Review by Reader5698 -- Skills of the Warramunga

[Reader5698]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Skills of the Warramunga" by Greg Kater.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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On his way to the operational centre of the Malayan Security Service (MSS) in the Cameron Highlands, the car of Colonel Johnny Cook of the MI6 is stopped and his driver shot. He is marched into the Malayan jungle by a group of 8 bandits. Although it turns out that he was mistaken for Colonel Martin, aide-de-camp of the Secretary-General to the Governor-General of Malaya, he is kept in the jungle as a possible future pawn. It is a critical time in Malayan history; in the aftermath of World War II, anti-British groups still reside in the jungle. Colonel Cook flew to Malaya to assist the new MSS, which is responsible for security during the ceremonies that are to be held on the 1st of April to accompany the creation of the Malayan Union.

Jamie Munro, who worked with Colonel Cook in Cairo, is contacted by the MSS and flies to Malaya, together with half-Warramunga aboriginal Jacko O’brien and his half-sister Sarah. The group prepares for a week-long hike through the Malayan jungle in order to free Colonel Cook from the hands of his kidnappers. After the successful completion of their mission, they are prevented from leaving Kuala Lumpur due to a typhoon, and their help is requested in finding the elusive Dutchman involved in the murder of a mine manager and his young secretary. This is only the latest in a series of unsolved robberies and murders in the area. Their investigations eventually lead the group back into the Malayan jungle.

Kater’s description of the jungle is colorful and full of life, depicting both its beauty and the dangers that lurk within it. It is described through the eyes of the characters, and the reader is completely immersed in the setting. You feel the heat, the suffocating humidity, the damp and the crippling fatigue.

Kater’s writing is simple yet engaging, matching the fast pace of the narrative. Unfortunately, the dialogue in the book often feels unnatural and stilted. Large parts of the dialogue consist of characters discussing where they will meet, eat or stay or where other characters are at different points in time. In many instances, this does not really add anything to the story and could have been left out.

Skills of the Warramunga is the third installment in the Warramunga series, and although it can be read as a stand-alone novel, the character development suffers a bit. Seeing how the author had two previous books in order to establish the main characters, we do not learn that much about them in this book. It is some of the secondary characters who have the strongest motives and are the most interesting to read.

Skills of the Warramunga by Greg Kater is a treat for fans of adventure stories and exotic locales. It is action-packed and fast-paced, and the tracking and survival skills of our heroes capture the imagination. Overall, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. It is well-edited and will transport you to a different time and place. However, I had to take off one star for the dialogue, which I found quite distracting at times.

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Skills of the Warramunga
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[Reynaa]

Have you read the previous books of this series? I see many reviews saying this one is a stand-alone but it does seem to have a lot of characters and information to keep up with.

Really enjoyed your review, especially about how descriptive the author is in transporting readers "into" the jungle.

[LinaMueller]

I enjoyed this book as well. Greg Kater is great. Thanks for your nice review.

[Juliet+1]

I tried and failed to read this book for exactly the same reason that caused you to take off one star -- those ghastly, stilted conversations. Otherwise, though, it had a lot of good features. Thanks for a terrific review.

[Reader5698]

Have you read the previous books of this series? I see many reviews saying this one is a stand-alone but it does seem to have a lot of characters and information to keep up with.

Really enjoyed your review, especially about how descriptive the author is in transporting readers "into" the jungle.

I haven't read the previous two, and I found this one easy to follow. There are a lot of characters, but there aren't really any unresolved, previous plot points connected to them. The author also provides background information and any relevant details as you read, so it doesn't get confusing. Like I mentioned in my review, the only downside is that the characters are already well-established, but that didn't bother me that much since I found the focus to be more on the adventure aspect than the characters. Thank you for leaving a comment

[Reader5698]

I enjoyed this book as well. Greg Kater is great. Thanks for your nice review.

I am glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you very much for leaving a comment

[Reader5698]

I tried and failed to read this book for exactly the same reason that caused you to take off one star -- those ghastly, stilted conversations. Otherwise, though, it had a lot of good features. Thanks for a terrific review.

Thank you for your comment. Yes, I really didn't enjoy those conversations. A lot of the dialogue could have been left out. There were also some phrases which were constantly repeated by some characters, and it becomes really repetitive. Apart from that, I found the book to be really enjoyable.