The Guns of El Kebir (Autographed) (Simon Fonthill Series) [Hardcover]

John Wilcox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2007 | Series: Simon Fonthill Series

News of Ahmed Arabi's uprising against the Anglo-French in Egypt has caused great alarm in London. The French opt not to fight and retire from the country, but the British land a force led by Sir Garnet Wolseley. Simon Fonthill, one-time subaltern and ex-Captain in the North West Frontier’s Royal Corps of Guides, and 352 Jenkins, his ex-batman and servant, are pulled from retirement and ordered to venture into the desert ahead of Wolseley's hastily assembled army. While observing the movements and location of the Egyptian force, Simon quickly realizes that bloodshed is ahead at Tel-el-Kebir.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Wilcox is a former international journalist and the author of the Simon Fonthill series.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 341 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing; Signed edition (December 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075534541X
• ISBN-13: 978-0755345410
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,119,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Hit for Wilcox, April 2, 2008

By 

Robert Abidor "Arizona Bob" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guns of El Kebir (Simon Fonthill Series) (Hardcover)

There is nothing more satisfying than an adventure series that keeps delivering winners. Knowing that you can purchase a book and be entertained year after year makes reading a joy.

Wilcox delivers again with The Guns of El Kabir. In his fifth annual installment of the /simon Fonthill series, Wilcox has Simon and 352in Egypt fighting a war not dissimilar than the current war in Iraq. All of the usual cast of characters. Particularly warming is the growing relationship between Fonthill and 352. While they bear a striking resemblance to Sharpe and Harper, the main characters continue to work.

Sure the book is formulaic: incompetent British officers, dastardly Arabs, a hero who can get out of the worst messes with seeming ease. Yet, in the hands of a master, it works. I would at some point appreciate an index of the various wounds Fonthill has suffered. His body must look like a pin-cushion!

So, get your annual fix, buy The Guns of El Kabir and prepare to be entertained!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guns of El Kebir, May 14, 2008

By 

Frank C. Okusako "v.g.golfer" (Davis, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Guns of El Kebir (Simon Fonthill Series) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed the book enough that I wish it had been longer. There are enough pages, but they seem to go fast. John Wilcox is not Bernard Cornwell, Zane Grey, or my latest idol, Sam Barone, but he writes a nice story. Most of his main characters are very likable, and the reader can cheer when the villains get their just desserts. The female lead is somewhat exasperating. Sometimes she is portrayed sympathetically, and at other times she is vain and self centered. If you've read Patrick O'Brian's Captain Aubrey series, there's a woman named Diana that reminds me of Alice in the Simon Fonthill series. I think everyone was glad when she finally drowned, and unless Alice's character improves by learning from the mistakes she's made in her life, I think I shall be glad if she falls by the wayside. I also have an issue in the series with false cowboys, rigged duels, and commanders dumber than dirt. But for the time being I intend to buy the series although I have reservations about it. Why, because the series is just good enough, I like the time period, and I just can't help feeling that the one book I don't buy will be the one where the author finally puts together a masterpiece.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventurous Swashbuckler, November 29, 2009

By 

Darden W. Vaughan (Tidewater, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Guns of El Kebir (Simon Fonthill Series) (Paperback)

This book is another fabulous episode in the adventures of Simon Fonthill. These books are just the right mix of history and adventure. Though the author takes a few liberties with historical facts, it's all in the spirit of high adventure and good old swashbuckling fun as Simon and his man Friday, 352, traipse through one brush with death after another. Great reading.