Customer Reviews

The Nizam's Daughters

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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This second book in the series does a good job of continuing the story of Matthew Hervey and his career as an English cavalry officer. This book was also published under the title of Honorable Company: A Novel of India before the Raj.

I am writing this review so that others don't make the mistake of purchasing both books. They are identical.

When last encountered, Matthew Hervey had just survived the Battle of Waterloo with distinction. He had come to the notice of Wellington and, as a reward for his services, had been appointed to Wellington's staff. Now the was is over and he is in France, expecting marriage and service with the duke. Instead, he gets sent to India on a secret mission on behalf of the Duke.

It is a mission of political intrigue for which he has not training. Worse, he is not even given all of the information that he needs; that information will be provided by a local contact. Wellington believes that the support of Hyderabad will be essential for British interests in India and Hervey is sent to maintain those relations. Instead, he finds himself in the service of a rival potentate. This is most difficult for a fundamentally honest type like him.

The "daughters" of the title do not refer to people. Instead they refer to the Nizam of Hyderabad's huge artillery pieces, the source of much of his power. These are troublesome young ladies especially when allied with the flesh and blood sons of the Nizam.

Hervey is just barely a captain. He finds himself taking on the job of a general in a foreign land. By honor, he must protect the Rajah of Chintal. By orders, he must further the interests of Hyderabad. By inclination, he would rather be back with his regiment in Europe.

It is a light and enjoyable read.

It's a big gamble for an author to end his first book about a Cavalry regiment with the Battle of Waterloo: where can we go from here? Well, since our hero is British, the answer is India, obviously. Hervey is sent to India - and thereby unable to marry his fiance as planned - to undertake a special mission for the Duke of Wellington.

Of course, things don't go to plan: Hervey ends up mixed in local politics and incipient warfare between the princely states. There is a beautiful Rajah's daughter who is causing Hervey no little consternation; nearly as much as "the Nizam's daughters" - a number of long cannon, the best artillery in India.

We get a good look at regency India here, with a number of characters providing surprises of one sort or another. Hervey is still very proper: he is definitely a man you would trust with your wife or sister (like Hornblower, and unlike Jack Aubrey, or especially James Bond!). This does not make him less interesting though, and certainly not boring. He is also not free of pride - when appointed to command the Rajah's armies, he demurs on pragmatic grounds, rather than doubting his abilities to do so (a point then deftly made by the Rajah).

The story is probably a little bit better than the telling, but its more than enough to hold your interest, and keep you reading the series.

This was published under two names. I enjoyed this as much as his other books in this series. Exciting read.

Don't be fooled by the title. There are no pretty daughters in this book about the British in India. This is a good adventure story, well-written and fast moving.

This is not just a swashbuckling yarn. Several reviewers have compared books from this series to Cornwell's Sharpe books (which draw on a similar time period) but Matthew Hervey is a far more complex character than Sharpe and I think that the comparison with the Aubrey/Maturin books is more appropriate.

A story of a young and rather introspective man sent far out of his depth with inadequate information and little support into a most exotic setting and yet winning through by an intriguing combination of ability, integrity and humanity. The scenes are beautifully drawn and the plot is complex. Read it when you have time to sit back and enjoy!