Blood’s Campaign by Angus Donald

shortlisted for Book of the Month

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

Goodreads

Adventure / Military

1600s

Ireland

#3 of a series

"August 25, 1689 The English Army is besieging Carrickfergus in Ireland. Brilliant but unusual gunner Holcroft Blood of the Royal Train of Artillery is ready to unleash his cannons on the rebellious forces of deposed Catholic monarch James II. But this is more than war for Captain Blood, a lust for private vengeance burns within him. French intelligence agent Henri d'Erloncourt has come across the seas to foment rebellion against William of Orange, the newly installed Dutch ruler of England, Scotland and Ireland. But Henri's true mission is not to aid the suffering of the Irish but to serve the interests of his master, Louis le Grand. Michael 'Galloping' Hogan, brigand, boozer and despoiler of Protestant farms, strives to defend his native land - and make a little profit on the side. But when he takes the Frenchman's gold, he suspects deep in his freedom-loving heart, that he has merely swapped one foreign overlord for another.

July 1, 1690 On the banks of the River Boyne, on a fateful, scorching hot day, two armies clash in bloody battle - Protestant against Catholic - in an epic struggle for mastery of Ireland. And, when the slaughter is over and the smoke finally clears, for these three men, nothing will ever be the same again . . ."

Action adventure at its best. I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, the first in this series, somehow managed to miss out on Book Two, but picked up the thread of the delightful Captain Holcroft Blood (who is the son of Colonel Blood, the chap who stole the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London) and his companions quite easily. 

Captain Blood as a character  is a joy to meet. He is a complex, multi-dimensional person full of his own quirks - today he would be placed on the Autistic Spectrum. He is a stickler for the right way to do things, and often obsessed, which means sometimes you want to shake him, and sometimes you just want to hug him. 

The supporting characters of the devious Henri d’Erloncourt,  known as Narrey, a Frenchman and spy for King Louis XIV, and Michael Hogan who may just as well be an outlaw, are equally as well drawn and interesting as Blood himself. Blood is out for Narrey's blood (excuse the slight pun) and his desire for vengeance results in trouble because Holcroft is not one for respecting orders. Victory at the Battle of the Boyne is not his priority. Killing the spy is.

The author is very clever in that he portrays this infamous battle from both sides of the conflict and blends in the little details that bring his characters alive: Holcroft enjoys his job, loves the big guns he is in charge of as much as his wonderful Lorenzoni repeating rifle and his splendid uniform. The historical research is immaculate, the writing superb and the entire novel an absolute delight. 

Note, however for the squeamish: this is a novel based on historical fact, and it does have vivid military scenes of skirmishes and battles which have a violent and bloody tone. Battles were not nice places to be.

Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds 

© Helen Hollick

 e-version reviewed

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A Discovering Diamonds Review of We All Fall Down by Various Authors

Authors: Jean Gill, Lisa J Yarde, Jessica Knauss, Deborah Swift, 
Kristin Gleeson, Laura Morelli, Katherine Pym, David Blixt, 
Melodie Winawr

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Goodreads

short stories
various eras
various locations

"Plague has no favorites. In this anthology, USA Today, international bestselling, and award-winning authors imagine a world where anyone—rich, poor, young, old—might be well in the morning and dead by sundown. Readers will follow in the footsteps of those who fought to rebuild shattered lives as the plague left desolation in its wake.

* An Irish woman tends her dying father while the Normans threaten her life and property—

* A Hispano-Muslim doctor fights the authorities to stem the spread of the deadly pestilence at great personal cost—

* A Tuscan street hawker and a fresco painter watch citizens perish all around them even as they paint a better future—

* A Spanish noblewoman lives at the mercy of a jealous queen after plague kills the king—

* The Black Death leaves an uncertain legacy to Dante’s son—

* In Venice, the artist Titian agonizes over a death in obscurity—

* A Scottish thief loses everything to plague and repents in the hope of preventing more losses—

* Two teenagers from 2020 time-travel to plague-stricken London and are forever changed—

* And when death rules in Ottoman-occupied Greece, a Turk decides his own fate.  Nine tales bound together by humanity’s fortitude in the face of despair: a powerful collection of stories for our own time. In dark and deadly times, love and courage shine bright."

Somewhat topical - how did the authors know? The subject - the pandemics of Plague - might not appeal to everyone given the surreal circumstances of life world-wide at the moment ... on the other hand many readers might find the topic highly fascinating. Plague (or in our present case Coronavirus Covid 19) is nothing new...

As with all anthologies, some of the included stories appeal, others not so much; it is all a matter of personal taste and preference. Some stories in a collection are memorable or leave you thinking while some, for various reasons, do not linger in the mind quite as much - but I was delighted to discover that the former of these observations is true for the majority of stories in this intelligent creation with the general theme of 'plague'. 

We All Fall Down  is a collection that is perhaps particularly relevant with the current (early 2020) concern over the spread of the Corona Virus, and indeed, the alarming rise of Mumps and Measles because children have not been vaccinated. Even Polio is having a slight re-resurgence in some countries. All the stories leave you thinking 'thank goodness I live now, not then'!

I did enjoy all the stories to varying degrees, although I must admit that some were better than others and a couple left me feeling a little depressed - which, actually, is no reflection on the stories but on the skill of the writers who brought home the general feeling of hopeless tragedy that those poor people of the past had to endure when Plague struck a community, town or country. The fortitude, the despair, the hope, the tragedy all come over in every story to catch at your heart, and at the end of each either bring a sigh of relief or a surreptitious tear. 

I think most of us are familiar with the Great Plague of 1665 which struck London (partly remembered well because of the Great Fire of the following year) but it was highly interesting to read about different people, in different locations, in different eras, all with the common denominator of having to deal with a similar problem or situation. And of trying to survive.

A very interesting read by a host of very good authors.

Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
© Anne Holt
 e-version reviewed

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Guest Spot : Ann W. Righter

*laugh* did no one notice the DATE??!!

Ann W. Righter is a new novelist, she says:

I hope to self-published my first novel which is set in the 1100s and is about Shashona, a young Arab girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to escape the brutality of her cruel  merchant stepfather.

Shashona has heard stories of the beautiful Queen Elenor of Britain wife to Henry II and who wore male apparel when she went on campaign with her husband, the king. Shashona dreams of meeting her one day and when an opportunity arises she dresses in her brother's clothes and steals one of her stepfather's camels. She joins a caravan of the Silk Road heading for Morocco, hoping to cross into Spain and make her way north to this mysterious country of England where the grass is always green, rain falls from the sky and the Queen sits alone, shut in a tower waiting for someone to set her free.

It's only later that Shashona discovers a packet of diamonds amongst the silks and velvets of  the other goods loaded onto her stolen camel, and she makes up her mind to go to the King and offer to pay a ransom to release the captured queen.

Then a young man, Jaffra, joins the caravan along with his father and brother. He makes friends with our heroine, thinking that she is a boy and of course Shashona falls in love with him - but she has to maintain her hidden identity.

And then things happen that make her think maybe Jaffra isn't all he says he is...

A story of romance, intrigue and daring adventure.

Someone did tell me that perhaps I shouldn't use a comic-sans font, but I think that's alright as it is nice and clear to read, plus I've had a comment that the cover is a bit bland? Should I enlarge my author name? But then I really want the title to stand out.

Excerpt:
Shashona was laying beneath her cotton blanket staring up at the sky full of blazing stars, wondering what magic caused them to burn so brightly. She knew some of their names, The Dipper, The Cross. Where had they gotten their names, she wondered? Had their mothers christened them at their birth thousands of years ago? She shifted uncomfortably, the sand hot beneath her, listening to the wind in the trees and Jaffra snoring not three yards away in a steady intake and outtake of breath every measured second. Even the annoying noise made the blood in her body feel hot and excited as it pumped around her body.
"They are like my diamonds," she thought to herself as her fingers touched the small velvet pouch tied to her waist belt where she kept them safe. "The stars are just like my diamonds."

actually written by Helen Hollick - an alternative title would be

How NOT to produce/promote a book!

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