Release Date: 02/02/12
SYNOPSIS:
"The British soldier", wrote a Prussian officer who served with Wellington, "is vigorous, well fed, by nature highly brave and intrepid, trained to the most vigorous discipline, and admirably well armed...These circumstances explain how this army ...has never yet been defeated in the field". From the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 to the Downfall of Napoleon in 1815, Britain won a series of major wars against France that enabled her to lay the foundations of a global empire. By Waterloo, she was the paramount maritime and industrial power in the world, and would remain so for much of the nineteenth century. This is the story of that extraordinary century and a half of martial success and the people who made it possible: the soldier - kings William III and the first two Georges; the generals Marlborough, Wolfe, Moore and Wellington; and the ordinary British redcoats who - despite harsh service conditions that included low pay, poor housing, inadequate food and brutal discipline - rarely let their commanders down in battles as far afield as Blenheim, Plassey, Quebec and Waterloo.
REVIEW:
As a reader, whilst I’m fairly up on the General’s points of view on various wars, it’s how the rank and file troops were armed and equipped that always kept me interested. This book by Saul David takes the reader by the hand and gives you the information on how the soldier changed from the Restoration (the 1660’s) through to Waterloo (1815) via the various equipment changes and also the training alongside how they interacted on the field.
War is an ever changing beast yet this title by Saul really does bring it all to life, allowing the reader to follow the information in an easy to understand method as well as making it easy to recall. All in a cracking title and one that I’ll be referring to time and again. Great stuff.
Release Date: 05/08/10
BOOK BLURB:
George Hart, back in England following his heroics in the Zulu Wars, scarcely has time to gamble away his meagre fortune when he is summoned to a secret meeting in Whitehall. There, Prime Minister Disraeli himself asks George to undertake a dangerous mission to Afghanistan. Mistrust and dislike for the local ruler chosen by the British is growing and Muslim extremists threaten to overthrow the local government. The British cannot allow the loss of Afghanistan, which would put at risk India, the jewel in the Imperial crown. Although he suspects that the Establishment sees a part-Zulu officer as expendable, George can see that his dark skin will help him go undercover, and soon, accompanied only by a Pathan guide, he is descending the Khyber pass into a strange and violent land. On the way he meets Yasmin, an alluring Afghan princess, and together this unlikely trio find themselves in a race against time to prevent a tribal uprising and head off a catastrophic British invasion.
REVIEW:
Having missed the original fictional outing of George Hart (Zulu Hart) by renowned historian Saul David, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
Whilst I knew it was historical fiction it is set in a time I really don’t know that much about historically so I knew that I was going in on the wrong foot but strangely excited to see what occurred.
What makes this story different is the author’s closeness to historical fact and whilst the odd little fact is twisted to fit the tale, the majority of it has the plausibility to have a ring of truth about it that will enchant many a reader.
The characters are fantastic, the tale building and weaving beautifully and with some seriously good dialogue as well as characters to meet within (some real some fictional) made this title very hard to put down. I’m definitely going to have to get my hands on the first book sooner rather than later to have a visit to Roukes Drift and review the carnage at “first hand.”
Release Date: 02/02/12
