Customer Reviews

The Lion Of The North

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Another Henty story! The young hero, along with many other Scots, joins the 3o years war for want of something better to do. During the battles against the imperialists he works on being cool, calm, and collected according to his countryman's advice. Soon he gains the favor of the Danish king (rather improbably) and later, while recovering from a bout of fever saves a besieged castle + fooling the imperialists into thinking he and his followers are the whole Hepburn brigade! Tons of adventures (some gruesome), and in between some historical explanations - have a map ready!
Note: the trust which the imperialist leader and the Scandinavian king have in the hero is improbable, but they do offer a good look at the top leaders of the war.
Another note: I don't think anyone under 10 should read it - sometimes it was hard for me to read. G. A. Henty does not make war out to be glorious or wonderful. He places the remarkable adventures in harsh historical contexts. Many died in the 30 years war, not all of them soldiers, and many die in the story.

The English author, G A Henty, wrote over one hundred historical novels. In my opinion, this is one of his best stories. It's a story about a Scottish lad, Malcolm, who joins the Scottish Brigade in the army of the King of Sweden, "The Lion of the North". He has many adventures in Germany during the Thirty Years War.
The book is a great read. Although the cover is rather plain, the story inside is first class. I highly recommend it.

Fast delivery - thank you! However, the binding of the book was very poor and split almost immediately upon opening - though not the fault of the seller.