Review of Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana

[Farzy G3m+]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana" by James Mace.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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As we all know, war destroys the basis of humanity. Nevertheless, countries will always go to war. Cetshwayo kaMpande, the rightful owner to the throne of The Zulu Kingdom, was disowned as the heir apparent in favor of one of his twenty-eight younger brothers, Mbuyazi. Mbuyazi and five other brothers on his side raged war against Cetshwayo for the throne, causing a civil war in the kingdom. The result, as expected, was bloodshed with over twenty thousand people killed and Cetshwayo became the king. The book, Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana is a historical novel based on the world war.
Twenty years after Cetshwayo became king, the British colonial administration in South Africa, who were once allied to the Zulu kingdom, demanded a petition which would lead to retaliation if not accepted. The petition was silly as it was evident that their target was war. After the petition expired, the Zulu kingdom started preparing for war against their old allies.
Although the overall government in London was in no support of the war as they were well aware of how bloodthirsty the Zulu kingdom could be at war, they had no choice but to engage.
I appreciate the touch of romance the author applied in this book. It helped to ease and divert the readers' attention from the tragedy of war. James Mace described the war in vivid images that I could picture in my head. It was attention-grabbing, well-detailed, and convincing that I had to read the book patiently.
The citizens of Zulu Kingdom's names are arduous to pronounce, and sometimes, I wonder the true meaning of their names. The author portrayed the kingdom and its culture in a way that I appreciated. The book also contains maps and pictures that show the topography of battlefields. It also had pictures of prominent figures at the beginning of each chapter.
Although confusing at first, I love how the author linked all the different activities into one colossal event. I do not dislike anything about the book as the details of war convinced me that it is a good book. The absence of grammatical errors also increased my enthusiasm for reading Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana.
The book also appeared to be edited professionally, which encourages me to give it a rate of 4 out of 4 stars. I, therefore, recommend this book to adults and teenagers who love novels based on war and history.

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Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
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