Matthew Hervey races to confront Burmese rebels massing in the jungle.
An action-packed and stirring Matthew Hervey adventure - perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and C S Forester.
'A thoroughly satisfying and entertaining read' THE TIMES
'Picks up a pace that mirrors a cavalry charge' OBSERVER
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India 1819- Matthew Hervey is charged with raising a new troop, and organising transport for India - for he, his men and their horses are to set sail with immediate effect.
What Hervey and his soldiers cannot know is that in India they will face a trial for which they are woefully under prepared.
A large number of Burmese war-boats are assembled near Chittagong, and the only way to thwart their advance involves a hazardous march through the jungle.
Soon Hervey and his troop are in the midst of hot and bloody action once again...
Praise for Allan Mallinson- 'After just half-a-dozen pages I was hooked'
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* 'An excellent book, when you start reading you cannot put it down. Allan Mallinson at his best!!!'
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* 'Essential reading for military buffs'
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* 'If you enjoy historical fiction of the Napoleonic era . . . try this book, you won't be disappointed'
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* 'Excellent historical fiction . . . Malinson is a remarkable storyteller!'
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By:
Allan Mallinson
Imprint: Bantam
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 129mm,
Spine: 24mm
Weight: 259g
ISBN: 9780553813500
ISBN 10: 0553813501
Series: Matthew Hervey
Pages: 480
Publication Date: 15 March 2003
Recommended Age: From 0 years
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
The last two years have not been good ones for Matthew Hervey. His beloved wife Henrietta is dead and, believing that he can no longer remain in a regiment where men like Lord Towcester can rise to command, he has turned his back on the 6th Light Dragoons. He is left kicking his heels in a corrupt and unruly England far removed from its once glorious past. 1819 sees Hervey in Rome with his sister Elizabeth, where a chance meeting with one of England's most controversial men of letters leads him to rethink his future. Joined by his old friend Captain Peto, Hervey realizes just how much he has missed the excitement of military action and the camaraderie of the Sixth. Soon he is en route for Hounslow via Whitehall, where he hurriedly purchases a new commission and is refitted for the uniform of his former regiment. There he finds things much changed for the better. Though depleted in numbers, they are now under the assured leadership of Sir Ivo Lankester, brother of Edward Lankester, hero of Waterloo. Hervey's first task is to raise a new troop and then to organize transport, for his men and horses are to set sall for India with immediate effect. What Hervey and his greenhorn soldiers cannot know is that in India they will face a trial for which they are sorely ill-prepared. For a large number of Burmese warboats are being assembled near the headwaters of the river leading to Chittagong, and the only way to thwart their advance involves an arduous and hazardous march through the jungle. Hervey and his troop find themselves in the midst of hot and bloody action once more.
Allan Mallinson was a serving cavalry officer. He is also the author of Light Dragoons, a history of four regiments of British Cavalry, one of which he commanded, and a regular reviewer for The Times, the Spectator and the Literary Review. His Matthew Hervey novels are Sunday Times bestsellers and are all available in Bantam paperback.
Reviews for A Call To Arms: (The Matthew Hervey Adventures: 4)
This fourth book continues the exploits of Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons in the early 19th century. Mallinson has created an attractive and interesting character, and painstakingly researched historical events to create an authentic feel to the writings. At the start of this novel Hervey is out of uniform and visiting Rome, where he meets the poet Shelley (whom he saves from a post office brawl), and they strike up a brief friendship. Later Hervey rejoins his old regiment and they are sent to India and then deep into the jungle on a mission to thwart an attack on Chittagong by the Burmese. Mallinson has lost none of his vigour for writing intense prose; whereas lesser authors might go off the boil slightly four novels into a series, Mallinson patently agonizes over his descriptions, gets the balance right on just how much cavalry information to slip in, and masterfully dovetails historical events to create an excellent balance. (Kirkus UK)
