The General's Envoy (Caspasian series) [Paperback]

If anything this is even better than the first in the series. The book slightly misses Sgt. Ganga (Caspasians own Sgt. Harper) but the action is furious enough to make ammends. There's a little more insight into Caspasian's background (why IS there so little mention of his mother, but so much speculation as to his "not quite english" origins?) and the action in China is interspersed with flashbacks to WW1. Anthony Conway describes battle as well as Bernard Cornwell, but with just enough humour to make the stories even more enjoyable than Sharpe. These are unmissable books which combine the best bits of Sharpe with the tongue-in-cheek action of "Indianna Jones" or "The Mummy returns". SUPERB!

I originally picked up the first Caspasian novel as a radom choice in a bookstore last year, and was immediately hooked. Whereas my brief encounters with the novels of O'Brien and Sharpe left me dis-satisfied with their overly crowded plots, myriad of supporting characters, and excess of period detail Anthony Conway's novel of military daring do in 1930's India was a far sleeker ride which concentrated more on the central hero and action than military minutae or historical scene setting. A real boys own adventure, Conway stuck to the formula that makes such stories what they are; a brave, unflagging hero, hiss-boo bad guys, exotic locales, beautiful women and action never more than a page or two away.

With The General's Envoy he maintains this style, whilst allowing Caspasian to grow as a character. In his hero he has created a dependable, morally upright lead who the reader can root for wholeheartedly, but avoided falling into the trap of making the man either almost superhuman a la Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt, or too brooding and wounded a la Sharpe. Caspasian has his problems and his troubled background, but Conway refrains from allowing this to permeate every aspect of the man's actions. He can also be physically hurt, takes time to heal and comes close to losing battles and his life on several occasions.

The bad guys are also as good as before, if not better, with Daniel Smith, the turncoat former Army Officer a particularly good opponent, being the mirror image of Caspasian in most respects. By introducing a British antagonist, Conway also skirts the pitfalls of having all the black hats be stereotypical foreigners of one description or another.

The story itself also has a far broader scope. Whereas Caspasian's first adventure was in essence a linear tale, revolving around one mission and one key opponent, here between Chinese warlords, the cowardly Smith and Shanghai gangsters, the story is constantly evolving new plots and twists before reaching its conclusion.

Of course like any book Envoy is not without its faults. I missed Caspasian's Gurka comrade from the first novel, whose omission leaves something of a hole. I also felt that, whilst making it easier for readers for whom this is their first contact with John Caspasian, there being no real reference to his previous adventure meant that his romance with Lilin had less impact since it seemed unaffected by his unresolved relationship from the last book. Like James Bond it seemed that as far as Caspasian is concerned romance only lasts as far as the closing credits and is then forgotten.

Yet I suppose I shouldn't complain for fear of contradicting myself. This is a great, fun book that delivers what it promises; escapism back to a time when the world was still an exotic place and heros and explorers still had a place in world. If you love Indiana Jones and his like then you will love Anthony Conway's John Caspasian. Long may he continue to brighten up my daily commute into work. . . .