The Amber Crane
DESCRIPTION:
Chafing at the rules of the amber guild, Peter, an apprentice during the waning years of the Thirty Years’ War, finds and keeps a forbidden piece of amber, despite the risk of severe penalties should his secret be discovered.
Little does he know that this amber has hidden powers, transporting him into a future far beyond anything he could imagine. In dreamlike encounters, Peter witnesses the ravages of the final months of World War II in and around his home. He becomes embroiled in the troubles faced by Lioba, a girl he meets who seeks to escape from the oncoming Russian army.
Peter struggles with the consequences of his actions, endangering his family, his amber master’s reputation, and his own future. How much is Peter prepared to sacrifice to right his wrongs?
EDITORIAL REVIEWS:
"Von Hassell skillfully creates scenes that will transport readers to a different time, a different life. Detailed and atmospheric, The Amber Crane has songs, poems, physical places, and symbolism threaded throughout that creatively and respectfully embody two of the most destructive wars in history. Across between historical-fiction and science-fiction, this compelling story will keep readers glued to the pages." - The Book Review Directory
"Malve von Hassell does an outstanding job in setting up a very exciting and unique story from the opening pages and inciting incident." "The author has a knack for sentence structure and word usage which engages a reader every step of the way as if pulled along by the magical amber stone. This is recommended for someone who wants a taste of fantasy and history woven into one, focusing more on the characters rather than the massive details of the Thirty Years War and WWII." Historical Fiction Press
"The historical background of this novel has been depicted with a keen sense of understanding for both periods. Malve von Hassell has penned a novel of intrigue, danger, and consequence. ...The Amber Crane by Malve von Hassell is a novel that is well crafted. Like a master craftsman working with the finest of amber, this novel is an object of beauty and elegance." The Coffee Pot Book Club
This thoroughly researched novel provides insight into the amber trade and medieval Guilds at the time of the Hanseatic League. ... Kudos to this author for introducing us to a time and place seldom presented in historical fiction. Historical Novel Society
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Malve von Hassell was born in Italy and spent part of her childhood in Belgium and Germany before moving to the United States. She is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen ausder Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994). She has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer. She has self-published two children's picture books, Letters from the Tooth Fairy (2012/2020), and Turtle Crossing (2021), and her translation and annotation of a German children's classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott's Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012). The Falconer's Apprentice (namelos,2015) was her first historical fiction novel for young adults. She has published Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021),set in Germany in 1645 and 1945. She has completed a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany and is working on a historical fiction trilogy featuring Adela of Normandy.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Language: English
Paperback: 264 pages
Dimensions: 5.5 X 8.5
Publication Date: June 25, 2021