The Devil's Oasis

I read the most recent Bartle Bull book (China Star) first then went back and ordered all the others. I have never enjoyed a series more. The battle scenes and description of the characters in this book, especially Rommel, adds much to understanding the spirit of war. If you want to read about a time when some brave men had courage, dignity and a sense of honor, read this book.

Liked this even better than WRH. Just great adventure writing, set in North Africa. One of the best novels I've ever read. Combines action with romantic setting and atomosphere. Extremely well crafted and written.

Bartle Bull is a great storyteller. The characters we first met in The White Rhino Hotel and further enjoyed in A Cafe on the Nile are back. The setting is now Cairo and Northern Africa as the Nazi juggernaut (in the person of the surprisingly admirable Rommel and his Afrika Corps) prepares to capture Cairo, to thereby control the Middle Eastern oilfields, and to gain an unsurmountable advantage in winning the war. Anton Rider, now older and more battered; Gwen, his estranged wife now in a liaison with another despicable cad; Wellington, their older son, discovering love and heroism for the first time; and, always, the enigmatic Goan dwarf, Olivio Alavedo are all back to further work out their lives in this grand historic context. As always, the reader cares about the characters, is caught up in the fast-paced plot and is swept up in a powerful narrative. If you like adventure and care about good writing, read this series!

This is the third in the series of adventure tales centering on Anton Rider, a gypsy-raised Brit who makes a living taking sports on safari. He has two upright sons and a separated wife, Gwenn, who has a terminal addiction to lovers who are losers. His friends include a likeable, devious and over-sexed dwarf, a German soldier with one foot, and an ancient Englishman. All these exotic characters are found in exotic locales along the Nile in 1939-1942 as Rommel advances toward Egypt and the British fight desperately to halt him. This, of course, involves Anton, who always finds trouble, and his military-age son Wellington. Gwenn is keeping company with a detestable Frenchman; the dwarf is calculating how he can get even richer with the war The greatest part of the book, especially toward the end, is devoted to war in the desert. The descriptions of the war are a little confusing. More explanation as to why, for example, the Foreign Legion is clinging so desperately to a particular patch of sand would be useful. Courage abounds in this novel; fear is not so evident -- and more would be welcome in a dramatic sense. Likewise, the hardships of heat and thirst in the desert don't seem to be exploited as effectively as they could be. But this is a good adventure tale, better written than most, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Enjoyed this book, after reading the first two, The White Rhino Hotel and A Cafe on the Nile. The historical detail and colorful plotting make it difficult to put down.