THE KLAUS PROTOCOL (A Review)
I have been a fan of Frank Schildiner's tales of Frankenstein's Monster and Napoleon’s Vampire Hunters for some time. Recently I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy of Schildiner's latest novel - an historical novel entitled The Klaus Protocol, and I have to say this this his best work yet.
Opening in 1938 (the year my late father was born, which made the story all the more interesting for me on a personal level) then flashing back to incidents that occurred two years previously, the novel follows the adventures of one Konstantin Kalinin, Captain in the Soviet Army, who finds himself investigating the murder of three military men who appear to have been trailing Kalinin. Of course the killings are just part of a much larger drama, and during the course of his investigation Kalinin and a young woman named Ekaterina Lepyokhin find themselves immersed in a tale of danger and intrigue worthy of Ian Fleming himself. (Fitting, given Schildiner's stated fondness for the creator of James Bond.)
To say any more would be cheating the reader (no spoiler alert necessary - the reader deserves the opportunity to experience this tale for himself). But suffice it to say that I was highly impressed both with the skill of Schildiner's storytelling and the complexity of the story itself. It is a testimony to that skillful storytelling - and the manner in which the protagonist Kalinin is depicted - that I came away from this book hopeful that we may find ourselves treated to further adventures of the character at some point.
Peppered with appearances by actual figures from Soviet history (including one who also appeared in one of Fleming's 007 thrillers) and chock full of the kind of historical color that have made me such a fan of such writers as Max Allen Collins and Louis L'Amour, The Klaus Protocol is one of the finest works of its kind that I have read in some time. His governmental ties notwithstanding, Konstantin Kalinin is both a likable and believable character and in the end every bit as heroic as many of those in our own culture.
In summary: If you are an aficionado of historical fiction or detective stories well told, you owe it to yourself to read The Klaus Protocol. It really is that good.
In : Review
Tags: books. history. 007
John A. Small is an award-winning newspaper journalist, columnist and broadcaster whose work has been honored by the Oklahoma Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press, the National Newspaper Association, and the Oklahoma Education Association. He and his wife Melissa were married in 1986; they have two sons, Joshua Orrin (born 1991) and William Ian (born 1996).
Mr. Small is the News Editor and columnist for the Johnston County Capital-Democrat, a weekly newspaper headquartered in Tishomingo, OK. He obtained his nickname, "Bard of the Lesser Boulevards," from a journalism colleague - the late Phil Byrum - in recognition of the success of his popular newspaper column, "Small Talk." (In addition to the many awards the column itself has received over the years, a radio version of "Small Talk" earned an award for "Best Small Market Commentary" from the Society of Professional Journalists in 1998.)
John was born in Oklahoma City in 1963; lived in the Bradley-Bourbonnais-Kankakee area of Illinois for most of the next 28 years (with brief sojourns in Texas and Athens, Greece, thrown in to break up the monotony); then returned to his native state in 1991, where he currently resides in the Tishomingo/Ravia area. He graduated from Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in 1981, and received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais in 1991. The years between high school and college were a period frought with numerous exploits and misadventures, some of which have become the stuff of legend; nobody was hurt along the way, however, which should count for something.
In addition to his professional career as a journalist he has published two short story collections: "Days Gone By: Legends And Tales Of Sipokni West" (2007), a collection of western stories; and "Something In The Air" (2011), a more eclectic collection. He was also a contributor to the 2005 Locus Award-nominated science fiction anthology "Myths For The Modern Age: Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Universe," edited by Win Scott Eckert. In additon he has written a stage play and a self-published cookbook; served as project editor for a book about the JFK assassination entitled "The Men On The Sixth Floor"; and has either published or posted on the Internet a number of essays, stories and poems.
He has also won writing awards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Library of Poetry. He is a past president of the Johnston County Chamber of Commerce in Tishomingo; was a charter member and past president of the Johnston County Reading Council, the local literacy advocacy and "friends of the library" organization; served as Johnston County's first-ever Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator in 1994-95; served two terms as chairman of the Johnston County (OK) Democratic Party; and has taught journalism classes for local Boy Scout Merit Badge Fairs. He is a member of the New Wold Newton Meteorics Society.
