Review by Yashasvi -- Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isan...
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[Following is a volunteer review of "Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana" by James Mace.]
[rbc=4]id142121-125[/rbc]
Novels based on military history have to balance a fine line. They have to maintain historical authenticity without making it a boring list of facts and events. I feel the author succeeds very well in this.
This book describes how the British colonial administration in South Africa decide to depose the Zulu King Cetshwayo and how they go about inventing flimsy reasons and excuses so that war becomes inevitable. We see the detailed war preparations undertaken by both the sides and finally, the core of the book – how the British Army is handed a brutal defeat at Isandlwana by the Zulus and the events leading up to it.
The book launches you right into the action as it shows how Cetshwayo overcomes all opposition to take the Zulu throne. The scene then shifts to how the colonial administration officials conspire to capture the Zulu empire even though till then they had friendly relations with the Zulu. Even the government back in London didn’t want this war.
The detailed research that has gone into the book is really amazing. The author has done a lot of digging into the available documentation of this period to build a complete picture of the political and even personal motivations of the personalities involved in this whole war. He gives us an idea of the Zulu culture and how the Zulu king tried his best to avoid the war, even though a lot of glory seeking hotheads in his army were baying for blood. James Mace gives a good picture of the tactics, training, strengths and weaknesses of both the armies.
The author also brilliantly captures the concept of “fog of war”. How individual commanders react to situations based on very limited information that they have and how their decisions end up changing the entire course of the battle. This I feel is a high point of the book. The author does not judge the actions of the soldiers on either side. But shows us how the very uncertainty of war leads to decisions which in hindsight end up being horribly wrong.
James Mace also captures the human side of it by describing the trials and tribulations of the soldiers on both sides that are actually fighting and dying for causes which are often beyond their understanding. How a common soldier fights with brutal valour in the face of insurmountable odds. This takes this book to a level beyond a simple war narrative.
One thing which may put off a potential reader was that the book slows down a bit when James Mace describes the logistical and tactical difficulties encountered by both sides during their preparations for war. I actually appreciated this part because it gives context to the events which later unfold. But this may be boring for those readers who prefer a faster narrative flow. Also, too many characters on this crowded stage makes it difficult to keep track of the action sometimes but even that is necessary to get a complete picture of the events - from the point of view of the lowermost Private to the senior most General.
As with any military debacle, blame starts getting thrown around before the bodies are even buried. Battle of Isandlwana was no different. James Mace tries to set the record straight by showing that good or bad decisions taken by the combatants are the results of circumstances, the limited choices available to them, the ever present “fog of war” and of course their own personal preferences and prejudices. Truth has many more layers and nuances than a simple right or wrong judgement. All in all I would say this is a corking good read.
I found a few places where the formatting was a bit off. For example, images and their captions ending up on separate pages.
I enjoyed this book a lot and I am looking forward to the sequel. I would give this one 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
View: on Bookshelves |
Like Yashasvi's review? Post a comment saying so!
Novels based on military history have to balance a fine line. They have to maintain historical authenticity without making it a boring list of facts and events. I feel the author succeeds very well in this.
This book describes how the British colonial administration in South Africa decide to depose the Zulu King Cetshwayo and how they go about inventing flimsy reasons and excuses so that war becomes inevitable. We see the detailed war preparations undertaken by both the sides and finally, the core of the book – how the British Army is handed a brutal defeat at Isandlwana by the Zulus and the events leading up to it.
The book launches you right into the action as it shows how Cetshwayo overcomes all opposition to take the Zulu throne. The scene then shifts to how the colonial administration officials conspire to capture the Zulu empire even though till then they had friendly relations with the Zulu. Even the government back in London didn’t want this war.
The detailed research that has gone into the book is really amazing. The author has done a lot of digging into the available documentation of this period to build a complete picture of the political and even personal motivations of the personalities involved in this whole war. He gives us an idea of the Zulu culture and how the Zulu king tried his best to avoid the war, even though a lot of glory seeking hotheads in his army were baying for blood. James Mace gives a good picture of the tactics, training, strengths and weaknesses of both the armies.
The author also brilliantly captures the concept of “fog of war”. How individual commanders react to situations based on very limited information that they have and how their decisions end up changing the entire course of the battle. This I feel is a high point of the book. The author does not judge the actions of the soldiers on either side. But shows us how the very uncertainty of war leads to decisions which in hindsight end up being horribly wrong.
James Mace also captures the human side of it by describing the trials and tribulations of the soldiers on both sides that are actually fighting and dying for causes which are often beyond their understanding. How a common soldier fights with brutal valour in the face of insurmountable odds. This takes this book to a level beyond a simple war narrative.
One thing which may put off a potential reader was that the book slows down a bit when James Mace describes the logistical and tactical difficulties encountered by both sides during their preparations for war. I actually appreciated this part because it gives context to the events which later unfold. But this may be boring for those readers who prefer a faster narrative flow. Also, too many characters on this crowded stage makes it difficult to keep track of the action sometimes but even that is necessary to get a complete picture of the events - from the point of view of the lowermost Private to the senior most General.
As with any military debacle, blame starts getting thrown around before the bodies are even buried. Battle of Isandlwana was no different. James Mace tries to set the record straight by showing that good or bad decisions taken by the combatants are the results of circumstances, the limited choices available to them, the ever present “fog of war” and of course their own personal preferences and prejudices. Truth has many more layers and nuances than a simple right or wrong judgement. All in all I would say this is a corking good read.
I found a few places where the formatting was a bit off. For example, images and their captions ending up on separate pages.
I enjoyed this book a lot and I am looking forward to the sequel. I would give this one 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
View: on Bookshelves |
Like Yashasvi's review? Post a comment saying so!
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