I’ve just seen this thoughtful review of Red Smoking Mirror by Romilly Judge-Hodkinson in UCL’s Era Journal. Romilly was in the audience at the event I did with Joanna Pocock at Daunt Books Hampstead, and some of the themes of that conversation emerge in the following piece.
“Hunt’s new book unfolds as a carefully woven tapestry, blending real historical people and events together with a careful exploration of cooperation and power.”
“In the novel, images are repeated, becoming poignant motifs recurring with a deliberate cadence, shifting in their form and feeling. The smoking mountain, the ants’ nest, the polished smoking mirror of obsidian… all these build up a resonance of repetition which contribute to the lasting feeling of the story.”
“Perhaps it is Hunt’s extensive experience with the unpredictable as a traveller that makes him so skilled at navigating the labyrinth of telling a compelling story.”
You can read the full review here.