Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
229 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The First Casualty
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The First Casualty (Paperback)

by Ben Elton (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, July 22? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
29 new from £2.99 200 used from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The First Casualty + Blind Faith + Chart Throb
Price For All Three: £16.97

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The First Casualty by Ben Elton

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Blind Faith by Ben Elton

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Chart Throb by Ben Elton

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Chart Throb

Chart Throb

by Ben Elton
2.8 out of 5 stars (71)  £5.49
Blind Faith

Blind Faith

by Ben Elton
3.4 out of 5 stars (72)  £5.49
Past Mortem

Past Mortem

by Ben Elton
4.1 out of 5 stars (77)  £5.99
This Other Eden

This Other Eden

by Ben Elton
4.5 out of 5 stars (18)  £5.99
All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

by Erich Maria Remarque
4.9 out of 5 stars (46)  £4.79
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 419 pages
  • Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (3 May 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0552771309
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552773362
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 9,607 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #3 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > E > Elton, Ben

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
" A work of formidable imaginative scope the writing is so good, the language so surprisingly subtle and the characters so beautifully delineated."
-- "Daily Telegraph
"" Riveting action scenes bristle with a queasy energy unputdownable and disgustingly realistic."
-- "Sunday Telegraph"

"From the Paperback edition."

Product Description
Flanders, June 1917: a British officer and celebrated poet, is shot dead, killed not by German fire, but while recuperating from shell shock well behind the lines. A young English soldier is arrested and, although he protests his innocence, charged with his murder. Douglas Kingsley is a conscientious objector, previously a detective with the London police, now imprisoned for his beliefs. He is released and sent to France in order to secure a conviction. Forced to conduct his investigations amidst the hell of The Third Battle of Ypres, Kingsley soon discovers that both the evidence and the witnesses he needs are quite literally disappearing into the mud that surrounds him. Ben Elton's tenth novel is a gut-wrenching historical drama which explores some fundamental questions. What is murder? What is justice in the face of unimaginable daily slaughter? And where is the honour in saving a man from the gallows if he is only to be returned to die in a suicidal battle? As the gap between legally-sanctioned and illegal murder becomes evermore blurred, Kingsley quickly learns that the first casualty when war comes is truth.

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The First Casualty
76% buy the item featured on this page:
The First Casualty 3.2 out of 5 stars (64)
£5.99
This Other Eden
7% buy
This Other Eden 4.5 out of 5 stars (18)
£5.99
Blind Faith
7% buy
Blind Faith 3.4 out of 5 stars (72)
£5.49
Chart Throb
5% buy
Chart Throb 2.8 out of 5 stars (71)
£5.49
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

64 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (13)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (14)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (64 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Page Turner, 20 Oct 2006
I must confess that I have not read a Ben Elton novel for sometime (Blast From the Past being the last), which is odd as it was Ben that inspired me to have a go at writing. Having read an article on The First Casualty I gave it a go... and loved it. Yes, like many I picked up on the obvious Blackadder 4 links, but as a period project obviously close to the author's heart this works on all levels, i.e. great characters, intrigue, history and comical observation. Against the backdrop of murder investigation there is a touching and poignant account of life in the trenches which really hits home - the cramped train journey, the march to the front and the appalling sanitation. It is observed from all angles - gung-ho hero, pacifist, revolutionary to the scared and brow beaten ordinary Tommy. Ben Elton brings it altogether to make one great novel.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, 16 Aug 2006
I really think that Ben Elton has matured as a writer from the comedy sketch 'Stark' to this his tenth novel and finest work. Yes you do still get the cheeky juvenile Elton skits but this story captures and intrigues, particularly as you spare a thought for life in the trenches (if you ever want to read the best depiction of how it feels to be on a front line then Stephen Crane's 'Red Badge Of Courage' remains the classic). The blueprint for 'The First Casualty' is straight out of Blackadder 4 - the concert party, nympho nurse and digs at the class system (and Haig) - familiar. And like that piece of TV work, this is a classic

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe his best..., 4 Sep 2007
By clive lewis (bucks) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Reading some of the other reviews here was extremely depressing and also worrying. This is nothing like Black Adder, miles from it. It is a wonderful story. Not an exhaustive history of the first world war but deeply evocative of the horrors of the trenches and the nonsense of war, or certainly that particular one. A really great read with excellent characterisation. Also, although far from a comedy, one of the funniest lines I've ever read when the private and the colonel meet with the hero's piece of cake.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars it started so well...
I've enjoyed Ben's other books, although his political ranting gets on my nerves. This one started well, but oh dear, it descended into utter throw away trash. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Helen

1.0 out of 5 stars From a former fan...
I have greatly enjoyed some of Ben Elton's books in the past (Gridlock & Stark) and any of the others at least had something to say. This book however is a travesty. Read more
Published 8 months ago by James Hutton

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice little page-turner
Someone lent this to me so I felt obliged to read it - I've never read any Ben Elton work before.

It was pretty much what I expected from the back of the cover. Read more
Published 8 months ago by L. Eggleston

3.0 out of 5 stars Mystery not history
I bought this book to read on the beach and it was the perfect holiday read. Ths story carries you along at a good pace and has a good mystery story woven into it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Dr. P. A. Green

5.0 out of 5 stars stunning....
Having read 95% of Eltons novels I was expecting great things from this one. I was not disappointed. Read more
Published 11 months ago by H. L. Byrne

3.0 out of 5 stars One out of Left Field
Elton usually sticks with satirical novels which comment on the latest cultural obsessions of our frankly odd society. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Having read many of Elton's other books, I think this one may be his best. The setting was fantastic with so much historical detail that you could really feel yourself back in the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by E. Pilley

1.0 out of 5 stars Stick to what you do best
I may not like the trendy left winger style of Ben Elton when he gives stand up routine but I normally do like his scripts and books a lot. He is capable of very good stuff. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Gassucker

1.0 out of 5 stars I wanted it to be good: but it wasn't.
Oh dear. There were the nuggets of an excellent thriller in here, but they were lost amongst clunky prose and implausable situations. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bookworm

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining twaddle
The joke, I've decided, is on me - now squirming with embarrassment at having thought I'd get a measured and insightful novel about WWI from Ben Elton. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. T. P. Kingston

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates