa. Before they leave Paris, Bonvalot meets Camille Dancourt, the beautiful, strong-willed wife of a French surveyor who disappeared in Tibet, who desperately wishes to join the expedition. When the caravan sets out they face freezing temperatures, violent winds, mountain sickness, hostile Tibetans, duplicitous Chinese Mandarins, and a beguiling Tibetan Buddhist princess with a deadly secret. When the explorers reach Tibet, they discover a land of mystery and intrigue, a land of danger that promises them only one thing: death. On the verge of collapse, Bonvalot realizes they must resort to deadly force if they ever wish to escape Tibet alive."

Race to Tibet is a true adventure story – the characters traverse some of the most dangerous locations of their time (and probably still today). The author makes it clear to the reader just how terrible the circumstances were of their expedition – the cold, the mountain elevation illness, predators, bandits, severe storms, etc. No one seemed to want the travelers to make it to Tibet. It had to be almost an art-form attempting to get there. I know that I would never have survived that expedition if I was a part of it! At times the story becomes bogged down in the monotony of the misery of the cold, mountain sickness, and the question of if they will ever actually make it to Tibet. They could never catch a break and I wanted them to just reach Tibet or not.

One of the strangest elements of the book so far is the seemingly “is he real or isn’t he real” character of Przewalski. Even after having finished the book I still haven’t been able to determine if he is just a very vivid manifestation of Bonvalot’s mind or if he is actually still alive (since he is supposed to be dead at the start of the novel). I don’t know if I am supposed to question Bonvalot’s sanity or if it is some mystery element.

Unlike many historical fiction novels, 98% of the characters in this book are male – there are two female characters, although only one of them do we really get to know well. It is a much needed element, to break up all of that testosterone on this expedition – even though it would have been very odd for a female to be on an expedition of this sort. Camille Dancort helps to make life more difficult for Bonvalot as he now has to keep his eye on a woman as well as leading the expedition. I actually enjoy this male lead, action adventure.

For the most part the narrative flowed well. We see the world through the various viewpoints of the explorers mixed throughout in no defined structure. The only point where this did not work well was at one point when we abruptly switch to the viewpoint of a native Tibetan (for the length of a paragraph). This abrupt shift in perspective pulled me out of the narrative. I think it would have been more effective to leave this part out.

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Sophie Schiller:

Spy Island

About the Author:

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies.  Among other oddities her family tree contains a Nobel prize-winning physicist and a French pop singer.  She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations.  She was educated at American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY.  She is currently at work on a new historical thriller set in the Caribbean.

Find Sophie Schiller: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Follow the Tour!

France Book Tours webpage for Race to Tibet

Giveaway!

**Please note that these giveaways are tour-wide and the rules are set and giveaway hosted by the tour coordinator**

There are lots of great giveaways up for grabs on this tour.  Enter the prizes below by completing the form.

There are 5 books up for grabs.  International giveaway - Print/digital for US/Canada residents, Digital for other countries.

Entry-Form

 

 

Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

In-Progress Review & Giveaway: Race to Tibet by Sophie Schiller

Race to Tibet by Sophie Schiller
E-Book, 342 pages
Tradewinds Publishing
January 14, 2015

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review for France Book Tours

"An intrepid band of explorers headed by Gabriel Bonvalot, France’s greatest explorer, and his partner, Prince Henri d’Orléans, attempt to be the first living Europeans to reach Lhasa. Before they leave Paris, Bonvalot meets Camille Dancourt, the beautiful, strong-willed wife of a French surveyor who disappeared in Tibet, who desperately wishes to join the expedition. When the caravan sets out they face freezing temperatures, violent winds, mountain sickness, hostile Tibetans, duplicitous Chinese Mandarins, and a beguiling Tibetan Buddhist princess with a deadly secret. When the explorers reach Tibet, they discover a land of mystery and intrigue, a land of danger that promises them only one thing: death. On the verge of collapse, Bonvalot realizes they must resort to deadly force if they ever wish to escape Tibet alive."

Please note this is an in-process review (I swear I do finish books! It has just been a crazy couple weeks). A full review will be forth coming. I am approximately two-thirds of the way through the book at this point.  [Full Review Posted on 4/3/15] 

Race to Tibet is a true adventure story – the characters traverse some of the most dangerous locations of their time (and probably still today). The author makes it clear to the reader just how terrible the circumstances were of their expedition – the cold, the mountain elevation illness, predators, bandits, severe storms, etc. No one seemed to want the travelers to make it to Tibet. It had to be almost an art-form attempting to get there.

One of the strangest elements of the book so far is the seemingly “is he real or isn’t he real” character of Przewalski. I haven’t yet determined if he is just a very vivid manifestation of Bonvalot’s mind or if he is actually still alive (since he is supposed to be dead at the start of the novel). I don’t know if I am supposed to question Bonvalot’s sanity or if it is some mystery element – I’m sure that will pan out more as the book resolves.

Unlike many historical fiction novels, 98% of the characters in this book are male – there is one female character (at least so far), Camille Dancourt. It is a much needed element, to break up all of that testosterone on this expedition – even though it would have been very odd for a female to be on an expedition of this sort. She helps to make life more difficult for Bonvalot as he now has to keep his eye on a woman as well as leading the expedition. I actually enjoy this male lead, action adventure.

The author does a great job of keeping the tension high as the group treks through the mountains. You never can get quite comfortable! They are just reaching what will likely be the most dangerous part of their expedition – so I look forward to seeing how this whole thing resolves.

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Sophie Schiller:

Spy Island

 

About the Author:

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies.  Among other oddities her family tree contains a Nobel prize-winning physicist and a French pop singer.  She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations.  She was educated at American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY.  She is currently at work on a new historical thriller set in the Caribbean.

Find Sophie Schiller: Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

Follow the Tour!  

France Book Tours webpage for Race to Tibet

 

Giveaway!

**Please note that these giveaways are tour-wide and the rules are set and giveaway hosted by the tour coordinator**

There are lots of great giveaways up for grabs on this tour.  Enter the prizes below by completing the form.

There are 5 books up for grabs.  International giveaway - Print/digital for US/Canada residents, Digital for other countries.

Entry-Form

 

Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

Interview with Sophie Schiller

Good morning everyone!  And good morning Sophie Schiller!  I want to introduce you all to the author Sophie Schiller and her new book, Spy Island.  Sophie has taken the time to answer some questions for us today to get to know her and her book better.  Take it away!

 

I love novels set during or surrounding WWI, however I have never seen one set in the West Indies before.  Why set your novel here?

Hi Heather, that's a great question. I wanted to write a novel that would bring to life the Danish colonial period in St. Thomas. As a child growing up in Charlotte Amalie, I marveled at the Danish architecture, the Danish street names, the fascinating history and beauty of the islands, and I longed to read a novel set in this unique location, but there was nothing available. That was the genesis of this novel. I wrote Spy Island to honor the upcoming Centennial Anniversary of the transfer of the Danish West Indies to the US, which took place in 1917 at the height of the Great War. This was a tumultuous time in history for the islanders. They went from being Danish subjects to being American subjects overnight. Down came the Dannebrog and up went the Stars and Stripes. Throw in a runaway German U-boat deserter, a mad Voodoo Queen, a ruthless German spy, Old World Danish characters, colorful West Indian characters and a resourceful and brave island girl and you've set the stage for some serious drama!

Your bio says that you grew up in the West Indies, did that have an influence on your writing?  Did it give you any unique opportunities for researching your novel?

Without a doubt, growing up in the West Indies gave me a unique insight into the people of the West Indies, their thought patterns and behavior, their beliefs, their social structure, their quirks, the beauty of their traditions and culture. I tried to infuse some of that into my novel.

What has the publishing process been like for you?  Have you found anything particularly challenging or surprisingly easy?

The publishing process is not for the faint at heart. It's a discipline that requires extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and love. I don't think there's anything easy about it. It's hard work. But when the job is done, you end up with what you hope is a beautiful product.

Is there any interesting tidbit that you learned while researching Spy Island that didn’t make it into the novel that you could share with us here?

During WWI, a large number of Jamaicans signed up to fight for Great Britain in the British West Indies Regiment (BWIR). In the original manuscript, I showed a group of these young men boarding Abby's steamship, but ended up taking it out. In one particularly sad case that occurred in 1915, a troopship bound for Nova Scotia hit a freak storm that sent temperatures plummeting. Dressed only in tropical weight uniforms, hundreds of these young West Indian men came down with frostbite, requiring hundreds of amputations that resulted in the deaths of five soldiers.

You are currently working on a new novel, Race to Tibet, what can you tell us about this upcoming novel?

Race to Tibet is set in 1889 at the height of Europe's obsession with the Buddhist kingdom on the Roof of the World. At that time, no living European had stepped foot in the Forbidden City of Lhasa, and no man had ever met the Dalai Lama. My novel is about a group of intrepid explorers who set out to reach Lhasa and encounter some hair-raising adventures (and a beguiling Buddhist princess) along the way. Stay tuned for more information!

If you could travel anywhere to research a novel idea (whether it is to access a library or absorb ambiance of the locale) where would you go and why?

My first choice would be Tibet for obvious reasons. Over the years I developed a fascination with the Himalayas which stands in direct contradiction to my tropical upbringing! My second choice would be the French Antilles for a project I have slated for 2016.

Thank you Heather for inviting me to the Maiden's Court. I enjoyed sharing tea and crumpets with you and your readers.

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies amid aging pirates and retired German spies. She was educated at American University, Washington, DC and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.

You can find more information on Sophie Schiller and her novels at website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

Book Blurb:

A forbidden friendship that blossoms into love is at the heart of this colorful historical novel.

Abigail Maduro arrives in the Danish West Indies on 1916 to live with her Aunt Esther, a bad tempered spinster, and her houseful of eccentric servants. Despite the island’s veneer of tranquility, St. Thomas is a hotbed of German spies who use their Hamburg-America steamers to aid the Kaiser’s war effort.

When a mysterious stranger suddenly appears in town, Abigail is drawn into the conflict. In the scholarly Erich Seibold, she finds the friendship and love she has been craving, even after she learns that Erich is really a deserter from a German U-boat. But their idyllic interlude comes to a crashing halt when the island’s German consul also discovers Erich’s identity, and blackmails him into committing sabotage. After a melee involving the Danish governor, Erich is thrown into prison, forcing Abigail to risk everything to save him. Action and adventure abound in this colorful historical novel that brings to life a fading West Indian sugar colony in the last days of Danish rule.

You can follow along with the rest of the tour by visiting the HFVBT site or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #SpyIslandBlogTour

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court