"Recommended: books by Andrew Wareham" Topic

Worth checking out on Amazon – a pretty prolific but good writer of historical fiction that captures the detail of the period well – he obviously knows his stuff – several series to his name, the ones I've enjoyed so far:

The Gin Lane trilogy: not exactly war-related but covers the rise of a disreputable ‘gangster' for want of a better term in early industrial England 1745-1765.

Man of Conflict: Napoleonic adventures, better written than Sharpe.

I only managed one of the "Man of Conflict" series – I would strongly dispute the " ..better written than Sharpe. " suggestion but most on this Forum loathe Cornwell so you'll doubtless get lots of agreement.

Cornwell can write rings around this guy, who seems to be one of those scribblers who produces an endless stream of fiction covering just about every possible era involving guns, swords, artillery, and airplanes.

Besides, who needs yet another series set in the Peninsula? Ware's features a lackluster hero with issues, surrounded by cardboard cutouts of characters, and overcomes every single obstacle, large, medium, and small, with ease… and no verisimilitude at all. And the writing style is crappy, the research nearly invisible.

Big waste of time, unless you are stranded on a desert island.

Wow tell us how you really feel.

Personally I don't like Cornwell. Terribly pro British and what Sharpe does boarders on fantasy. Mainly absurd plot devices to work the hero in to a famous scene like the waterloo book. Mind you the early stuff was fine.

As for Wareham I did read some of the naval oriented books. The Duty and Destiny series or the Poor Man at the Gate series. Try the Privateersman.

Another option would by Walter Williams "Brig of War"

"Terribly pro British"
He's a British writer, writing about the British Army for (initially) a predominantly British audience. Andrew Roberts isn't the only British writer.

Ah well, not to everyone's taste then :-)

Have to say, I'm equally critical of the Wilcox "Fonthill" series for similar reasons, and that seems popular.

At least the "Man of Conflict" series has given me some new scenario ideas.

I could live with Cornwell being terribly pro British, but his books are badly researched and terribly boring, better read readily available memoires of true persons who did live an exciting life.

Have any of you read, and if so what do you think of R. F. Delderfield's 'Seven Men of Gascony'?

The above was the edition I had/read.

In this instance it's a British writer writing from a French perspective. I first read it as a kid, and absolutely loved it. Re-reading it again more recently, as an older chap, I'm more critical. But I still enjoyed it.

My Amazon UK review of it here, for anyone interested:

link

Sebastian Palmer

I enjoyed Delderfield's book and it was refreshing to read a novel from a different pov, other than the usual British one.

I also enjoyed Death to the French by C.S> Forester, which is set in 1810 and is about a British Rifleman cut off from the main army and having to try to avoid the French. The guerrillas he ends up working with are Portuguese in this book but it also includes sections from the French pov.

Basha Felika

I enjoyed reading the Sharpe novels and would have quite happily given Wareham's books a go but they only appear to be available at present in e-book format. But I'll give them a go if they ever become available in published book format.

Gazzola, I doubt they'll ever make it into hard copy print. While I prefer a ‘proper' book I've found my kindle invaluable when travelling and acquiring lots of free out of copyright contemporary accounts and histories.