Review by Rogue915 -- 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]
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana is set during the opening stages of the Anglo-Zulu War, a conflict that lasted approximately 7 months in 1879. James Mace tells the story of the prelude to the conflict as well as the first major battle of the war: the Battle of Isandlwana. In 1878-79, the British Empire was at its’ height, Queen Victoria was on the throne and Africa was feeling the impact of new and extensive European colonization. This was especially true for Southern Africa, where Dutch colonial claims were being superseded by the British. Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana covers the rise of the last king of the Zulu, Cetshwayo, as well as the political manipulation of Southern Africa on the part of British General, Lord Chelmsford. The political infighting led to actual war, as the British launched a preemptive punitive expedition against the Zulu, but operated without orders from the government in London. The story is much more than just the bird’s eye view of the conflict, soldier and civilian viewpoints are also followed. Everything culminates in the Battle of Isandlwana, where both sides collide with tragic and bloody results.
Throughout the course of the book Mace follows a plethora of characters. Cetshwayo, Chelmsford, Private Arthur Wilkinson, and Kwanele are just some of main storylines followed. In fact, the main weakness of the book is that there are too many characters. Mace was clearly aware that he introduced so many people into his story, in fact, 3 pages in the beginning of the book are devoted to just the cast of characters, and this only covers about 2/3 of the actual amount of characters who get portions of their stories told. Ultimately, there are just too many subsidiary characters to follow, names begin to look similar and as the book progresses it becomes difficult to keep track of who is whom. There are story lines that just never really pan out and could have been eliminated for the sake of focus. It could be that these characters will be important in the second book of the series, but in this story, Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana, all they really do is make the book unnecessarily convoluted. Nevertheless, Mace does something that is very unique when he introduces these characters. When they are inserted into the narrative Mace includes a photograph of the person so at the very least, the reader can start to put names and faces together. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book, stylistically it was unique.
There were very few grammatical errors, but one issue that bothered me was the way Mace wrote time, actual hours and minutes. Instead of writing 11:35, he would write 11.35. I thought this was a mistake at first, but it happened several other times which made me think that this might be a stylistic choice. It was really more irritating than problematic.
All in all, James Mace has presented a fully developed opening portrait of this too often ignored chapter in world history. On one hand, Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana, is a stinging rebuke of the system of colonialism that all European nations practiced and is often personified by the British; on the other it is the heroically tragic story of indigenous African kingdoms trying to maintain their autonomy against a modern European Empire, one that is bolstered by the most modern technology of the day. Mace brings to light the duplicity of the British officials, the accepted casual racism of the day, the tactical brilliance of the Zulu and the heroism of soldiers fighting on both sides of the conflict. He is able to humanize these people, bringing them to vibrant life, giving the reader a contrasting view as to how both sides dealt with concepts like exploitation, modernization and tradition. Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana is a well researched, well written and well-presented book that really showcases the abilities of author, James Mace. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
View: on Bookshelves |
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Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana is set during the opening stages of the Anglo-Zulu War, a conflict that lasted approximately 7 months in 1879. James Mace tells the story of the prelude to the conflict as well as the first major battle of the war: the Battle of Isandlwana. In 1878-79, the British Empire was at its’ height, Queen Victoria was on the throne and Africa was feeling the impact of new and extensive European colonization. This was especially true for Southern Africa, where Dutch colonial claims were being superseded by the British. Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana covers the rise of the last king of the Zulu, Cetshwayo, as well as the political manipulation of Southern Africa on the part of British General, Lord Chelmsford. The political infighting led to actual war, as the British launched a preemptive punitive expedition against the Zulu, but operated without orders from the government in London. The story is much more than just the bird’s eye view of the conflict, soldier and civilian viewpoints are also followed. Everything culminates in the Battle of Isandlwana, where both sides collide with tragic and bloody results.
Throughout the course of the book Mace follows a plethora of characters. Cetshwayo, Chelmsford, Private Arthur Wilkinson, and Kwanele are just some of main storylines followed. In fact, the main weakness of the book is that there are too many characters. Mace was clearly aware that he introduced so many people into his story, in fact, 3 pages in the beginning of the book are devoted to just the cast of characters, and this only covers about 2/3 of the actual amount of characters who get portions of their stories told. Ultimately, there are just too many subsidiary characters to follow, names begin to look similar and as the book progresses it becomes difficult to keep track of who is whom. There are story lines that just never really pan out and could have been eliminated for the sake of focus. It could be that these characters will be important in the second book of the series, but in this story, Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana, all they really do is make the book unnecessarily convoluted. Nevertheless, Mace does something that is very unique when he introduces these characters. When they are inserted into the narrative Mace includes a photograph of the person so at the very least, the reader can start to put names and faces together. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book, stylistically it was unique.
There were very few grammatical errors, but one issue that bothered me was the way Mace wrote time, actual hours and minutes. Instead of writing 11:35, he would write 11.35. I thought this was a mistake at first, but it happened several other times which made me think that this might be a stylistic choice. It was really more irritating than problematic.
All in all, James Mace has presented a fully developed opening portrait of this too often ignored chapter in world history. On one hand, Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana, is a stinging rebuke of the system of colonialism that all European nations practiced and is often personified by the British; on the other it is the heroically tragic story of indigenous African kingdoms trying to maintain their autonomy against a modern European Empire, one that is bolstered by the most modern technology of the day. Mace brings to light the duplicity of the British officials, the accepted casual racism of the day, the tactical brilliance of the Zulu and the heroism of soldiers fighting on both sides of the conflict. He is able to humanize these people, bringing them to vibrant life, giving the reader a contrasting view as to how both sides dealt with concepts like exploitation, modernization and tradition. Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana is a well researched, well written and well-presented book that really showcases the abilities of author, James Mace. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
View: on Bookshelves |
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