A remarkable debut novel, "Four Days in June" is an imaginative but accurate reconstruction of five men - all real figures - five points of view, and four days of battle of one of the world's most famous battles. In June 1815, Napoleon has just escaped from Elba, the Bourbon kings were on the run, France rose to their emperor, and the Allied forces were in disarray. The British has disbanded their armies after their victory the previous year and had now cobbled together an uneasy alliance of the Prussians, the Dutch and an untrained army, stiffened by a few veterans. The five characters are: General Zeithen of the Prussian army, concerned both about the French and about his and his men's exposed position, unsupported he fears by his reluctant chief and by the British; De Lancey, Wellington's quartermaster-general, accompanied by his new young wife, and desperately juggling his new role, the movements of men and supplies in face of the rapid French advance, Wellington's incessant demands and communications with the allies; Colonel MacDonnell, originally from the Black Watch but promoted to command one of the Guards companies, a veteran and now pushed into the frontline to stiffen the untried troops; and Napoleon himself, a great warrior but can he make a comeback after his humiliation before; and Marshal Ney, only recently returned from the Royalist cause, and thus distrusted by Napoleon but revered and beloved by French soldiers. What is so remarkable about Iain Gale's writing and storytelling gifts is that although we may know the outcome, the reader is completely absorbed by the unfolding drama: the tensions from mistakes made, how characters react under such stress, the interaction of one character with another; how memories of the past affect decisions now; the courage, the fear, the responsibility of command; the whole feel of battle.
Four Days in June
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'A powerful novel of men at war. A triumph.' Bernard Cornwell 'A debut novel to treasure!brilliantly evoking the horrors and excitements of war' Publishing News
About the Author
Iain Gale has strong Scottish and military roots. He is the Editor of the Scottish National Trust magazine and Art critic for Scotland on Sunday. He lives outside Edinburgh and is working on a second novel.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Killer Angels" treatment of Battle of Waterloo,
By
This review is from: Four Days in June: Waterloo: A Battle for Honour and Glory (Paperback)
Iain Gale's first effort is magnificent!
Using the Michael Sharra technique from "Killer Angels", Gale gets inside the heads of the leading protagonists at the Battle of Waterloo over the course of four bloody and tiring days. The result is very readable, believable and technically accurate-if you enjoyed "Killer Angels" you'll love this one. Hopefully this is the first of many books from this terrific writer-Mr. Gale, I am clearing space in my library in anticipation....
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Bernard Cornwell, But Still a Good Read!,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Four Days in June (Hardcover)
I picked up this book being a big fan of Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe Series. Gale tackles the Napoleonic War's climactic battle (Waterloo) by providing readers with 5 different perspectives on either side of the events(Napoleon, Ney, Ziethen, MacDonnel, and DeLancey). Fans of historical fiction will enjoy Gale's attention to detail and his ability to thread a cohesive narrative through the maze of events of those sometimes rather chaotic "four days in June." I found the book an easy and entertaining read. Although Gale has a tendancy to get a bit melodramatic with his prose, students of the battle who have an understanding of the people and events involved will give him a bit of literary leeway in these sometimes overly flowery bits. All in all, Gale is a very capable author, and gives due diligence to the people and the events of Waterloo, crafting a very entertaining and informative novel.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read,
By
This review is from: Four Days in June: Waterloo: A Battle for Honour and Glory (Paperback)
I enjoyed reading this book. I found it entertaining and interesting and it kept me up wanting to read it. Certainly there are better and more detailed books on the subject available, but this effort satisfied me with a colorful account of this short yet decisive period. As a first book from this writer it is very good, and I give it 5 stars for such an entertaining first up achievement. I also recommend "The Battle: A Novel (Paperback)
~ Patrick Rambaud" One of my favorite Napoleonic books. The Battle: A Novel
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
