EmpireForLiberty-Review

EMPIRE FOR LIBERTY Review by Kate Matthew at NSW Writers' Centre on NEWSBITE (eNewsletter of NSWWC)

Empire for Liberty  

by Terri Sedmak

Review by Kate Matthew  

Empire for Liberty is the second book of The Liberty & Property Legends, and tells the story of an ambitious journalist (Emmaline Roberts) who travels to Cheyenne for a job and finds herself caught up in the ongoing investigation surrounding the events in the first book.  Empire for Liberty is a very clever second book - enough of the story so far is recapped in conversation between characters and, as Emmaline begins to understand the back-story, so does the reader.  Although you don't need to have read the first one to enjoy it, there is always a sense that enjoyment would be heightened by having read them in the right order.

This is one of the best fiction stories I have read in a long time, regardless of genre.  As historical fiction it works incredibly well, due largely to the fact that historical detail is firmly in the background. It is an accepted part of the story, and therefore natural and unobtrusive. The story holds a subtle post-colonial undertone and a more obvious early-feminist thread, but neither of these are explored in detail and they don't need to be.  They are simply part of the fabric of a strong story.

The decision to write in present tense is interesting, and very occasionally feels slightly strange for the reader, but it does create both a sense of urgency and a lack of omniscience that works very well for this story.