This review of my historical novel The Settler was posted on Amazon.co.uk on July 24, 2012:
"The Settler is an excellent novel, a story of love and conflict on several
levels set against the backdrop of the early pioneers in Southern Africa, and
the political and military history of those times.
The period between 1890
and 1902 was a time of upheaval and war between the native African tribes, the
Boers and the British and many of the main historical events are captured. The
fictional characters are skillfully woven into the fabric of the time as they
find themselves involved in these events and meet up with some of the leading
contemporary figures including Rhodes, Smuts, Botha, Kitchener, Lloyd George and
even a cameo of the young Winston Churchill.
The story is told from the
viewpoint of the British settlers and the Boers both of which groups are well
portrayed and the author clearly has a good grasp of their history and lives. To
some extent this is at the expense of the Native Africans who remain somewhat
shadowy figures either as marauding hordes or as servants or workers who play no
real part in the development of the story.
The conflict of war is obvious,
but Martin, our hero, deals with many personal conflicts including a long
running battle with his enforced fellow traveller the rather dilettante
American, Perry, whose motivation for being there could not be more different
from that of the determined and serious Martin. Their rivalry runs throughout
the story and involves their desire for the same woman, and their ideas on
whether to drive forward or stay in the comfort of the relatively peaceful major
cities. They even contrive to end up on opposing sides when war inevitably
breaks out. Martin also finds himself heavily conflicted in his own love life.
He finds it quite easy to fall in love, but his difficulty in expressing his
feelings together with a strong sense of duty and guilt leaves the women in his
life both confused and disappointed. His indecisiveness in love contrasts
strongly with his approach to everything else.
This story is too good to
spoil by revealing any more of the plot but suffice it to say that there is
action and character development aplenty. There is a fast moving and very
readable style which coupled with vivid descriptions of the time by an author
who has a good understanding of the period, a genuine feeling for the country
and who has done his research lifts this novel above the ordinary.
It means
that from a relatively slow start in Oxfordshire, the plot builds pace and
excitement until the reader just feels compelled to keep going to the end. I can
recommend this book very strongly and hope that another one will soon be
forthcoming."
