Review by Belinda93 -- Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isa...

[Belinda93]

[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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Brutal Valor: The Tragedy of Islandlwana by James Mace is the astounding story of the 24th Regiment of Foot of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and their fierce battle with the Zulu army of King Cetshwayo kaMpande.

Set from between 1856 to the events of 1879 in South Africa, the novel centers on King Cetshwayo, and other characters who play an integral part in the course of the novel's development.

Spoiling for war with the Zulu nation, the British High Commissioner for South Africa and certain generals contrive to instigate a war between the British Empire and the Zulu who have been allies and trade partners since the reign of King Mpande and later the reign of King Cetshwayo kaMpande. The British generals even before finding a plausible reason to engage war with the Zulus begin to recruit army officers and soldiers to fight in Her Majesty's army. A reason for war soon presents itself: a border issue.

Brutal Valor: The Tragedy of Islandlwana tells the story of valor, honor passion for country, excitement for war and mixes these with tales of power tussles, wasteful loss of lives and the racial conflict that was most prevalent among the ranks of the army at the time. The writer incorporates aspects of life outside South Africa with life in Britain and also adds pieces from the lives of the characters like friendship, family, marriage, adultery into the novel to make a more interesting and compelling story.

The novel relies on accounts of historical events, and real-life places to tell its story. It is written in the third person point of view. There are 40 chapters and each chapter is introduced with a related photograph and an accompanying image title. The chapters contain subdivisions usually divided by about three line spaces. The novel is concise and written in simple English.

I like how the novel progresses from the battle of the Princes, to the events that led to a war, the war itself and its aftermath. The sequence connected the events well and therefore made the story easy to follow and understand, especially with the many names and characters. I also like that the novel has pictures of some of the characters and places described in it. This will make it interesting for readers who find historical fictions boring.

I rate Brutal Valor - The Tragedy of Islandlwana by James Mace a 4 out of 4 because among other things it is interesting, educative and sheds a different perspective on the victor and vanquished stories of the pre-colonial era in Africa. I recommend this novel to lovers of historical fiction and anyone who enjoys stories of war and valor.

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Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana
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