Customer Reviews

The King's Rifle: A Novel

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In The King's Rife by Biyi Bandele, we are taken into the maddening world of World War II African soldiers who fought for the British against the Japanese in Burma. These soldiers were part the Allied Special Forces, known as Chindits, named after the Burmese mythical winged lion. While this was a diverse group of soldiers, little is known about the African soldiers and their contributions to the war effort. The story also centers on the coming-of-age of Ali Banana.

Ali Banana, a thirteen year-old, who is indentured as apprentice to a cruel blacksmith, decides on a whim to follow his older friends as they march off to join the British to fight a war they know little about. Ali's superior know that he is underage, but they are not aware how young he really is and is soon shipped off to be trained in India in preparation of being dropped behind enemy lines in the Burma jungle. While Ali is a fictional character, the horrors of war we witness through his eyes are all based on factual events.

The author's background as a playwright is evident as the novel reads like a play with dialogue setting the scenes for us. The scenes were played out in my mind as if I were watching a play. One of the most effective uses of dialogue in the book is in ordinary conversations among the men as they wait for the nightly attacks from the Japanese. Through these conversations we learn of the differences among the West Africans that are part of the Chindits, in their religion and tribal differences. The author also addresses the issues of race and class that existed during the time period, but does it in an implicit manner.

But this is primarily a military story and the author has done his research on the techniques and cruelties from both the British and Japanese. I enjoyed reading about this lesser known piece of history but I believe having more historical background incorporated into the storyline would have enhanced the reading experience.

I recommend this book for fans of historical fiction and military history. Readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories will also be interested in the learning how Ali learns about the larger world and becomes a man.

Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub
April 21, 2009

Like most Americans, I know almost nothing about the Burmese theater in World War II. (However, many years ago I did read George McDonald Fraser's excellent memoir of it, Quartered Safe Out Here, so I suppose I do know more than most.) This slender book is set mostly in that theater and, inspired by the author's father's own service in Burma as part of the King's African Rifles, seeks to both remind the reader of its relevance and the role of the many West African troops (mostly Nigerian) who were sent there to fight on behalf of the Allied forces.

The result is a bit of an odd duck -- more a series of sketches than a fully realized narrative. The book is littered with nuggets of history, research, and championing that, while interesting don't feel quite like they belong. So, for example, we learn enough intriguing details about "Janan" (General) Wingate that one's interest is perhaps piqued enough to go seek out biographies such as Christopher Sykes's Orde Wingate and Trevor Royle's Orde Wingate: Irregular Soldier. Or we learn the technical aspects of jungle siegecraft or ambuscade. But at the heart of the book is 13-year-old soldier Farabiti "Ali Banana" whose adventures paint a sketch of the trials and tribulations faced by young soldiers like the author's father.

Through him, we follow the recruitment, training, and deployment of the West African Rifles to Burma as part of the "Chindit" forces sent to harass the Japanese rear lines. He and his fellows in D-Section represent a cross-section of Nigerians who encounter the numbing brutality of jungle warfare, endless siege, and sudden bursts of terror. Each character has their own tic or distinctive trait, but they're sketched too briefly to really register. Instead, we get scattered scenes which convey the broader feeling of confusion and comradeship the war induces. For example, the descriptions of the nightly Japanese attacks on the fortified base known as "White City" are highly effective and act as a small scale foreshadowing of Dien Bien Phu and Khe Sahn.

Ultimately, while the book is too impressionistic for my taste, it did whet my appetite to learn more about the Chindits in general, and the West African contribution in particular. One interesting aspect to the book is the language, which is peppered with phonetic Nigerian pidgin English, which, while sometimes hard to decipher, helps give the story some flavor.

The brief synopsis on the back cover of 'The King's Rifle' describes it as the 'first novel to depict the experiences of black African soldiers in the Second World War.' After reading this, the first thought I had was of the Humphrey Bogart vehicle 'Sahara', and the character of Sgt Maj. Tambul of the 4th Sudanese Battalion. Although Tambul's character was no doubt carefully crafted to create a positive impact, I still remember Rex Ingram's representation as dignified and somewhat exotic too - certainly favorable enough to take a chance on 'The King's Rifle'. Pulling the book from out of the dollar bargain bin didn't hurt either.

'The King's Rifle' follows a thirteen going-on-fourteen year old young Nigerian who enlists to fight the 'Janpani' in 'Kingi Joji's' war. Instead of North Africa, Farabiti Ali Banana and his fellow Nigerians are flown to Burma, where he becomes a member of the Chindits - small groups led by British officers designed to go behind the enemy's lines and harass the Japanese Imperial forces as much as possible. Despite this purpose, the Nigerians find themselves defending a stronghold in the jungle that comes under brutal attack nightly for weeks. Finally, as a member of a raid patrol that goes horribly wrong, Ali must find his way back to base without losing his mind to the terrors of war and the jungle both.

The author, Biyi Bandele, drew from his father's experiences when creating this tale, and together with the paucity of information available about this aspect of the war makes 'The King's Rifle' a worthwhile read - especially for those who are interested in every detail of WWII. Even for those who are only marginally interested, it is quick and clear, often humorous, and sometimes harrowing. However, Mr. Bandele's style, while consistent, reflects his reputation as a playwright, with the story advancing by dialog or with large chunks of information communicated to the reader in exposition. He also neglects to delineate most of the characters any further than with an explanation of how they came by their names, and the novel goes no further than the surface when recording the events of their time in Burma.

I don't regret the time I spent reading the book, but at the end I feel as though there could have been quite a bit more to the story. The times that Mr. Bandele delves into the history and interior lives of these characters were very well done, and the culture shock the insulated Africans experience as they are suddenly thrust out into the world was exceptional - there just could have been more of it. One element that does come through, subliminally loud and clear, is Mr. Bandele's pride in the legacy of his father and his father's fellow soldiers. Not that the story reads as hagiographic, but in his eagerness to present these events, the author may have purposely avoided getting at a deeper, more exacting representation of these soldiers in order to keep the focus primarily on the sacrifice of a group of men largely forgotten by history. I can't blame him for that, but I think it would be worth the author's time to revisit this period of history, as he is uniquely positioned to chronicle it.

'The King's Rifle' was previously published under the title of 'Burma Boy'. Three and a half stars, rounded up for the uncommon historical point of view.

Bandele's novel recounts the adventures of a WWII squad of African irregulars fighting against the Japanese in Burma. The writing is refreshingly straightforward, direct, and free of cliches that often mars this genre. In other words Bandele's touch is light. The heart of the story is the course of Ali Banana, a young Nigerian soldier, and his experiences with his squad of Chindits (guerilla forces), the jungle, and combat with the Japanese. Ali is a combination of a wide-eyed explorer and an everyman at the same time.

Bandele's story is particularly lacking in the cynicism usually found on every page of this sort of novel. Instead, the Banana's experience is portrayed as exotic,adventurous, as well as harrowing. And the story's conclusion suggests what price such life experience can extract -- facing mortal calamity repeatedly, there is always a breaking point.

This coming-of-age novel of a Nigerian soldier, humorously named Ali Banana, in the Burma campaign during World War II is simply marvelous ... enchanting ... charming ... and unforgettable. It's comic and tragic. The merry verve of Nigerian English infuses the dialogs. So does the banter of Hausas, Yorubas, Ibos, and Tivs thrown together in the same unit -- and the reactions of their sometimes perplexed British officers and NCOs.

As the Nigerians deploy into Burma, the lighthearted scenes turn horrific as they fight off Japanese suicide formations attempting to dislodge them from White City. And there are ... the leeches.

The gifted Nigerian playwright Biyi Bandele took the war stories he heard from his father and added what he learned from background research on the troops from Britain's African colonies fighting the Japanese in Burma, the 1944 campaign of the Chindits, and the legendary commander of the Chindits, Major General Orde Wingate.

"The King's Rifle" (the British edition was titled "Burma Boy") is fiction. Yet this lively novel commemorates the campaign and honors its ordinary soldiers as well as any history.

The personal account of the Burma campaign written by George MacDonald Frazier, "Quartered Safe Out Here," is one of the best memoirs written by a private soldier from any nation during the entire war -- take John Keegan's word for it. "The King's Rifle" well merits a place on the bookshelf next to it.

-30-

Biyi Bandele (1967-) is an award-winning playwright who was born in Nigeria and currently lives in London. He has also written four novels, including The King's Rifle, which was originally published as Burma Boy in 2007 in the UK.

The King's Rifle is a historical novel about black African soldiers who served in World War II in the Burma Campaign against the Japanese. The characters are based on actual participants in the war, based on Bandele's research and on the stories told by his father, who served in the Burma Campaign.

The main character is a 13 year old Nigerian boy, Ali Banana, who lies about his age and manages to get enlisted for battle with his older friends. He contracts chicken pox, and instead of going off with his friends, he is sent to fight with the Chindits, a legendary British Special Forces unit founded by General Charles Wingate, who makes a striking appearance early in the book. His unit, made up of Nigerians commanded by Sergeant Damisa, a father like figure to his young charges, is sent to Burma to fight alongside British Army and British Indian Army forces. The units meet at White City, a stronghold that the Japanese attempt to reacquire. The young men must grow up quickly, as their training has been meager and they don't receive much support or respect from their British and Indian colleagues. The fortress is relentlessly attacked by swarms of Japanese forces, and the Chindits are provided with very little outside support, which begins to take its toll on them.

This is an enjoyable story of an unfamiliar piece of military history, with engaging characters and rapid fire action.

After reading histories of the Pacific theater in World War 2, I was amazed by the commitment of men from the West African nations. Truly it is a topic that requires further exploration in both fiction and nonfiction. The King's Rifle personalized the experience of these proud recruits and does a great job uncovering their cultural and language differences even as they band together to fight the Japanese.

It is a short novella that leaves you wanting more. The boredom punctuated by short bursts of confusion and fear are well articulated and the characters are developed enough for the reader to fill in any blanks in their personalities. In short, it engages the reader in the process of the story which allowed me to finish it in a couple of hours.

The book has also caused me to find out more about Orde Wingate as he is displayed as the interesting chap that he was. Overall, the author's background as a playwright kept the pace of the book moving and the dialogue engrossing - the historic background was an incredibly interesting set for the novella to play out.