Review: Love and The Power

When John Forbes was a child, he dreamed of growing up and being powerful. He found that the way to make this dream a reality was through a life of crime. Starting small, his empire grows and grows, until he becomes one of the most powerful figures in Europe, if not the world. However, there are always those who seek to bring him down. ‘Love and the Power’ is the story of John Forbes and his rise to power, with the hardships and tribulations that he suffered along the way.

‘Love and the Power’ is an interesting novel, since it promises so much more than it delivers. The blurb describes it as a ‘majestic and compassionate novel’; so one could be forgiven for thinking that they were in the presence of a modern classic. It is a novel in which an enormous amount happens, but very little actually seems to happen. The action takes place over many years, meaning that enormous amounts of information have to be squeezed into small passages.

Eidemak’s characters are interesting and readers will soon find themselves rooting for Forbes and his men, willing them on to succeed and outwit the police. Forbes comes across as a decent man, despite the fact that he is a criminal. There are scenes all over the world, but sometimes, Eidemak is let down by factual inaccuracies. For example, at one point, a woman flies to Gibraltar via Paris. This is, of course, impossible, since Gibraltar is only reachable via London or Manchester. A minor error, which could be classed as nit-picking, but noticeable nonetheless.

‘Love and the Power’ is not the classic, momentous novel that the blurb might have you believe. It is distinctly lightweight in places and there are areas where much more flesh could have been put on the bones of the novel. However, with a novel dealing with such a large passage of time, to include more detail would have been to make the novel truly epic.

A fun read, but one where perhaps judicious editing could have made for a sharper and better-focussed work.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Book Review: Love and The Power