When courage came to call by L.M. Fuge

Random House ISBN 9871741664447.
Early Secondary. Recommended. As Henry Kissinger said 'Power corrupts: absolute power corrupts absolutely'. This theme pervades this first novel. Imm and his twin Saxon experience the horror of invasion, especially when it is quite unexpected. The graphic death scenes are a little too realistic.
The story revolves around a country with many people and poor resources who invade Zamascus. Imm and Saxon survive the bombings and gather young people along the way. Their lives change drastically when they meet Knight, who impresses them with his powerful image and talk. Issues of trust and loyalty are challenged and Knight is able to convince the whole group to follow him and his rules! Life is not as it seems at first and very tough and tragic situations ensue.
This is a disturbing novel even though it challenges the reader to think about the consequences of war, its effects on ordinary people and how situations can be manipulated when people have no options. Not for the faint hearted!
Sue Nosworthy