I listen to a lot of audio books rented from the Essex library (at £2 for 3 weeks) when I am travelling (being in the car at least 7.5hr/week just to get into and out of work). The latest, Scarlet Sash by Gary Douglas Kilworth is set against the backdrop of the early stages of the 1879 Anglo Zulu war including narrative of Isanlwana, and Rorkes drift. The plot revolves around a military policeman investigating two separate incidence, a theft of a watch and a locked room suicide/murder. As this is an audio book it is important to point out that the narrative is well read with various voices used to differentiate the characters, such as Boers, native Africans and of course the main characters an English Ensign and a Welsh Corporal.
However the story is a little more disjointed with a lot of what feels like off topic filler happening, additionally the main character is rather uninspiring which in some respects helps emphasise the backdrop but he is certainly no Richard Sharpe.
Overall I have enjoyed this and would not hesitate to get further audio books from the same author (he has written a series of books set in the backdrop of the Crimean war) although I am not certain that this is the type of book that I would like to read rather than listen to.
1 comment:
I've read a couple of his Crimean novels and, like you, found a lot of off topic filler. the author tries to cram in every incident and every historical character he can, which is ridiculous as it has the main character traveling from pillar to post just to be on the scene for the famous incidents with no real benefit to the plot.
Maybe easier to listen to than read!
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