A. E. Nasr

A Powerful Story, An Elegant Style…And Some Discord Between Them

Miro boasts a compelling plot. An occupying army brutalizes a nation, some of the conquered trying to become invisible to their oppressors to make a living…or even joining with them. Some resist in secret, hoping to eventually throw off the bonds of tyranny. Still others just try to survive. Miro and his companions – the Captain, Alex, Aidan, and Markus – are part of the latter group, imprisoned and tortured for nine years until events give them a second chance at freedom. And be forewarned – some of this action is intense and brutal.

But even as powerful as this storyline is, it is the prose that sets Miro apart. The book is elegantly written, the scenes evocative, the characters nuanced. It explores some of the extremes of human existence that can only be found in the hostile and unforgiving setting of war – courage, betrayal, brotherhood, hope. Clearly, words are the friend of author A.E. Nasr.

In places, there is some discord between style and story. With such evocative prose, the transitions from thought to reality can blur easily. More than once I found myself returning to an earlier paragraph, realizing that what was being recounted was not a dream, not the demon of a former battle or the fantasy of an earlier time, but events in the here and now. Some of that intertwining of real and imagined may have been intentional – a character’s past influences how he reactions. But at other times, it seemed that a transition was missing, resulting in my pause.

Overall, melding the ‘nuts and bolts’ of action and the elegance of literary fiction is not an easy task. With only few exceptions, Miro does it extremely well.… (more)

A gripping thriller of struggle against jack-booted occupation. A suspenseful, action-packed tale of war and insurgency. A battle against all odds of the just against the strong and arrogant. Miro is all these things, and something more. Anita Emile (A.E.) Nasr has produced a riveting story from the oldest of legends: the underdog slogging on in the face of overwhelming odds. This is a strong and remarkable novel, its pace sustained through a wide variety of plot settings, its deeper truths plainly on display.

The eponymous character is captured by an invading force when twelve years old and interned under maximum security with four other men for nine years. At the story’s outset, nine years into his imprisonment, he struggles to retain his sanity in the cell he shares with the other men. He provides a key to escaping when prison guard negligence and corruption combine to destroy an ammunition dump and blow out a prison wall. The fame of the five escapees spreads far and wide and gives hope to an oppressed population.

And: you will simply not want to miss the spectacular climax. It provides a fitting and gratifying conclusion to this fugitive journey, and proves that our intrepid author will command a large audience in the future. It’s that good.

Beneath the plot of torture and escape into fame, the book deals with five different personalities and backgrounds very well. These are not cardboard cutouts by any stretch. Miro, the youngest and most innocent, has been adopted as somewhat of a mascot by the group, one of whom is his older brother. He (Miro) has the least experience with conflict and yet lays his life on the line time after time to save one character after another. We learn in one memorable scene with a national icon of a poet that his name means “peace.”

Miro also embodies the truth of sacrifice. The escapees are accepted in a mountain stronghold, in a village whose citizens would give their all for these heroes. When a nation needs a focus to catalyze its rage, Miro, the hope of a peaceful future, ends up providing it.

A sweeping, memorable story that will provide readers with a grand escape of their own, along with a deep appreciation of a highly skilled new author. Take up this marvelous book!

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