Back in 1975, there were reports in the press of a warming in relations between the Republic of China and the USSR. Called ‘The Olive Branch’, to signify the metaphorical token of peace that was exchanged between Peking and the Kremlin, and set a few years in the future, this novel relates what might have happened if the two Communist giants combined and colluded to dominate the world.
I was in my mid-twenties at the time of the press reports, and I was further right than Attila the Hun. Rather naively, I wanted to write a novel that would act as a warning of the threat to the West that such an amelioration in relations could pose.
When I revisited the manuscript more than thirty years later, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I realised that I was reading a thriller and not the dense political diatribe that I thought I had written. By the time I reached the end of it, I was delighted and exhilarated by the writing, and I actually turned breathlessly to the final chapter. I enjoyed it very much. I hope you do, too.
Excerpt
And so it happened. In the damp grey early morning of June 4th 1980, advance warships of the Communist invasion forces appeared in the estuaries of the Forth and the Clyde in Scotland, and at the mouths of the Humber, the Mersey, the Tyne and the Thames in England. Under the black cloak of night, they had penetrated far into the Bristol Channel, grouped menacingly in the Irish Sea and taken up strategic positions all along the English Channel.
As a result of the almost complete breakdown in communications, the dearth of resources within the country and the heinous efforts of organised saboteurs, resistance to the first landing parties was only light and sporadic. Very soon, the vast, marauding armies of the Black Bear of Russia and the Red Dragon of China were everywhere. Rape and plunder were the orders of the day. The shattering ring from the steel-capped boots of invading troops on the quiet streets of towns and villages struck terror into the hearts of their numbed, uncomprehending inhabitants; death and destruction, they knew, would soon follow.
Only two days later, Prime Minister Foster, realising the utter futility of continued struggle without American help, and despite his earlier pronouncement of a courageous stand, admitted total defeat, and the last, stubborn bastions of the British Armed Forces capitulated to the supreme might of the New Communists. A National Government was formed soon after; the People’s Republic of Britain was born. Slowly, the British people awoke to bleak life under their Communist masters.
Then came the witch-hunt. Politicians, clergymen, royalty, a whole host of former dignitaries, were ruthlessly hunted down and exterminated. Dissidents were imprisoned in Siberian-type work-camps. Conspirators were subjected to horrible atrocities. The dark reign of fear that existed in all other parts of the Communist Bloc had begun.
Completely startled, his mouth still agape, Jeff glanced quickly along the coastline, trying to pinpoint the origin of the explosions. His eyes finally came to rest at a point on the far left of his vision and opened in utter horror and disbelief as they watched the giant superstructure of the Forth Rail Bridge sink slowly and gracefully into a steaming sea; large orange flames licked around those parts not yet submerged. ~excerpt from The Olive Branch.
The communists have joined forces and are taking over Eastern Europe. Will they succeed? The Olive Branch has all the emotion, suffering and drama that come with war. Once again master storyteller, Brendan Gisby, brings us another amazing story in The Olive Branch. With the author’s talents for weaving a good story we feel despair and love. We feel the defiance of patriotism and the pain of torture. The reader can actually hear the pounding, crashing and the shrill squeal of bombs as they fly through the air. We watch through the eyes of Jeff, as the world he knows and loves, crumbles around him. We witness the horror of sexual abuse at any evil soldiers’ whim. What did Eastern Europe do to deserve such treatment?
In an attempt to save the peaceful world they know, small bands of resistance groups are springing up. Will they manage to do this?
I’m not fond of war stories but I highly recommend The Olive Branch. Through Brendan Gisby’s descriptive talents, he takes you through the range of emotions the characters feel. You actually experience what they experience. The characters are just ordinary people in an extra-ordinary position. They’re so relatable that I actually felt like I knew the characters!
What was best about The Olive Branch is the fact that Mr. Gisby shows us that something good can even come out of something bad. In the book we witness true love blossom and develop.
If you would like to learn more about Brendan Gisby, there are a few places to learn about him. One is at his website at: http://www.brendangisby.com. You can also visit with him on either of his Facebook pages. After you sign in to Facebook, just search Brendan Gisby, Scottish Author or go to his personal page by searching Brendan Gisby.
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