Rumours of War: Amazon.co.uk: Allan Mallinson: Books

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"'Captain Matthew Hervey is as splendid a hero as ever sprang from an author's pen.' The Times"

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It is Portugal in 1826. Newly returned from India, Matthew Hervey joins a party of officers sent to lend support to the Portuguese regent. But the Peninsula is a place redolent with memories. For, it was here as a seventeen-year-old cornet that Hervey had his first taste of military action. The French had forced the British army into ignominious retreat until, under the leadership of Sir John Moore, they made a defiant stand at Corunna. As he prepares for battle once more, Hervey finds himself confronting ghosts from his past...

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3.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mallinson on good form, 12 Jun 2006

By	Giles Allison (London, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rumours of War (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.

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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Yet, 17 Feb 2004

By A Customer

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.

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13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So terribly dull, 11 April 2005

By	C. Green "happily low brow" (Faringdon, Oxon, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rumours of War (Paperback)

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 them dull.

Now I'm not suggesting that Hervey should be the new Sharpe. Bernard Cornwell has that particular market for more action orientated tales sewn up (all be it with some competition from Jonathan Lunn and Anthony Conway). Unfortunately Mallinson appears to be taking Hervey in the opposite direction, with social, cultural and religious detail taking increasing prominence at the expense of military action and whilst to some people the minutae of regimental life in the early to mid-19th Century may be fascinating it will never be exciting.

Part of the problem would seem to be the author's desire to be absolutely precise in his historical detail, right down to modes of speech. This both slows the narrative to the point where it seems stilted and dry and also makes it hard to empathise with the characters or setting. Hitorical context should not be ignored entirely, but removing all contemporary reference points and drowning everying in factual details leaves the book almost impenetrable in places. Especially when married to an almost complete lack of humour or wit.

It doesn't help that as a lead Hervey is so utterly lacking in charm. We are meant to believe that he is not only a fine, dynamic officer but also attractive and personable, especially to the opposite sex, yet none of this comes across. Instead he seems cold, distant, selfish and priggish. Even his younger self, seen in flashback, who should be wide eyed and innocent, is tainted by his older self's flaws. Novels such as these need a sympathetic and admirable lead for readers to warm to. With Matthew Hervey the author is in danger of creating exactly the opposite.

Finally, and in some ways most damagingly, Allan Mallinson appears to be no better at writing action than he ever was. Possibly he just isn't that interested in it, but it has always been the series major weak spot and for books dealing with military matters a potentially fatal one too. With the rest of book threatening the reader with tedium it is all the more important that action when it occurs is exciting and well presented. Here it is as dry and stilted as the rest of the book.

If the series continues in the direction it is currently heading I fear that the 'adventures' of Matthew Hervey will cease to be of interest to more than devotees of period detail, which would be a shame. All I can hope is, having struggled though this latest book, that Allan Mallinson spends a little less time on researching historical fact and more on rediscovering a sense of excitement and fun that is vital for books such as these. My patience with the series might be exhausted, but I'm sure there are many who hope for better next time.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars 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

2.0 out of 5 stars 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 Jul 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars 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 P. A. Rowell

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