Vic: Mongol

Jerry Gill

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

It’s the Fall of 1920 and Vic Challenger and her friend Lin Li have gone to Mongolia. They thought they were prepared for anything but doom begins to hound them, in the form of Hung-hu-tzes, White Russians, and hellish creatures that stalk them from underground. This is Lin's first trip with Vic but will it also be her last? They both have to wonder how this trip will end!

Since man has been man, those called wise in every generation and culture have declared that true love never dies. There must be a reason they keep saying this. A merciless, agonizing memory can sometimes break a person and render them incapable of facing even the commonplace without being unnerved. Then sometimes it will forge a person into something more than human, a figure of near super human ability who can take action in even the most savage of circumstances.

Victoria Custer remembered how she and the one to whom she vowed her eternal love were buried by mountains and swallowed by the sea. That painful, frightening memory from a thousand generations past has forged her into something more than she was and has emboldened her with unrelenting purpose. Now, as Vic Challenger, she will confront even the grimmest peril and will venture into situations so horrible they make the bravest of men cower and weep for their mother.

Vic has embarked against all odds on an epic quest that may last a lifetime and on any day could bring violent death. She has learned from her mysterious avatar Nat-ul, even when you face the gravest of threats, you need not be brave, you just need to do what needs done, for no matter how dire the circumstances, "It’s not hard. It’s just living." Nothing short of death will stop Vic. And even death itself seems to have failed at least once.

Review by Paul Lappen (280214) Rating (9/10)

Review by Paul Lappen
Rating 9/10
This is another novel about Victoria Custer, your average citizen of the early 20th century who really is not so average.

On the outside, Victoria, who now calls herself Vic Challenger, likes to wear pink and has a big interest in cloches (women's hats). On the inside, she has an avatar that is a part of her. Its name is Nat-ul, a female cave dweller who lived about 100,000 years ago. Because of her presence, Vic has acquired a desire, or a wish, to go to places that even the most experienced male adventurers would hesitate to visit. She is searching for the modern incarnation of Nu, her lover from all those centuries ago.

In this book, Vic, and her friend, Lin Li, travel to Mongolia. On the boat ride across the Pacific, they assist in a murder investigation. Upon reaching China, they meet up with Chu, whose family lives in an isolated bit of Mongolia. These are tough times for Mongolia, with the Chinese on one side and the Russians on the other, and criminals from either side ready to attack at any time.

The trio narrowly escape being eaten by giant worms that live under the sand. If the mouths full of sharp teeth (like a lamprey) don't get you, then the liquid they spew, that can dissolve flesh and bone in seconds, will. Later, they come under attack by a band of Russian pirates. They get some unexpected help from more of the giant worms. Chu shows them the entrance to a buried city that really is full of treasure. Almost too late, they learn that the city is not deserted. Does Vic find the modern incarnation of Nu, her lover?

This is a very good page-turner. It's exciting, and it will really keep the reader's interest. It has just enough weird stuff in it, and it shows the power of real love between two people.
Paul Lappen (28th February 2014)