Angus Donald : Bloods Campaign (Review)

Blood’s Campaign (2019)
(The third book in the Holcroft Blood series)

In the theatre of war there can only be one victor….

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….

(Review)

Ive been a fan of Angus Donald since i got my hands on a little paperback 10 years ago called “Outlaw”, it was the beginning of something totally new, a total rewrite of the Robin Hood Legend, a robin hood meets the godfather, and when it ended after 8 amazing tales i really wondered if he could top it as a series, and for me he did, the beginning of the Holcroft Blood series “Bloods Game” was something truly different because while it followed the norm of taking a hero from childhood to adulthood, it did so with a boy that was different, Angus introduced us to Holcroft Blood a boy who lived with Autism, something they would not have known back then, but surely existed, it took a boy on the ride through dangerous politics and Machiavellian plots, where those around him could consider him to be too simple to understand due to his lack of social skills, but under that quiet exterior lurked a highly intelligent, boy then young man.

Bloods Campaign finds Holcroft a grown man, with his beloved Artillery regiment, an officer and a gentleman of some skill, as always he is front on centre in the action and mired in a personal battle with his nemesis Henri d’Erloncourt a french officer and spy, and the battle for Ireland.

Angus Donald writes in a style that is very character driven and has a talent for introducing lots of well rounded and fun side characters, like Enoch the aged artillery man, and in this book Hogan an Irishman, a brigand and an all round chancer, but one with his own moral code and skills, I love a good side character, and loved the addition of Hogan, a man who could star easily in his own book. We travel the length and breadth of Ireland galloping over bogs and rivers, there are sieges and battles, there are sneak attacks, betrayals, spies, bravery, stupidity in action and so much more. I tore through this book in a single day, so far this is easily my favorite book that Angus Donald has written, a total adventure from first page to last, with some beautiful scenes and scenery. My Favorite is the meeting near the end between Holcroft and the man who is alleged to have cuckolded him, so well written and so beautifully showing the growth of Holcroft from the start of the book to the end.

I highly recommend this book, and all of Angus Donalds books

(Parm)

 

Steven A McKay: Warrior Druid of Britain (Review)

(The Druid)

Northern Britain, AD430

A land in turmoil. A village ablaze. A king’s daughter abducted.

In the aftermath of a surprise attack Dun Buic lies in smoking ruins and many innocent villagers are dead. As the survivors try to make sense of the night’s events the giant warrior-druid, Bellicus, is tasked with hunting down the raiders and thwarting their dark purpose.

With years of training in the old ways, two war-dogs at his side, and unsurpassed skill with a longsword, Bellicus’s quest will take him on a perilous journey through lands still struggling to cope with the departure of the Roman legions.

Meanwhile, amongst her brutal captors the little princess Catia finds an unlikely ally, but even he may not be able to avert the terrible fate King Hengist has in store for her.

This, the first volume in a stunning new series from the bestselling author of Wolf’s Head, explores the rich folklore and culture of post-Roman Britain, where blood-sacrifice, superstition, and warfare were as much a part of everyday life as love, laughter and song.

As Saxon invaders and the new Christian religion seek to mold the country for their own ends one man will change the course of Britain’s history forever….

….the Druid.

Song of the Centurion

Autumn, AD 430. After the Princess Catia’s disappearance, and Bellicus’s adventures trailing her Saxon abductors south to the fabled Hanging Stones, the giant warrior-druid is finally returning home.
Battle-scarred, and mourning the loss of a loved one, Bellicus has learned from bitter experience that the gods rarely make things easy. Even if he can evade Horsa’s vengeful pursuit and get back to the North safely, his troubles may be far from over…
In a land beset by the rivalries of petty warlords, Dun Breatann has stood solid and secure for untold generations. Trouble brews though as King Coroticus has cracked under the pressure of his daughter’s abduction and, as well as starting a war with the neighbouring kings, he has become jealous, suspicious, and often blind drunk. When the king’s rage finally boils over during a winter feast, Bellicus finds himself with two choices – accept exile, or complete another seemingly impossible undertaking.
So much for the returning hero…
Accompanied by his massive war-dog, Cai, and the ever-loyal former centurion, Duro – who has his own painful issues to contend with – Bellicus must somehow survive a journey east into enemy-held lands. There, he will need to use his gods-given talents to the full if they are to survive the winter frosts and carry out the mad king’s orders without being captured or killed by the men of Dalriada.

 

Review:

I read both of these books back to back (i’m a little late with The Druid), and so thought it best to review together. Its an interesting experience reviewing more than one book in a series because you can see more of the story growth, the character development and get a better feel for the story arc. Also with these books i was interested to see what Steven McKay could do that was away from his Robin Hood series.

Bellicus the druid is a clever and interesting character, and i like the way that the author avoids or explains away the tricks that would be considered supernatural, things that are all about knowledge and training and superstition. The first book a hunt for a little girl (a princess), to recover her from the bad guys (The Saxons), and bring her home… but for me the books (both of them) really come alive when Duro joins the plot, a retired Centurion, a man who thought that his fighting days were gone, who had retained his skills but not the body that allowed him to use them, i laughed along with his exploits as he was forced to shed the weight he gained as a baker in his retirement, and enjoyed the fact that he showed how after the Romans left there were still remnants there, not just the houses falling down that you get in some books, but real people, with real knowledge and skill. The two main characters Duro and Bel bounce off each other perfectly and allows the author to give a fuller picture of the worlds they both live in… a Druid seen from a personal level and also from an external one. As usual he throws in friendships, love and betrayal… and weaves a clever story. Im still undecided if i like the introduction of Merlin and Arthur… but im interested to see where he goes with that in book 3… as always with Steven Mckay, the books draw me back and keep me hooked which is recommendation enough i think and i’m always interested in what he will write next, his skill as a writer grows with each book…

(Parm)

 

Mark Lawrence : Dispel Illusion

 

Dispel Illusion (The third book in the Impossible Times series)

Sometimes being wrong is the right answer.

Nick Hayes’s genius is in wringing out the universe’s secrets. It’s a talent that’s allowed him to carve paths through time. But the worst part is that he knows how his story will end. He’s seen it with his own eyes. And every year that passes, every breakthrough he makes, brings him a step closer. Mia’s accident is waiting for them both in 2011. If it happens then he’s out of choices.

Then a chance 1992 discovery reveals that this seeker of truth has been lying to himself. But why? It’s a question that haunts him for years. A straw he clings to as his long-awaited fate draws near.

Time travel turns out not to be the biggest problem Nick has to work on. He needs to find out how he can stay on his path but change the destination. Failure has never been an option, and neither has survival. But Nick’s hoping to roll the dice one more time. And this new truth begins with a lie.

Review

Somehow Mark Lawrence always manages to surprise me, having reviewed books for about 30 years you do find at times that you get a little jaded with the same ideas reworked, but there are still authors out there who manage to write something new and surprising, something that has you guessing, that challenges the mind, that entertains and takes you on a journey out of your own head. Mark Lawrence seems to manage to do this with every single book he writes, and Dispel Illusion is right up there with the best he has written.

The book challenges your understanding of time and space and paradox, whilst at the same time pulling you into the simple world of friends and love. Impossible times has all the hallmarks of a major TV series, there is so much in it that at times i felt that the book was just skimming the surface of possibility for the series, the multiverse, the avoidance of paradox and the use of D&D to explain and navigate some of the key elements of the plot was just genius.

This final book in the series had me guessing all the way to the end how the author would tie up the story, how we could have a satisfactory ending, one we could enjoy and believe, and he managed it beautifully…

With all the heavy and detailed books i read in Historical fiction and Fantasy, its been amazing to read a series that is highly entertaining, incredibly complex with time travel and paradoxes and also at the same time so simple and easy, real life friendships and love that we can all relate too… its one of my fav series and one for everyone to read because its genre free….

Very Highly recommended

(Parm)