Wages of Empire

by Michael J Cooper

Overview

In the summer of 1914, sixteen-year-old Evan Sinclair leaves home to join the Great War for Civilization. Little does he know that, despite the war raging in Europe, the true source of conflict will emerge in Ottoman Palestine, since it's from Jerusalem where the German Kaiser dreams to rule as Holy Roman Emperor.

Filled with such historical figures as Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Faisal bin Hussein and Chaim Weizmann, Wages of Empire follows Evan through the killing fields of the Western Front where he will help turn the tide of a war that is just beginning, and become part of a story that never ends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888241882
Publisher:	Koehler Books
Publication date:	11/30/2023
Pages:	392
Sales rank:	640,471
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael J. Cooper emigrated to Israel in 1966 and lived in Jerusalem during the last year the city was divided between Israel and Jordan. He graduated from Tel Aviv University Medical School, and after a forty-year career as a pediatric cardiologist in Northern California, he continues to do volunteer missions serving Palestinian children who lack access to care. His historical fiction novels include Foxes in the Vineyard, set in 1948 Jerusalem, which won the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest grand prize and The Rabbi's Knight, set in the Holy Land in 1290. Wages of Empire won the 2022 CIBA Rossetti Award for YA fiction along with first-place honors for the 2022 CIBA Hemingway award for wartime historical fiction.He lives in Northern California with his wife and a spoiled-rotten cat. Three adult children occasionally drop by.

Editorial Reviews

03/11/2024

Cooper (author of The Rabbi’s Night) renders a panoramic view of the First World War in this absorbing offering. Gunter von Wertheimer and Rahman B’Shara, Guardians of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, are determined to save it from treasure hunters, even if the German king himself, Kaiser Wilhelm, aided by opportunist Montagu Walker and Aryan supremacist Guido von List, is set on excavating the Holy Land. Far away in Utah, Evan Sinclair, son of archeology professor Clive Sinclair, runs away to volunteer for the war, landing instead with the Flemish resistance. The storylines intersect as the parties navigate the driving forces behind World War I, each determined to master their own fates.

The cast of characters is sweeping, with several fictionalized versions of real-life people. Especially interesting is the portrayal of the Kaiser, a rendering that whispers of an earlier, fainter version of Hitler, with a similar lack of empathy and greediness for power, aided by the sinister von List. Evan and Clive’s estrangement is affecting, particularly as it results from the grief of Evan’s mother dying in childbirth, and Clive’s decision to volunteer in the war effort to search for his son illuminates the strength of their tumultuous bond. Perhaps the most intriguing character is British archeologist and writer Gertrude Bell, outspoken with often-polarizing political views, and committed to doing exactly as she pleases in an overwhelmingly masculine world.

Cooper explores several other plot strands that hold historical significance, including the Arab desire for independence, the Zionist movement, and Western interest in Middle Eastern oil and control of Jerusalem. The pace is steady, allowing Cooper to plumb various facets of the war as it unfolds, with special emphasis on its Middle Eastern front, and he skillfully braids the disparate plot strands together into a cohesive narrative with a fair amount of suspense and tension.

Takeaway: Character-driven WWI novel with a healthy dose of suspense.

Comparable Titles: Naguib Mahfouz’s Palace Walk, Lawrence Durrell’s Mountolive.

Production grades Cover: A- Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

"In Wages of Empire, Michael Cooper masterfully captures the time and geopolitical intrigue around the onset of WWI. The characters, historical and fictional, come to life on the page as the storyline drives relentlessly forward. Bravo!"-Matt Coyle, Best-Selling Author of the Rick Cahill Novels; Anthony, Lefty, and Shamus Awards Winner

"With gripping tension, Cooper keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the stakes are raised with each turn of events. Wages of Empire is a must-read blockbuster for history buffs of all ages. The novel's masterful storytelling will leave readers wanting more.-Chanticleer Book Reviews, 5 Stars, Best Book

"A beautifully written tale covering three continents during a dramatic era in world history. . . . [F]rom the plains of Utah to the battlefields of Europe to the holy places and deserts of the Levant, Cooper exhibits extensive but seamless research in illuminating unforgettable historical and fictional characters. . . [A] tour de force!" -Professor Ronit Meroz, Department of Jewish Philosophy and Talmud, Tel-Aviv University, Israel, Winner of 2022 Award Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities for Outstanding Scholarship of Kabbalah, and 2020 Ben Zvi Prize for Research of Eastern Jewish Communities

"Story is gripping and the characters that he describes come alive through his skillful writing. I couldn't put it down!"-Rabbi Gordon Freeman, PhD, Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation B'nai Shalom, Walnut Creek, CA

"Wages of Empire brings to light the consequences and true costs of empire building and personal self-aggrandizement by leading figures of WW1. . . . [A]n engaging history lesson as contemporaneous as the morning newspaper, but far more enlivening."-John Bennison, RelD, Executive Director and Lead Teacher: Pathways Faith Community, Walnut Creek, CA

"Cooper has made this period of history come alive. It is a treat to read. This book should be at the top of your reading list."-Rabbi David Zisenwine, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Education, Tel Aviv University, Retired Chair of the Israel Jewish Educational Research Association (Retired)

From the Publisher