Books I’d Rescue: Will Jordan

Books are some of our most prized possessions, whether they are priceless first editions or a well worn gift from a loved one, it would hurt to lose them. This is a universal truth. Even more so, we’ve found out, for authors.

We asked Will Jordan, author of the Ryan Drake novels which books he’d grab if he only had moments to decide. Which books did he choose?

Over to Will:

‘First up, hello to everyone at Dead Good! I’m really excited about the release of my second novel Sacrifice. I’ve been looking forward to continuing the story of Ryan Drake ever since Redemption came out, so it’s great to finally see it on the shelves!

Sacrifice is mostly set in Afghanistan, with Drake sent in to rescue a high ranking CIA operative who’s been taken hostage after his chopper was shot down. Things are never that simple for Drake though, and it’s not long before he finds himself caught at the business end of a very dirty war. And as it happens, an old ‘friend’ is lurking in the background to stir things up.

Redemption was very much about setting the stage and establishing the characters of the Ryan Drake series, but this time around I was able to have more fun and concentrate on moving the story forward. It’s set more than a year after Redemption, so we’ll get to see how Drake has moved on (or not!) since the events of that book. We’ll learn more about his shadowy past, as well as a few other characters and how they all fit together.

There are probably three books that I’d save if my house was burning down.

The first is Conrad’s War by Andrew Davies – a very old and dog-eared book that I’ve had since I was a kid, and actually one of the first novels I ever read. Part fantasy and part war novel, it tells the story of Conrad, a young boy in the 1970’s who daydreams about being in the second world war. These dreams become progressively more real as the story continues, until finally it’s hard to draw a line between fantasy and reality. It’s a kid’s book, but even now it sticks with me for its humour, great characters and surprisingly poignant moments as Conrad’s childish illusions about war are shattered.

The second is Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. It’s a book I inherited by complete chance many years ago, telling the story of a young girl living during the Ice Age, who loses her family and gets reluctantly adopted by a different tribe. One of those stories of human survival, friendship and clashing cultures that always fascinated me.

The final book is The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. I’m pretty sure it needs no introduction! Again, it’s one of those books I used to devour as a teenager I love a good fantasy novel, and for sheer epic scope and narrative depth, Rings takes some beating.’

What would your choices be? Are any of your favourite books on Will’s ‘must-save’ list?

Check out some other saved books from John Harvey and Tom Benn. Find out more about Will Jordan on his Website.

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