New Book Alert: The Amber Crane by Malve Von Hassell; Historical Fiction Merges The Thirty Year War and WWII Through Time Travel

 New Book Alert: The Amber Crane by Malve Von Hassell; Historical Fiction Merges The Thirty Year War and WWII Through Time Travel

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Malve Von Hassell's The Amber Crane takes a hard unflinching look at two wars that shaped European History: The Thirty Years War which lasted from 1618-1648 and World War II. The plot involves a young man experiencing both wars through time travel. (Yes it's yet another time travel book that I am reviewing this year with another one coming soon.) The time travel aspects are intriguing but what is most memorable is the reality of showing the suffering that young people go through during a long extended time facing war.

In 1644, Peter Glienke, a 15 year old apprentice amber maker, lives near Stolpmunde, the Province of Pomerania with his widowed father and mute sister, Effie. His older brother, Lorenz, was killed in the war and his mother essentially died of grief. He feels constrained by the demands of his apprenticeship which gives him orders on what to make and when to leave his village (which with the latter the answer is never.) Peter is cynical and hardened by the war around him. 

Peter's only release seems to be creating works of art with the amber. He finds a few pieces of amber on the beach and keeps them for himself and in the process commits several infractions and breaks a few laws.

 However the amber that Peter collects has unusual abilities. When he holds them and falls asleep, he is transported 300 years into the future into 1944. There he meets Lioba, a young woman who is separated from her parents and is fleeing to safety with a gun in her hand ready to take on soldiers. 

 Peter transports between his present and future with the travel constantly draining him as he is caught between two worlds. He finds his family in the 17th century and his new friends in the 20th century and only he can help.

The Amber Crane is detailed in describing the life of someone in the 17th century, particularly guild members. The guild gives Peter training to use and make amber into various things. He makes several small figures like an amber heart and crane. His Master Nowak oversees his work and gives him assignments. As an apprentice, Peter is constrained by restrictions that are given by his Master Nowak and by the Mayor which also contribute to the ramifications to him finding and keeping amber. He is forbidden to travel or leave the village.The mayor orders civilians to stay away from the beach and the guild regulations require all amber turned in. By keeping the amber, Peter risks potential imprisonment, permanent banning from the guild, or banishment.

Nowak finally recommends Peter to ascend to the journeyman level which allows for more freedom to travel and work.  Peter is clearly glad for the extended freedom though guilt stricken about breaking regulations and worried about what it could mean for his family.

The other thing that The Amber Crane explores is the ramifications of how a long time war affects the people living during it. Peter has lived his entire life aware of this war. Even older generations have lived with it.

Neither Peter nor anyone else care who is in charge. Whether it's the Swedish or the Imperialists, the answer is always the same: more fighting. It's a common occurrence for supplies to be cut off and the people in Stolpmunde to go hungry. Random acts of violence are also frequent as when Effie is raped by a mysterious assailant.

In the 1940's, Peter recognizes the same issue with Lioba. She too sees no distinction between the Russian or German soldiers and will fight either if need be. War has desensitized both Peter and Lioba and they don't see an end to them. Some of the most heartbreaking moments concern the wars. Effie's rape has left her traumatized because she has already been unable to communicate with others except Lorenz. She completely shuts down and is unable to defend herself when she is accused of witchcraft.

In one chapter, Peter and Lioba enter the empty home of her uncle which is decorated the same as when he and his family left around Christmas. They enter a house with trees still up and decorations waiting for a joyous celebration which can never again be enjoyed by the people that once lived there.

In another uncanny resemblance between real life and art, it is heartbreaking to read about this fictional account of the Thirty Years War and World War II  and the real life happenings in Afghanistan. In the book and in life,  we have accounts of war that has lasted longer than most of the young population has been alive.  There are parallels between what Peter, Lioba, and the other characters in the book are going through and what many Afghan citizens and refugees are going through. It makes one wonder if, like Peter and Lioba, that they have experienced so much violence and death that it doesn't matter whether the soldiers are American, Afghan, or Taliban. They are soldiers who only bring death and destruction. 

The time travel aspects are slight. I was hoping for a stronger link between the two but perhaps the link is more thematic than plot worthy. Peter and Lioba are united by their cynicism and hatred for war. Their youth is over if it ever existed and now they despair about facing nothing but violence.

The Amber Crane could be a fantasy, but it's the reality of the lives in children during war that are most effective and memorable.