In the fight for South Africa, who will be the first to fall? The year is 1881, and General George Pomeroy-Colley, commander of the British forces in Natal, is planning to halt a rebellion. He's convinced the Transvaal Boers—mere farmers—can pose no serious threat, but before he can advance into unknown terrain, he needs reliable information. He calls on former army captain Simon Fonthill. A veteran of the Zulu and Sekukuni campaigns, Fonthill knows the Boers should not be underestimated. After narrowly surviving a scouting mission into hostile territory, Fonthill and his servant, "352" Jenkins, are given an urgent diplomatic assignment where further danger awaits them. But the greatest test is yet to come. As the Queen's men and the sharp-shooting Boers converge on Majuba Hill, Fonthill and Jenkins are the first into the fray. If they are to break the enemy, Colley's men must hold the summit at all costs….
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'Take Sharpe and put him nearly a hundred years in the future and in the Boer War and you get the flavour of this book... Well worth a read from any fan of adventure series such as Cromwell's favourite creation or Hornblower' -- Coventry Evening Telegraph 20070120 'A page-turner' -- Newbury Weekly News 20070125 'A ripping yarn. Standing alongside Wilbur Smith and Bernard Cornwell, Wilcox writes with an intimate knowledge of the African continent, an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Victorian era when the British Empire was at its peak, and all the dash of a great adventurer' -- Nottingham Evening Post 20070106 'Another full-blooded Boy's Own adventure... an enjoyable romp' -- Huddersfield Daily Examiner 20070105 'Classic wartime adventure in the tradition of Bernard Cornwell, CS Forester and Allan Mallinson' -- Bolton Evening News 20070106
About the Author
John Wilcox was a journalist for many years before travelling all round the world while working in industry. He is now a full-time writer.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I cudda been a contender,
By
This review is from: Last Stand at Majuba Hill (Simon Fonthill Series) (Hardcover)
This book had some good characters except for the wild west character, whom I found to be a little far fetched. The Hero was far too soft and kind to his enemies to have been a captain in Her Majesties forces and his batman partner a little confused about directions to be a scout. The historical battle settings and descriptions were very good.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Ending, Slow Beginnning,
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This review is from: The Last Stand at Majuba Hill (Simon Fonthill Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
I found the central character to be a bit undeveloped and of minimal interest at the start. The major secondary character, 352 Jenkins, works well and in many cases is much more interested than Fonthill. I found all the secondary and minor characters well drawn and engaging, which helped Fonthill's characterization. The technique here seems to be a gradual, incremental revelation of Fonthill, which, to a degree works nicely. The historic events and places were of interest and well used, and at the end of the novel, the reaction of Fonthill to the battles made him much more interesting and complex, which then made some of his actions throughout the book more interesting. The problem here is one of structure, i.e., Fonthill needs to be complex at the beginning, so that the events he experiences color the entire book.
4.0 out of 5 stars
NEVER Underestimate Your Enemy,
By Mouthpiece "ilike2fish" (upstate NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Stand at Majuba Hill (Simon Fonthill Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
Another excellent read in the Simon Fonthill and 352 Jenkins series although not as good as Guns at El Khabir. There is adventure for sure and instead of Ahmed they have a Texan who rode with Custer as their sidekick. Jenkins is hardly used like in Guns and Simon doesn't get much development either. The interesting part is that General Colley and his staff just won't accept the fact that these untrained Boer farmers can pick off a redcoat from 600 yards away, hitting him in the head, with a Wesley Richards cap and ball rifle, and do it consistently. Looking at it as objectively as possible Majuba Hill was really just a skirmish but showed a lot of flaws in British tactics and training that the Brits would relearn all over again in the 2nd Boer War and again in World War One. The British had an extremely advantageous piece of ground on the summit of Majuba Hill but refused to dig in, never thinking that the Christian Boers would attack them on a sabbath day. Boy were they wrong and Colley pays with his life. Simon ends up in two duels for even more excitement with an arms rep from Krupp. Anna is only a footnote in this book, married to the hated Covington.
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