"More Napoleonic historical fiction " Topic

Just discovered Andrew Wareham's "Man of Conflict" series (5 books so far) covering the exploits of Septimus Pearce, a stroppy young man from a 'trade' family who joins an unfashionable regiment and serves in Ireland, the West Indies, India and Spain.

Better written than most of their genre, less heroic than 'Sharpe' with plenty of inspiration for tabletop games. There's a good insight into how English society worked at the time and, as Pearce's fame and fortune increases, how he gets drawn into local and national politics as a successful Colonel.

Worth taking a look at – best read in sequence.

thanks for the suggestion mate.

cool. thanks for the recommendation.

Agreed, thanks for the post!

Will we ever have an Austrian or German soldier stories, one day?

Jcfrog – Not sad about it but its a English speaking world

Well the 200 millions Russian speakers.
1.4 bilion Chinese
300 million Indonesians
300+ millions from South America….
Will be happy to know about it.

My remark had nothing against English, just that it would be nice to have novels with others than heroic Brits facing hordes of French in The Penninsula etc.
Translated too….in English. Hey.

My remark had bothing against English, just that it would be nice to have novels with others than heroic Brits facing hordes of French in The Penninsula etc.

May one suggested either

"Brigadier Gerard" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (yes, that one)

gutenberg.org/ebooks/11247
gutenberg.org/ebooks/1644

or the equally fictitious stories of Baron Marbot

link

Have read them of course.

What about the Ethan Gage stories by William Dietrich?

I guess the Russians have got " War & Peace"?

"Seven Men of Gascony" (Delderfield) is another favourite but it does seem strange that there are no French authors covering the period in the same way that Cornwell, Forester et al have done.

EDIT: anyone read the 'Alain Lausard' series by Richard Howard?

Yes did of sorts.
read all the Sharpes, nearly all naval, Mallinson, the excellent Goldworthy etc.. but this one.
Started curiously with the first one, in Italy and Egypt and could not even finish.have 2-3 more never opened.
just did not feel right. they are at one point having carbines (for dragoons!) and using them as maybe one would a 1880 type you know hollywood vs a cavalry charge. Unrealistic and did not even feel right.

G'Day Gents

The Conscript: A Story of the French War of 1813

For some reason I cannot find the link to download this book anymore…but I did download it from the internet…

Then the sequel:

Waterloo: A Sequel to The Conscript of 1813

Here is the link to download this book

link

Best Regards
Art

Ah yes of course. Read it when a teen from my father's books who read it when he was a tenn who….yes it was a bit worn. Excellent btw.

Both the Erckmann-Chatrian Conscript 1813 and Waterloo novels can be obtained via Amazon within one book. I'm currently reading the Conscript in the two novel volume.

link

Also, for those who may be interested, the Erckmann-Chatrian Waterloo novel is also available in an early Graphic novel format, published by Classics Illustrated. However, the French infantry are depicted wearing red trouser and the artillery images look very much from a later period. On the positive side, on the front cover Napoleon looks remarkably like Elvis, so he obviously deserves the title Great. LOL.

I read the " Alain Lausard" stories. Too bad they haven't continued! Kind of Richard Sharpe in reverse. An aristocrat in the ranks.

I read the " Alain Lausard" stories. Too bad they haven't continued! Kind of Richard Sharpe in reverse. An aristocrat in the ranks.

Why did I immediately remember my Kipling:

TO THE legion of the lost ones, to the cohort of the damned,
To my brethren in their sorrow overseas,
Sings a gentleman of England cleanly bred, machinely crammed,
And a trooper of the Empress, if you please.
Yea, a trooper of the forces who has run his own six horses,
And faith he went the pace and went it blind,
And the world was more than kin while he held the ready tin,
But to-day the Sergeant's something less than kind.

We're poor little lambs who've lost our way,
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We're little black sheep who've gone astray,
Baa—aa—aa!
Gentlemen-rankers out on the spree,
Damned from here to Eternity,
God ha' mercy on such as we,
Baa! Yah! Bah!

Oh, it's sweet to sweat through stables, sweet to empty kitchen slops,
And it's sweet to hear the tales the troopers tell,
To dance with blowzy housemaids at the regimental hops
And thrash the cad who says you waltz too well.
Yes, it makes you cock-a-hoop to be "Rider" to your troop,
And branded with a blasted worsted spur,
When you envy, O how keenly, one poor Tommy being cleanly
Who blacks your boots and sometimes calls you "Sir".

If the home we never write to, and the oaths we never keep,
And all we know most distant and most dear,
Across the snoring barrack-room return to break our sleep,
Can you blame us if we soak ourselves in beer?
When the drunken comrade mutters and the great guard-lantern gutters
And the horror of our fall is written plain,
Every secret, self-revealing on the aching white-washed ceiling,
Do you wonder that we drug ourselves from pain?

We have done with Hope and Honour, we are lost to Love and Truth,
We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung,
And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth.
God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Our shame is clean repentance for the crime that brought the sentence,
Our pride it is to know no spur of pride,
And the Curse of Reuben holds us till an alien turf enfolds us
And we die, and none can tell Them where we died.

We're poor little lambs who've lost our way,
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We're little black sheep who've gone astray,
Baa—aa—aa!
Gentlemen-rankers out on the spree,
Damned from here to Eternity,
God ha' mercy on such as we,
Baa! Yah! Bah!