Military / Anthology / Epic
Napoleonic / 18th-19th Century
Fire and Steel isn’t
one book but five novellas amalgamated under the banner of The Soldier
Chronicles, which covers a period of almost twenty years of conflict in
Ireland, Malta, Holland, Spain, and culminating in the Battle of Waterloo.
David Cook’s writing is powerful, and in each episode he
introduces new characters in new situations and in different locations. In each
story there is a battle and for the more sensitive reader be warned - these are
described graphically and bring out the horrors of warfare with such skill that
you feel as though you are there, which not all readers who do not enjoy bthe
reality of battles may not appreciate.
The only blemish on the presentation is one badly spaced line towards
the end of the last story. My one disappointment was that there was not enough
of each episode as each could well have made a full-length novel and even a
series. The author has the ability to enthral for a lot longer than a hundred
or so pages!
An excellent anthology. Highly recommended.
(This novel may appear incorrectly formatted as an e-book on some devices.)
I love to read about writers who have such clever use of words - although I think I'd find it a bit too bloodthirsty. However, that's just personal taste. It still takes a high level of skill to bring a battle to life, and I can appreciate that.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a lot of skill to write a good battle Loretta!
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