What a find! David Ball's first novel packs the wallop of a good old-fashioned adventure movie, with historic sweep to please any James Michener fan. The action starts with a wounded wild boar's attack on two French boys (convincingly told from the points of view of the boar, the boys--Paul and Moussa--the terrified mom, and an evil bishop who watches and prevents his coachman from shooting the beast). The pace never slackens as the scenes flash past: invasion and class war in the streets and underground quarryways of Paris during the 1870 siege, moonlit sneak attacks in the desert the Arabs call "the Land of Thirst and Fear," and an epic French attempt to drive a railroad through the Sahara--a mad plan opposed by the dunes and their no less implacable inhabitants, the Tuareg.

The Tuareg are the coolest--they're known as the blue men because they wear head-to-toe wraparound indigo-dyed clothes that scarily obscure their faces and stain their skin. Their rivals call them blue devils, and they have lots of rivals. Even though their dads are brothers, the French boys are fated to fight as tribal rivals in Saharan nomad's land because Moussa has a Tuareg mother. His dad, Count Henri deVries, crash-landed his balloon at her feet, and she followed him back to Paris. Racial oppression and bad bishop behavior provoke justifiable homicide at the Paris Opera, occasioning a hairsbreadth balloon escape and southern adventures too numerous to enumerate here. The prose is purple but handsome, the plot pulpy and propulsive. Check out these sentences: "He fell to her from the sky"; "Bashaga's howl haunted them until it was swallowed by the wind"; "As Moussa's stabbing knife pushed up through to his brain, Abdul ben Henna's last thoughts were of revenge." If these make you burn to read on, read on! You won't be disappointed. --Tim Appelo


From Publishers Weekly
inspired by the true story of the 1880 French expedition that attempted to establish a railroad through the desert. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
It's 1870, and Moussa de Vries, son and heir to the explorer and adventurer Count Henri de Vries, enjoys an idyllic boyhood, hunting and building castles and forts with his cousin Paul on the grounds of the Chateau de Vries outside Paris. One year changes it all forever: schoolboy taunts teach Moussa the pain of being both African and French, the Prussians lay siege to Paris, and everyone in the de Vries household is forced to make choices that will change their lives. Moussa's uncle, the rigidly honorable soldier Jules; Jules's seductive wife, Elizabeth; the dashing Count de Vries and his fiercely protective wife, Serena, a noblewoman of the North African TuaregAall are forced to take actions that will separate the boys for a decade, until they meet again in the vast, dangerous, and beautiful Sahara. Ball's debut, intricately plotted and beautifully written, is a saga of love, betrayal, adventure, and despair that will delight all readers, especially those who thrilled to Beau Geste.ACynthia Johnson, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
History roars to life in this vibrant tapestry of family bonds, personal honor, and duty. As Paris falls under siege of the Prussian army in 1870, young cousins Paul and Moussa DeVries realize even the Prussians aren't enough to keep them from having to go to school. Paul, the son of Jules DeVries, a French officer, and his wife, Elisabeth, plays at being a soldier like his father and fits in well with his classmates. Moussa, heir to Count Henri DeVries and his wife, Serena, a noblewoman of the Hoggar Tuareg of the Sahara, dreads school because his teacher, a nun, is determined to make him into a God-fearing Christian instead of a heathen wastrel. The cousins' parallel but very different worlds of school and play ultimately serve as microcosms that foreshadow their futures. As the story unfolds, Ball relates the terrible events that lead to the cousins being separated for more than a decade only to meet again at gunpoint in the harsh Saharan sands. In that final encounter, they stand on blood-spattered ground on opposing sides in a tangled conflict--Paul in the uniform of France and Moussa attired in the blue veil and dress of the Tuareg. As they face each other garbed as enemies but family still, conspirators plot behind their backs to ensure their deaths for the sake of the estate and title of the DeVries' holdings. Ball's magnificent historical panorama is sure to be in high demand. Melanie Duncan


From Kirkus Reviews
Debut historical novel that, Ball says, keeps close to the facts. The story begins in the Valois countryside in 1866 during a hunt when a spectacularly hideous boar is wounded by a huntsman and races off, crashing madly and zigzagging, finally killing the huntsman and charging two children, Paul deVries and his cousin Michel, also known by his Saharan name of Moussa, whose lives are the twin poles of the plot. With Paris under siege by the Prussians, Paul's father, Ugari, a world explorer and balloonist, crashes on the desert while sailing for Morocco and on the sand meets and then marries the brilliant, beautiful Tuareg noblewoman Serena, eventually returning with her to a shocked Parisian society. Their son Paul grows up to be a soldier, while a tragic turn of events forces Michel/Moussa to flee to his mother's homeland. Later, when Paul follows him there with a French expeditionary force, he and Paul become enemies. Outstanding here is a description of the stark and terrible beauty of nomadic life among the majestic Saharan Tuareg, a race of poets and romantics, which only underscores the horror of their doom as shining but feeble swords and shields meet French rifles. Altogether grand. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"A swashbuckler for urbane readers. His voice recalls, by turns, Michener and Clavell, Sir Richard Burton, and even Alexander Dumas .... Empires of Sand is part Beau Geste, part A Tale of Two Cities."
— The Christian Science Monitor

"Lust, greed, revenge, rage and murder, sheiks and French aristocrats; war and bloody rampages, loyalties torn and love betrayed...An old-fashioned, rip-roaring adventure."
— The San Diego Union-Tribune

"Expertly told — leaves a lasting impression."
— The Washington Post

"A thinking person's page turner ... old-fashioned in the best sense — literate, thematically ambitious, and swashbuckling at the same time."
— Stephen Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire

"This is a big book, full of incident — a kind of Count of Monte Cristo in imperial dress ... There is passionate love, rich writing, a vibrant sense of place, and much research, worn lightly. This is romance at its best."
— The Boston Globe

"Takes the reader from 19th century Paris under siege to the white heat of the Sahara Desert.... Along the way are battles, intrigues, trysts, deceptions, births, deaths, and the Franco-Prussian War.... The narrative never lets go ... the story hurtles towards its climax ... [Ball's] storytelling has succeeded grandly, producing a novel of epic proportions."
— The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

"This impressive debut, a mammoth tale of war, romance, treachery and coming-of-age, is set in 19th century Paris and the spectacular expanse of the Sahara ... an exciting, action-packed epic that will appeal to history buffs, thrill-seekers, travel enthusiasts and romance fans."
— Publishers Weekly



Review
"A swashbuckler for urbane readers. His voice recalls, by turns, Michener and Clavell, Sir Richard Burton, and even Alexander Dumas .... Empires of Sand is part Beau Geste, part A Tale of Two Cities."
? The Christian Science Monitor

"Lust, greed, revenge, rage and murder, sheiks and French aristocrats; war and bloody rampages, loyalties torn and love betrayed...An old-fashioned, rip-roaring adventure."
? The San Diego Union-Tribune

"Expertly told ? leaves a lasting impression."
? The Washington Post

"A thinking person's page turner ... old-fashioned in the best sense ? literate, thematically ambitious, and swashbuckling at the same time."
? Stephen Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire

"This is a big book, full of incident ? a kind of Count of Monte Cristo in imperial dress ... There is passionate love, rich writing, a vibrant sense of place, and much research, worn lightly. This is romance at its best."
? The Boston Globe

"Takes the reader from 19th century Paris under siege to the white heat of the Sahara Desert.... Along the way are battles, intrigues, trysts, deceptions, births, deaths, and the Franco-Prussian War.... The narrative never lets go ... the story hurtles towards its climax ... [Ball's] storytelling has succeeded grandly, producing a novel of epic proportions."
? The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

"This impressive debut, a mammoth tale of war, romance, treachery and coming-of-age, is set in 19th century Paris and the spectacular expanse of the Sahara ... an exciting, action-packed epic that will appeal to history buffs, thrill-seekers, travel enthusiasts and romance fans."
? Publishers Weekly

FROM THE PUBLISHER

An epic novel of adventure in the grandest tradition of historical fiction, Empires of Sand takes us on a thrilling, unforgettable journey. As civilizations collide around two men, a battle begins: for survival, for love, and for a destiny written in a desert's shifting sands.

Empires Of Sand

The year is 1870. Paris is under siege, and two boys, best friends and cousins, are swept from their life of privilege. A brutal killing forces Michel deVries—called Moussa—to flee to his mother's homeland in North Africa. A family disgrace forces Paul deVries to seek redemption in the French military. Ten years will pass before they come face-to- face again. Now Moussa has become a desert warrior and a beautiful woman's forbidden lover, while Paul leads an ill-fated French force into the Sahara. Against a breathtaking landscape of blazing sands and ancient mysteries, these two men face a struggle that will shatter lives across two continents—and force them to choose between separate dreams and shared blood....

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

FYI: According to the publisher, Ball has made four journeys across the Sahara, inspired by the true story of the 1880 French expedition that attempted to establish a railroad through the desert. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

It's 1870, and Moussa de Vries, son and heir to the explorer and adventurer Count Henri de Vries, enjoys an idyllic boyhood, hunting and building castles and forts with his cousin Paul on the grounds of the Chateau de Vries outside Paris. One year changes it all forever: schoolboy taunts teach Moussa the pain of being both African and French, the Prussians lay siege to Paris, and everyone in the de Vries household is forced to make choices that will change their lives. Moussa's uncle, the rigidly honorable soldier Jules; Jules's seductive wife, Elizabeth; the dashing Count de Vries and his fiercely protective wife, Serena, a noblewoman of the North African Tuareg--all are forced to take actions that will separate the boys for a decade, until they meet again in the vast, dangerous, and beautiful Sahara. Ball's debut, intricately plotted and beautifully written, is a saga of love, betrayal, adventure, and despair that will delight all readers, especially those who thrilled to Beau Geste.--Cynthia Johnson, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Ron Franscell - Christian Science Monitor

Ball...writes with a traveler's sense of place and a journalist's penchant for detail....In this sweeping yet precise epic, Ball has created a swashbuckler for urbane readers....And it's not just what he says, but how he says it. His storytelling style is literate and graceful, erudite but adventurous.

Kirkus Reviews

Debut historical novel that, Ball says, keeps close to the facts. The story begins in the Valois countryside in 1866 during a hunt when a spectacularly hideous boar is wounded by a huntsman and races off, crashing madly and zigzagging, finally killing the huntsman and charging two children, Paul deVries and his cousin Michel, also known by his Saharan name of Moussa, whose lives are the twin poles of the plot. With Paris under siege by the Prussians, Paul's father, Ugari, a world explorer and balloonist, crashes on the desert while sailing for Morocco and on the sand meets and then marries the brilliant, beautiful Tuareg noblewoman Serena, eventually returning with her to a shocked Parisian society. Their son Paul grows up to be a soldier, while a tragic turn of events forces Michel/Moussa to flee to his mother's homeland. Later, when Paul follows him there with a French expeditionary force, he and Paul become enemies. Outstanding here is a description of the stark and terrible beauty of nomadic life among the majestic Saharan Tuareg, a race of poets and romantics, which only underscores the horror of their doom as shining but feeble swords and shields meet French rifles. Altogether grand.