Honour Be Damned (Markham of the Marines) [Paperback]

Tom Connery (Author)

Book Description

Series: Markham of the Marines | Publication Date: December 2, 2003

Lieutenant George Markham and his Marines must escort a group of French Royalists behind enemy lines on a secret quest. But Markham's mission is put in jeopardy with the unexpected arrival of a figure from his past...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though it begins promisingly with the successful siege of Corsica's last French-held fort, this final installment in the colorful Markham of the Marines trilogy, set against the backdrop of Revolutionary France, comes up short. Outspoken Lieutenant George Markham is still battling anti-Irish, anti-Catholic prejudice: "the look... he'd seen so often in his youth... the look that said Culchies walk and gentlemen ride; that God was a Protestant and don't you forget it, you papist bog-trotter." But more troubling to the officer as he takes naval action against France's ships and leads a small, very motley band behind French lines on the Riviera are the various hidden agendas and betrayals of those around him. What is Monsignor Aramon's reason for a raid on a small church ("the treasure of the papal state at Avignon")? And what is that priest's relationship to beautiful Ghislaine Moulins, "to whom he stood as 'guardian?' " For that matter, what is Ghislaine's connection to Royalist artillery captain Comte de Puy? Also in question are the motives of the Hon. George Germain, young captain of Markham's ship, the H.M.S. Syilphide. Then there is, once again, arch-villain Citizen Commissioner Fouquert ("scum, typical of the type thrown up by the turmoil of the Revolution"), desperate to escape the Terror as it starts eating its own. The penultimate betrayal is that of Germain, who unfairly denounces Markham to the Admiralty, leaving him where he began, seriously out of favor. Most readers of this generally satisfying trilogy will probably feel the ultimate betrayal: that Markham, after all his adventures, winds up facing a dismal fate. One can only wonder what prompted such a post-modern conclusion to an otherwise resolutely historical series. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Tom Connery is the author of the Markham of the Marines novels, and as David Donachie he writes the Harry Ludlow novels, published in England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (December 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425191958
• ISBN-13: 978-0425191958
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A fanciful tale, March 16, 2001

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Honour Be Damned: A Markham of the Marines Novel (Hardcover)

The author was obviously influenced by earlier authors. The story has similarities to the Sharpe series and traces of Alan Lewrie. It would appear that his main research was reading novels. It is doubtful that the Royal Navy would have been overly concerned about a past court martial acquital (Peter Heywood, a midshipman from the H.M.S. Bounty, was convicted of mutiny, sentenced to hang, pardoned, and later became a rear admiral). The Navy tolerated and even admired many rogues as long as they were successful (Admiral Lord Nelson had mistresses including the wife of Lord Hamilton).

While action in the book is interesting - the siege at Calvi, action against a French privateer, and a mission behind French lines - the details leave much to be desired. The Epilogue goes off the track. We are led to believe that, in a month's time, a wounded officer left behind French lines has already been transported across France, exchanged in a cartel at Calais, and word has magically reached the admiral in command at Corsica (this in 1794, when a healthy person traveling by express coach might have needed a week just to get across England). We are further led to believe that Admiral Hotham, in less than a month, has already engaged the French fleet several times. The author should do a little better research, both on timelines and technical details, and perhaps limit the side excursions in his stories.

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising series, August 18, 2006

By 

Jake (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honour Be Damned (Markham of the Marines) (Paperback)

I read this, the third book in the Markham of the Marines series out of order. I probably wouldn't have purchased it if I had seen it on my own. The title is silly and the alliterative subtitle is worse, but my spouse found it in the bargain bin, and when I read the synopsis on the back of the book and the first few pages I was intrigued. I'm a fan of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series, and this book obviously took that series as a model, but that is not a criticism. Connery does a fine job following that template. The era, Napoleanic, is the same. As in the Sharpe novels, the characters, both major and minor, are fairly well drawn: the villains are sufficiently unlikeable, the hero and his men are generally strong and resolute, and they are given a task that is frought with the challenges that will test the men's mettle. On the other hand, Markham is not merely a clone of Richard Sharpe; he is more thoughtful than Sharpe is. Sharpe is more clearly a man of action; he makes his decisions quickly, but Markham frets over the many possiblities. I will probably read at least one of the other books in the series. I would say that I would read both, but that depends on whether or not Connery was able to avoid the major flaw in this work, that is, a particularly preposterous and unsatisfying ending. The ending relies so heavily on coincidence that it almost seems as if Connery didn't know how to bring things to a close.
Finally, a matter of criticism that was outside of the author's control. I read the paperback version of this book, and it was full of typos, the kind that would not have been caught by a spellcheck program. My suggestion to the publisher is that they actually hire some copy editors, so this sort of annoying problem won't continue.