Customer Reviews

The Gauntlet

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The Gauntlet was first published in 1951. A modern British boy discovers a relic with special powers, and quickly finds himself in the 14th century. Welch reveals medieval life through Peter's adventures in castle, village, tournament, and battle. The author taught history, and it shows. Specific period details abound, from eating habits at feasts to training a hawk to hunt.

Welch is a terrific storyteller. He drops Peter six hundred years into the past, and brings the reader too. Vivid imagery transports us; we see, hear, smell, and taste the Middle Ages.

The Gauntlet is a fine tale and learning experience to share aloud. Sadly, it is the only Ronald Welch title now available (via amazon.co.uk). He wrote more than a dozen historical novels for children - most have a military theme, all are out of print.

1950 The Black Car Mystery
1951 The Clock Stood Still, The Gauntlet
1954 Knight Crusader -- Third Crusade 1189-1192
1955 Ferdinand Magellan -- Biography
1956 Captain of Dragoons
1957 The Long-bow
1958 Mohawk Valley -- American Settlement
1959 Captain of Foot -- Napoleonic Wars
1960 Escape from France
1961 For the King -- English Civil War
1963 Nicholas Carey -- Crimean War
1966 Bowman of Crecy -- Hundred Years War 1346
1967 The Hawk -- Late 16th century Elizabethan
1970 Sun of York -- War of the Roses
1971 The Galleon
1972 Tank Commander -- World War I
1974 Zulu Warrior -- 19th century colonial Africa
1976 Ensign Carey

PrestonSpeed Publications recently reprinted some of the juvenile historical novels of G.A. Henty. I hope a publisher soon does the same for Ronald Welch. These books deserve to be in print. Generations of children - and adults - are missing some of the best adventures written in the 20th century.

I read this book as a child in the 1960s. It was pivotal in awakening my interest in historical fiction. The mechanism - time travel - seemed so appropriate, as it enabled the reader to compare past and present without having to doubt either.

I reread the book again last year. I'm delighted to say that the sense of adventure is still just as real now as it was then. While it is an easy read, it opens a new dimension of possibilities to children (and to adults) seeking a good adventure story.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith