3 out of 4 stars
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Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of IsandIwana by James Mace
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of IsandIwana is a story of love, bravery, loyalty, fear, and death in a time of war.
This historical fiction revisits the fatal clash between the British Army and the indigenous Zulu tribe of South Africa in 1879. British High Commissioner, Sir Henry Bartle-Frere, takes advantage of dissensions between the Zulu Kingdom and its neighbors to start an illegal war inflamed by a zeal to seize control of the Zulu Kingdom. Cetshwayo, the Zulu king, is left with no choice but to face his 'sister's' soldiers in a war to defend his kingdom. Although the Zulus are at a disadvantage when it comes to weaponry, their greatest strength comes from their numbers and a strong willingness to sacrifice their lives in the defense of their land. Thousands of lives are lost on both sides, but this war would go down in history as one of the greatest defeats ever experienced between the British Army and an indigenous tribe with no formal military training, armed with primitive weaponry.
James Mace uses detailed description of thoughts in a way that makes the reader develop a deep, emphatic connection to the characters, thereby sharing their pain, fear and doubt. The reader is able to understand why Arthur and Kwanele feel so distraught and confused after their first killings, empathize with Colonel Durnford's determination to prove himself as a worthy soldier, experience some degree of fear during the heat of the war,and share in the sadness felt by the loss of a friend on the battlefield.
This book also gives an insight into some rites, practices and beliefs before and during a war, especially those peculiar to the Zulus. These include purging the body of uncleanliness, fighting a bull bare handed, and dousing the body and ammunition of potent and protective medicine. There's also the war songs chanted repeatedly in combination with gestures during the war. The reader is exposed to the organisation and strategic preparation that is involved in the wake of a war.
One thing I didn't like is the unnecessary pieces of information which made the book a mostly boring read for me. Most times, there's a wide stretch of irrelevant information, and this makes it difficult for the reader to catch up. This made me struggle to finish reading it.
The book is also riddled with lots of grammatical and spelling errors, which gave it an unprofessional look. A few examples include 'army' (instead of arm), 'make due' (instead make do), 'possess' (instead of poses), 'mental to note to' (instead of mental note to), and 'knew' (instead of new).
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.. I really enjoyed the action-packed and straight-to-the-point approach towards the ending. I think this book will appeal to readers who are inquisitive about historical occurrences, particularly ones related to war.
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Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
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