Customer Reviews

Honorable Company: A Novel of India Before the Raj

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Until discovering Patrick O'Brian, my interest in military historicals was nil. O'Brian's approach - Jane Austen for men - kindled such enjoyment that I've been on the lookout for like-minded writers ever since. Now Allan Mallinson is no Patrick O'Brian. He's not as subtle or graceful a writer, his humor is less wry, his characters less nuanced.

But young cavalry officer Mathew Hervey is a hero to root for; principled, dashing and amazingly resourceful. The military details feel authentic and the Indian setting of Hervey's second adventure steams with heat and intrigue.

Promoted to captain after the Battle of Waterloo ("A Close Run Thing") and named the Duke of Wellington's new aide-de-camp, Hervey is abruptly dispatched to India, a shining opportunity, save for two problems. The first is the ungraceful postponement of his wedding to his childhood sweetheart, Henrietta. The second is the clandestine, rather unsavory quality of his mission.

Subterfuge is foreign to the forthright soldier and the substance of his mission - squaring the Duke's political aspirations by disposing of some questionable Indian estates in the small independent (fictional) state of Chintal - makes him uncomfortable. Still, an order is an order and not to be questioned.

In addition, Hervey's cover is thin and he tends to babble a little when he informs people he is in India researching the use of the lance as a weapon of war. Did he but know it, Hervey is soon over his head among the machinations of the British East India Company and the maneuvering of Indian princes. Actually, considering the opportunities for blunders and treachery Hervey creates by his innocence and staunch British principles, Mallinson is rather easy on him. His curiosity, affability and lack of pretensions win him sympathetic friends and his bravery and ingenuity wins their respect.

Mallinson is at his best describing Hervey in action: chasing down a huge boar from a good horse, fighting bandits and mutineers, turning battles against stupendous odds. Having won the goodwill of the rajah of Chintal by saving his elephant from quicksand, Hervey is invited to Court - the very place he needs to be to expunge all records of the Duke's estates.

The rajah, besieged by bandits, treasonous subordinates, the British East India Company and the encroachments of the Muslim nizam of a neighboring state, appeals to Hervey for help. Befriending the rajah makes his treacherous mission all the more difficult. Then there's the rajah's beautiful, mistrustful, and powerful daughter. And the veiled plans of ambitious Europeans, as sneaky as the country's multitude of snakes.

Much of the political history and tangle is delivered through conversations - old hands expressing opinions or setting young Hervey straight. Readers whose knowledge of the period is sketchy will finish the book with their ignorance pretty much intact. But Mallinson's portrayal of the time - the vastness and variety of the country, the opulence of the rajah's court, the people and their passions, the elephants, snakes, horses, mud huts and palaces - is intensely visual. The country comes alive.

Hervey's good nature and humor balance his earnestness and ambition. He does his best thinking on the back of a horse and we meet some excellent horses along the way. The narrative is well-paced; suspenseful but also leisurely, involving the reader in the atmosphere of India - its religious mysticism and extremes of poverty and plenty - while cranking up the growing tensions to a pitch of war on several fronts. If Hervey's British ingenuity sometimes strains credulity, it also makes for greater excitement and dash. A thoroughly enjoyable yarn, from first page to last.

It is a shame that another Amazon reviewer gave up on this book after one chapter. Honorable Company is a book which rewards patience and peserverence. Certainly, Allan Mallinson does not display the amazing confidence and audacity of George Macdonald Fraser - but it would be unreasonable to expect most authors to be that proficient after their second novel. The pace of the book is also more reflective and philosophical than many equivalent series - particularly Flashman or Sharpe. However, when the action hots up, Mallinson displays considerable verve and narrative achievement.

Mr Wylie of California finds the characterisation and dialogue in the book substandard. I cannot reasonably judge his soi-disant expertise in this area. I can only say that as a former student of military history at undergraduate level, and as an Englishman with some knowledge of my country's social history, and, finally, as a man fortunate enough to have friends serving in the armed forces, I believe Allan Mallinson has not only a keen ear for dialogue, but also a deft, sympathetic approach to portraying historical characters.

Mr Wylie says that this book may motivate him to write his own stories. I for one cannot wait to review his efforts.

I found this book a bit less interesting than the first in the series. Perhaps the pace was a lot slower. Hervey is now off to India where he finds much adventure, an a lot of Byzantine politics. The political world of India in the early 19th century is well portrayed. One can see where the Empire played such a vital role in protecting the country from brigends. The story developes slowly in this volume, as Malinson writes more in the style of Patrick O'Brien. Here we get lots of tips on how to maintain cavalry horses and the like. Perhaps a bit tedious at times, but character building nonetheless.

The action is smaller scaled here, no more big slug-fests like Waterloo. In India Hervey finds the seductiveness of the landscape intoxicating at times. He learns to think on his feet and becomes adept at masterering the "petit guerre" of warfare in the East. This series shows promise, even if Hervey is no Sharpe, and Malinson no Cornwell.

Mallinson's writing has improved since his first novel, A Close Run Thing. Honorable Company is written much more smoothly and with better descriptive detail. It continues the story of Hervey, now post-Waterloo, who is sent to India to complete certain rather sensitive tasks for the Duke of Wellington.

I found the setting here well described and rich, though I cannot speak to its accuracy. The fly in the ghee is the plot. Essentially, it's a series of spikes. Everything's going along well, and then some random event -- a French prisoners' revolt, a fire onboard a ship -- calls on Hervey to behave heroically. Even the later events, which are better tied in with an overall plot arc, have this "problem suddenly arises; Hervey solves problem; problem goes away" quality. There is the promise of subtlety and undercover activities here, but Mallison doesn't really exploit it.

Overall, characters are well done, with Locke being appealing and Johnson continuing to be vividly drawn. Hervey's sudden loyalty to the Chintal rajah doesn't seem sufficently supported in characterization or plot, and it's annoying that he succeeds in every single thing he does; perhaps in the third volume he'll face more meaningful challenges.

Another good book in this series by Mallinson. This one takes place in India. These books should be read in order. They are great when read chronologically.

I don't understand some of the poor ratings. This is an entertaining piece of historical military fiction, with good characterization and lots of interesting detail. It is clearly going to be continued; so much for the concern about leaving the fiancee on the dock.

I was impressed with the Mallinson's bibliography , it provides excellent material for exploration. There is one major gaffe, the Indian Mutiny did not start in 1856, but in the following year 1857, at Meerut on a Sunday, May 10th.

My other problem with this book was that the hero was always triumphant with whatever he undertook, which was not very realistic for India, and what happened to his poor fiancee? Is she still on the pier in France?

I finished this book but it was a trial. Mallinson is no O'Brian, that's for sure. Rather improbable plot with very little action that engage the characters.

I gave up after the first chapter. There is no meaningful recap as to what has happened to the hero so far. It reminded me of those dreary pseudo-English epics Hollywood churned out in the 1930s, with caricatures of English officers. Despite my interest in the history of the British in India, especially the Mutiny era, I felt I would have no interest in what happened to the hero's horse, let alone the hero and his poorly-drawn lady love. Even the Duke of Wellington is a cardboard cutout. The dialogue is dreadful. This author seems to be some formulaic imitator of some contemporary English naval-ficton author, and I don't mean Hornblower's creator. This may motivate me to write my own stories.

Give me George MacDonald Fraser any day, with loads of research and lots of real dialogue.

Why did I waste the money buying this in hardback?