©2006 Preston Speed Publications, 285 pages in hardback.

Times prior to civil wars can be very uncivil. The author points out that events prior to the English Civil War, which began in 1642, were marked by unreasonable demands on the opposing side by both Parliament and Royalty. These demands widened the chasm rather than built bridges.

The author unfolds the War’s development through the involvement of two teenagers. They remain friends although they are on opposite sides of the conflict. Harry Furness ardently supports the King. Herbert Rippinghall’s family backs the Puritans. Readers follow the battles in the political and military spheres through the adventures of Harry. Harry evidences quick thinking under adverse circumstances. His ingenuity in engineering his successful escape from a London prison catches the attention of King Charles I. The beleaguered King sends him on a dangerous mission into the heart of London, a Puritan stronghold. The teenager falls into the jaws of disaster from which he extracts himself through his quick thinking and strong wits.

His proven diligence in the midst of danger results in a battlefield command. Subsequent assignments take him into Scotland. In these lands, he is surrounded by a different culture than that of Oxford and England. However, man’s depravity remains the same. Thus intrigue, duplicity, a desire for personal gain, and revenge remain a routine part of life.

Although Royalist forces continue to be defeated, Harry remains faithful to a cause he believes is right for England and its citizens. Even after the King’s execution in 1649, Harry fights on with others who are struggling against Cromwell’s rule. Harry’s zeal takes him to Ireland where he and others are captured after Cromwell’s bloody siege at Drogheda. The great danger in adverse circumstances that Harry has faced to this point is a prelude to the danger and destitution that he now faces in a land far from England’s shores. I will let the reader discover the veteran soldier’s hopeless circumstances and whether or not he ever sees England’s shores again.

As in other volumes of Henty’s historical fiction, readers will meet leading characters of this era including King Charles I, his nephew Prince Rupert and the famous Oliver Cromwell.

Henty provides an accurate account of battlefield exploits. I believe his stated aim to present events from both sides of the conflict falls short in his portrait of the Puritans. Although he includes a favorable Puritan in his account, overall Puritans are described unfavorably. Herein, they have no compassion, are dour, legalistic and ill-equipped to rule. Although the Puritans, no doubt, erred at times in their decisions, many historical accounts including their own writings present them in a far different and I believe much more accurate light.

Even at this point, Henty is educational. Part of learning involves not always taking an author’s word at its face value. Other writers and even original sources are to be checked in one’s continued quest for accurate, apt descriptions.

Readers of all ages will not be disappointed with the page-turning action Henty brings into this work. As readers get caught up in this adventure, they are exposed to the events of a unique era of English history that had great ramifications for civil government within and outside of England.

 Review ©2007 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia