Review by archaeologist55 -- Brutal Valour: The Tragedy ...
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archaeologist55
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- Latest Review: "Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana" by James Mace
Review by archaeologist55 -- Brutal Valour: The Tragedy ...
[Following is a volunteer review of "Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana" by James Mace.]
3 out of 4 stars
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This book offers to recount the tragedy of the British attempt to bring to their knees the Zulu people. The author has chosen to record the events leading up to and the battle itself through historical fiction genre. He uses different characters, from both sides of the conflict, to bring to the reader a very vivid account of the battle. He documents the British army’s greatest loss at that time while trying to capture the view of their Zulu opponents. The author included several appendixes to help maintain historical accuracy and context.
This reviewer is not a fan of historical fiction and that is because too much leeway is given to an author and far too much reading in to the account by the author ruins the actual historical value of the event or events described in those novels. Since we have no real records of what the soldiers and the Zulu people actually said or thought and the author provides no source references to support his version of dialogue or actual behavior.
Another reason this reviewer did not like the book was the attention minute detail that put this book on the verge of entering the category of boring. Too much attention was given to unnecessary information and too little was given to actual history. It was excruciating navigating through the endless pages of data that had little or no bearing on the battle or actual historical events.
On the other hand, the fans of historical fiction will love this book as it is well written and much care has been taken to stay within the historical framework even though no records of the actual losses were ever kept. The author has crafted a volume that will keep those who like historical fiction attention and interest throughout the 468 pages he has written.
The work flows nicely and the author has done his job by writing so well. He includes a glossary to help those who do not understand military vocabulary. This is a nice touch and helps the reader to understand where each soldier fits into the scheme of things. But again, this work is not for the history buff, it is for those who want to escape reality and fantasize about how things were in the lives of people prior to the readers’ current era.
I give this book a 3 out of 4 because the work is what historical fiction readers want to read. This book fits what the author’s intended audience expects.
******
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
This book offers to recount the tragedy of the British attempt to bring to their knees the Zulu people. The author has chosen to record the events leading up to and the battle itself through historical fiction genre. He uses different characters, from both sides of the conflict, to bring to the reader a very vivid account of the battle. He documents the British army’s greatest loss at that time while trying to capture the view of their Zulu opponents. The author included several appendixes to help maintain historical accuracy and context.
This reviewer is not a fan of historical fiction and that is because too much leeway is given to an author and far too much reading in to the account by the author ruins the actual historical value of the event or events described in those novels. Since we have no real records of what the soldiers and the Zulu people actually said or thought and the author provides no source references to support his version of dialogue or actual behavior.
Another reason this reviewer did not like the book was the attention minute detail that put this book on the verge of entering the category of boring. Too much attention was given to unnecessary information and too little was given to actual history. It was excruciating navigating through the endless pages of data that had little or no bearing on the battle or actual historical events.
On the other hand, the fans of historical fiction will love this book as it is well written and much care has been taken to stay within the historical framework even though no records of the actual losses were ever kept. The author has crafted a volume that will keep those who like historical fiction attention and interest throughout the 468 pages he has written.
The work flows nicely and the author has done his job by writing so well. He includes a glossary to help those who do not understand military vocabulary. This is a nice touch and helps the reader to understand where each soldier fits into the scheme of things. But again, this work is not for the history buff, it is for those who want to escape reality and fantasize about how things were in the lives of people prior to the readers’ current era.
I give this book a 3 out of 4 because the work is what historical fiction readers want to read. This book fits what the author’s intended audience expects.
******
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like archaeologist55's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana" by James Mace
