Rumours Of War (Matthew Hervey 06)
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" 'I enjoyed the adventure enormously...Mallinson's descriptions of what it's like to be on campaign are as compelling, vivid and plausible as in any war novel I've ever read' - DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Hervey - courageous as ever - exhibits derring do every bit as thrilling as in India for 'The Nizam's Daughters'...With this intelligent but pacy book, Brigadier Mallinson stays well on course to be regarded as the landlubbers' Patrick O'Brian' - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH"
Book Description
Matthew Hervey is pursued by the French across the Spanish Peninsula.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I do not consider this book to be as bad as other reviewers seem to think. It's main challenge is structural. The story begins in 1828 and Hervey, bored in London with no prospect of action and advancement, contrives to have himself sent to Portugal as part of an English mission to keep an eye on an impending civil war. Hervey quickly finds himself at odds with the approach recommended by his superiors and begins to take a more active role in the defence of Elvas, a border town, against possible attack by rebel forces. Being in Portugal leads Hervey to reminisce about his experiences as a young cornet in the Peninsular War. Two stories are then interverweaved: Hervey's "present-day" mission of 1828 and flashbacks of his participation in the British Army's famous retreat to Corunna in 1808/1809.
Whilst this method of storytelling may be annoying to some, I think it works. Mallinson likes his stories to develop at a relatively slow pace - he is far more of an O'Brian than a Cornwell and anyone expecting the non-stop action of a Sharpe novel may not warm to Mallinson's style. Most of the excitement in this novel takes place in the 1809 story. The battles of Sahagun and Corunna are very well told; Hervey's appointment as a galloper for the British high command ensures that he is in the think of the action and Mallinson converys a good sense of the miseries of the retreat. We meet most of the British personalities involved: Sir John Moore, General "Black Bob" Crauford and the less distinguished General Slade. The Corunna story gradually gains prominence and climaxes in the great battle itself and the death of the army's commander, Sir John Moore.
Some readers clearly feel irritated by the way Mallinson jumps from one story to the next, but both are dramatically strong enough to keep one's interest and this book does not deserve a critical mauling simply because the author has refused to "do a Cornwell" and just write a stand-alone novel set in 1809. In sending Hervey off to participate in what would become the Portuguese Civil War, Mallinson continues to show his knack of identifying intriguing byways of early 19th century military history. Recommended.
Whilst this method of storytelling may be annoying to some, I think it works. Mallinson likes his stories to develop at a relatively slow pace - he is far more of an O'Brian than a Cornwell and anyone expecting the non-stop action of a Sharpe novel may not warm to Mallinson's style. Most of the excitement in this novel takes place in the 1809 story. The battles of Sahagun and Corunna are very well told; Hervey's appointment as a galloper for the British high command ensures that he is in the think of the action and Mallinson converys a good sense of the miseries of the retreat. We meet most of the British personalities involved: Sir John Moore, General "Black Bob" Crauford and the less distinguished General Slade. The Corunna story gradually gains prominence and climaxes in the great battle itself and the death of the army's commander, Sir John Moore.
Some readers clearly feel irritated by the way Mallinson jumps from one story to the next, but both are dramatically strong enough to keep one's interest and this book does not deserve a critical mauling simply because the author has refused to "do a Cornwell" and just write a stand-alone novel set in 1809. In sending Hervey off to participate in what would become the Portuguese Civil War, Mallinson continues to show his knack of identifying intriguing byways of early 19th century military history. Recommended.
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Rumours of War is easily Allan Mallinson's best book. Set in 1826, Matthew Hervey returns to Portugal as part of a British military mission to assess Spanish aggression. However, the Peninsular is a place which brings back memories for Hervey, who learned his trade as a soldier there. In addition to the plot set in 1826, there are flashbacks which look at Hervey's early service, particularly the events of the retreat to Corunna. These two plots are seamlessly integrated into an excellent story, which is told with pace and flair. The book is also the most human of Mallinson's books, giving us an even greater insight into Hervey's character and motivations. It was almost impossible to put this book aside, and its cliffhanger ending is the tensest Mallinson has ever written. This is a quite superb book - the only problem is that I now do not know how I am going to bear waiting a year for the next book in the series.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
First, I have to say that Mr Allison's review is really good, for all that I disagree with it. The problem I have with the book is that it is neither fish nor fowl; not a complete novel of Hervey's first battles nor a satisfying instalment without them. It tries to both continue Major Hervey's story in 1826 post-India, and also to revert - when it suits it - to Cornet Hervey's 1808 expedition, on the basis that as Hervey is in Portugal he has a lot of flashbacks. The structure of the book is a problem, and one that I cant just wish away. Maybe this is due to reading the series all at once rather than as published, but as that is likely how others will read it now, that is no reason to excuse the book its structural faults.
As a result, I found it a little unsatisfying, or perhaps frustrating. On the one hand, it is nice to see Hervey face up to his sister and daughter (and taking and losing as a new lover a character first introduced some books ago) and to see him further advance; on the other the mix of old and new is confusing in places, and as well there are scenes shown to us that Hervey could never have seen.
Patrick O'Brien is held up as the benchmark for military/naval historical fiction, and yet he found it necessary to invent several years - no one quite knows how many - out of whole cloth to fit in the story he wanted to tell. Mallinson is not an O'Brien in the storytelling stakes: that's not a slam, very few are. There just seem to be a few too many compromises here within the book, where simply one big compromise - to write a prequel of the young Hervey - might have saved the day. Maybe Mallinson was trying to highlight Hervey's development as a character here by juxtaposing present and past, but the waters are too muddied for this to be wholly successful.
For all of that, I did keep reading and enjoy doing so. Three stars isn't wholly fair but I can't give it four: if I could give 3.5 I surely would. This is not the place to start reading about Hervey, and its not where I will give up, either, but I hope in a few volumes time that this is not the book I noted as where a decline set in, for whatever reason.
As a result, I found it a little unsatisfying, or perhaps frustrating. On the one hand, it is nice to see Hervey face up to his sister and daughter (and taking and losing as a new lover a character first introduced some books ago) and to see him further advance; on the other the mix of old and new is confusing in places, and as well there are scenes shown to us that Hervey could never have seen.
Patrick O'Brien is held up as the benchmark for military/naval historical fiction, and yet he found it necessary to invent several years - no one quite knows how many - out of whole cloth to fit in the story he wanted to tell. Mallinson is not an O'Brien in the storytelling stakes: that's not a slam, very few are. There just seem to be a few too many compromises here within the book, where simply one big compromise - to write a prequel of the young Hervey - might have saved the day. Maybe Mallinson was trying to highlight Hervey's development as a character here by juxtaposing present and past, but the waters are too muddied for this to be wholly successful.
For all of that, I did keep reading and enjoy doing so. Three stars isn't wholly fair but I can't give it four: if I could give 3.5 I surely would. This is not the place to start reading about Hervey, and its not where I will give up, either, but I hope in a few volumes time that this is not the book I noted as where a decline set in, for whatever reason.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great read
Another 5 star book from Allan Mallinson. Until I read the first of book of his in this series, I had never read (fiction) about the British cavalry's escapades other than in... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Aremess
Interesting - but not his best
This story combines an account of Matthew Hervey's part in mission to Portugal to understand threat and impact of civil war with reminiscences of his previous time there in the... Read more
Published 23 months ago by MarkW
Oh Dear How Sad
Having brought up on Sharp, Hornblower, Flashman and many more of that genre, I have been reading this series from the moment it hit our shelves. Read more
Published on 20 April 2006 by M. Edwards
Lost his Way
I have enjoyed all Brig Mallinsons books SO FAR. His knowledge of the minutia of a Cavalry unit is wonderful, but I think he has lost his way with Rumours of War. Read more
Published on 20 July 2005
So terribly dull
Sorry, I hate to sound low brow, but with his novels following Matthew Hervey author Allan Mallinson has committed a cardinal sin when it comes to military adventures; he has made... Read more
Published on 11 April 2005 by C. Green
It's ok
You get the feeling that Mr Mallinson thought the Napoleonic market was too crowded and sought to explore other, less well known events. Read more
Published on 2 Dec 2004 by Palexr
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