Book Reviews
Evening all. Since I spend an inordinate amount of time in B&Bs, I tend to use the long evening hours to catch up my reading. So I thought I'd let you know what has been occupying my time. First off is Warrior by Allan Mallinson. This is the 10th in the series following a cavalry officer, mostly in the immediate post Napoleonic era. A much neglected period, and I think the small wars (such as first contact with Shaka and his boys) are fascinating. The man can write as well, good quality Sharpe-type stuff. Staying with the cavalry we have Soldier of Fortune by Edward Marston. Avoid. Really, the writing style is awful - he needs to show not tell. The hero is again a cavalryman set in the War of Spanish Succession but frankly you won't care. Oddly the third is also in from that war, and covers exactly the same period of time - Schellenburg to Blenheim. But Man of Honour by Iain Gale is a much, much better read. There's more interaction with the allies (and the paranoia of troops from all sides wearing red is well dealt with...) and somehow it all feels more convincing. That the foot regiment in question is Scottish is also a nice twist, it being independent at this time. It is of course heavily Sharpe-influenced (down to the Sergeant side-kick) and those boys get their edge from being Grenadiers. But it's a very readable yarn and the first in a series. The second kicks off with Ramilles. What is fun about the WSS is of course that the idea of a competant Anglo-Scottish army is a very new one, since pre Corproal John the Sun King seems to have given us some splendid kickings.... If anyone has any pointers for more of the same (any period) I'm all ears. I've a lot of time to fill!

I've enjoyed the Mallinson books. The style can be a little staid at times, especially in the earlier books, but it's good to see little known conflicts getting an airing and the detail is quite good. I've read the lot and if you like the general period they're a good read. I've got a load to sell if anyone's interested! :) I've not seen the Marston book around so I'll know to avoid! I've been thinking of picking up the Gale books and this might push me over the edge! Cheers Andy

Good reviews and I agree. I like the Hervey series. No one could accuse Mallison of copying Cornwell. There is no set formula or necessity of a climatic battle in each book in which our hero performs super human deeds. People have frequently commented on the influence of O'Brian and I think this is right. I think they are best read as one large story and not individual books. I have his new book on the British Army in my pending pile. Marston's book was pretty poor. Iain Gale has also written a book about Waterloo called I think Four Days in June which is worth a read.

It is Four Days in June and its excellent, its much better then the WSS books, which are ok, certainly more readble then Mallionsons nooks.

I'm a great fan of Mallinson. Not as good as O'Brien in capturing period dialogue but his stories are entertaining and well-written. I read "Soldier of Fortune" on my honeymoon and agree with Stu's comments, although overall I thought it was ok and reasonably diverting. His main problem is in description, as Stu says, and I recall the battle scenes were quite confusing. I've almost finished Bernard Cornwell's "The Burning Land", which is the latest in the King Alfred/Viking invasions sequence. It's entirely what you'd expect, no more and no less. Perhaps a bit too "samey" compared to the rest of the series, but then the author's probably exhausted what you can do with a bunch of Anglo-Saxon thugs in the 9th century. The series has also gone the way of the later Sharpe novels - no plot as such, just big battle after big battle with a little bit of exposition in between. I'm also tiring of the way Cornwell takes well-known historical people and always completely trashes their reputations (like Alfred and Asser in this series). Moving to WW2, another honeymoon read that I greatly enjoyed (these were the only 2 books I read on it, before people make objectionable comments :lol: ), was "The Polish Officer" by Alan Furst. Apparently he's written a load of WW2 spy novels, which I don't think have to be read in any particular sequence. This book is about a Polish infantryman who is recruited by the army in exile to engage in a little spying and light sabotage in Europe. The action moves from Poland to Paris and then Eastern Europe again. It's very well-written and not an action book, although there are flashes of violence. The book's best point is the period atmosphere, which you can almost smell, and the characterisation of Captain de Milja is excellent. Very highly recommended to those who like something a bit more thoughtful than Cornwell and Scarrow.

I read "Soldier of Fortune" on my honeymoon :eh: :eh: :eh: