The Outpost [Hardcover]

Gerald Hammond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

The illegitimate child of a regimental sergeant major and a NAAFI manageress, Hallelujah Brown named after her Jamaican grandmother grows up with the army, and so develops an intimate understanding of its ways, as well as a very thick skin. Meanwhile, a crisis threatens a small British military post in the tiny African state of Maveria. When Hallelujah, now with Intelligence, is despatched to evaluate the ageing commanding officer's declining mental powers, events overtake the army's plans, and she is forced to relieve him of his command and lead the defence of the post against the Liboonese army. Faced not just with superior numbers, but also with the hurdles the army presents to a mixed-race female, can Hallelujah possibly win through?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Hammond's latest is a delightful tongue-in-cheek story that pokes fun at everyone from petty government bureaucrats to the British prime minister. The plot is wildly implausible, but the book is such good fun it doesn't matter. Hallelujah Brown is the daughter of an army officer, so what could be more natural for her than an army career? The fact that Hal is black makes her a perfect recruitment target for the mostly white British army. Although initially against the idea, she succumbs and is sent to Sandhurst, the military training school, where she excels in everything and is soon given her regimental stripes. Her fluency in Swahili and Arabic lands her an assignment in Maveria, where war with the neighboring Liboonese has broken out. Soon after Hal arrives, the mentally unstable brigadier, her superior officer, is captured by the Liboonese, and she finds herself, as the most senior officer on-site, developing war strategies, planning battles, and even gaining a reputation among the enemy as the "Devil Woman with Feet of Fire." Funny, charming, and liberally spiced with irony. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

John Skelton was an ordained priest and rector. He was poet laureate at the University of Oxford and Cambridge University, a court poet for King Henry VII, and a tutor to King Henry VIII. Gerald Hammond is a professor of English at the University of Manchester. He is the author of Fleeting Things and The Making of the English Bible, and the editor of Selected Poems: Richard Lovelace.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers; 1st World Ed edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727861212
• ISBN-13: 978-0727861214
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,991,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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