Buy Hidden Conflict: Tales From Lost Voices in Battle

Hidden Conflict: Tales From Lost Voices in Battle

Cheyenne Publishing / Year: 2009

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Synopsis

Hidden Conflict presents four novellas that tell the experiences of gay military men, their families and friends, during times of conflict and war. Each story presents a unique voice at a distinct time in history.

Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft
1790 British Age of Sail
Blessed Isle is the long–lost diary of Captain Harry Thompson, recently discovered in a dusty safe deposit box and faithfully reproduced in Hidden Conflict. Thompson wrote his diary entries at night and in the morning, his lover and former lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, would add his thoughts and commentary. Thus, Blessed Isle is a dialog between the two men, telling the story of the ill–fated voyage of the HMS Banshee, its mutiny, their escape, and ultimately, how they overcame all odds to build a life together in Rio de Janeiro.

Not to Reason Why by Mark R. Probst
1876 US Cavalry
Corporal Brett Price is tired of being a soldier, tired of endless expeditions against the Lakota and Sioux, and tired of hiding his deep love for his friend and sergeant, Dermot Kerrigan. Unfortunately, as a member of the 7th Cavalry stationed at Fort Lincoln, North Dakota, there is little he can do to change his present situation; his love for Dermot is particularly distressing because Dermot is married and devoted to his wife, Sarah. Their commanding officer, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, has been relentless in rounding up the various Native American tribes of the western plains and forcing them off their lands to designated reservations. These battles between love and loyalty, duty and honor, with one of the most horrific battles ever fought on American soil as its backdrop, is the story that is told in Not to Reason Why.

No Darkness by Jordan Taylor
1915 World War I Britain and France
When Lieutenant Darnell and Private Fisher are trapped in a root cellar after being shelled behind the trenches on the Western Front, they struggle to survive and escape their black tomb. Strangers to one another, the days and nights underground in pitch darkness bring them together as they share stories of their upbringing. While their lives hang in the balance, they find refuge through the growing bond between them that neither expected.

Our One and Only by E. N. Holland
1944 US World War II and aftermath
What happens when one must grieve in private? That is what Philip Cormier is forced to do when his closest friend and lover, Eddie Fiske, is killed in France during the second round of D–Day in September 1944. The story covers a forty year arc, told in decade–long intervals, that chronicle Philip's loss, his life without Eddie, and ultimately, the acceptance and resolution of his grief. Most importantly, it demonstrates the healing power of love that can be found in unexpected places and ways.

Review

Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft

Set In 1790 during the British age of sail, the first thing I noticed is that Beecroft has a romantic and endearing style of writing; you feel his calm. Of course, the fantasy of being on a ship with only men around makes this story intriguing, testosterone flooded my senses as I dreamt of muscular men working this busy sailing vessel. Unfortunately, the story is written in the year typhoid fever strikes all the men on the ship, so the vision of hot, sweaty men fades quickly. Beecroft’s dialogue, also, is exceptionally eloquent: I could only dream of ever speaking this way. In particular, the author includes a line I just love. It reads, "I could not get the scent of Garnet out of my mouth, no matter how burned. It wound about me, like the music, every time he moved."

Not to Reason Why by Mark R. Probst

Set in 1876 inside the U.S. Cavalry in the year of the disaster at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, this is a fast-paced story that begins with lead characters, Corporal Brett Price and Sergeant Dermot Kerrigan(and his lovely wife, Sarah), drinking tea and discussing the soon-to-be-infamous, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer – and, of course, Washington politics. We learn in the backstory that Brett and Dermot became friends when Brett was first stationed at Fort Rice, six years before our story begins; a friendship that became stronger after Brett won money from Dermot in a poker game! Eventually, however, Brett begins to feel jealous of Sarah, due to a secret longing to take her place next to Dermot. The author paints a striking canvas of the troubled times; the pictures, including the troops, the battles and, of course, the lust, are vivid.

No Darkness by Jordan Taylor

In 1915, during World War I, Lieutenant Darnell and Private Fisher are performing a routine check in a French farmhouse basement when the surrounding area gets blasted with gunfire and bombs. Trapped together in a darkened and dank cellar, the setting feels more like a grave. The Author vividly describes the scene –from the stench and the dankness of the cellar to the burst of light from the explosions – and the entire farmhouse crumbled above them. Throughout, their friendship becomes a growing bond; a touching, even fantastic story.

Our One and Only by E. N. Holland

The setting is 1944, during World War II, and the mood of the story is deliberately slow. It is a time of war and grief – and the reader feels like a fly on the wall watching the story unfold. The characters are believable and seem very true to the times of war. It’s an emotional account; great writing.

-- Drew Simon