By: David Bacon
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I found Manifest a really interesting read, well written, richly describing the era of the First World War from high politics to the trenches to the industries working on the new technology of wireless masts. It is written from multiple viewpoints of the key characters involved or touched by the fatal fall, each giving part of the story, which I looked forward to returning to.
Overall impressions: I enjoyed reading the book: it is a good yarn and a credit to the author. I hope there are many more. My favourite parts of the book were the introductions to the characters. These were beautifully researched and the characters came alive as a result. My particular favourite, and a good example of the quality and scope of the research, was Sailor Sid. The Battle of Jutland is an interest of mine and to see the battle brought alive through the eyes of Able Seaman Spears was a real treat. This was a clever idea, brilliantly executed and it worked giving the character real depth. The same applies to all the other characters introduced in the main body of the book: so easy to become invested in them. One aspect that seemed to me to be taking a risk, was the idea that different witnesses to an event observe different things. Could this be pulled off without it being a cliche? The answer is a resounding yes. Moreover, the idea of this being a vehicle for evolving different threads to the story I thought worked well and was a significant part of making the book enjoyable. There is no worst part of the book. However, if I was to split hairs, the opening chapter struck me as not quite as good as the others. The book is introduced by the character Tony, and perhaps because he tells the tail, his character does not evolve in quite the same way as others. He appears to be quite a genteel steel erector. I am definitely splitting hairs. I thoroughly recommend Manifest. I hope lots of people take the opportunity to find out about WIS and the mystery of the rope.
