Historical Fiction Done Right — Beneath a Scarlet Sky

An unsung and unlikely hero of World War II who will make you fall in love.

I love historical fiction. Biographies of great leaders, thinkers, and innovators have their place, but when an author can masterfully weave a vivid story through the historical context of the past, it combines the best of both worlds — narrative and nonfiction. It’s a delicate task. Factual accuracy reigns paramount, but there’s more freedom than there is with traditional nonfiction. Authors can take more poetic license and creative leaps in their prose, but they must stay true to history in order for the story to be effective.

Mark Sullivan achieves this balance and executes it to perfection in Beneath a Scarlet Sky. He’s honest in both the Preface and Acknowledgments that he was blessed with the story of a lifetime. The innate nature of the tale lends itself to intrigue not only because of the setting (Italy during World War II), but most importantly because of its main character, Pino Lella. He is easy to fall in love with, no matter your perspective.

A Moral Compass for a World Without One

At a time when the world had lost its way and promoted fascist and communist dictatorships that threatened humanity as we know it, Pino…