It was okay but no Sharpe - Rated 
Maybe it is because it is a first in a series and is finding its feet but this book did not grip me n a way that Sharpe does. I found the main character to be very unlikable and Alice to be downriht irritating. Jenkins was good but he was still a bit of the cardboard cut out variety. Also were was the truly nasty antagonist? Covington would have made an excellent constant shadow to Fonthill but he was nothing more than a blustery Lt-Colonel who was a good soldier at heart. The battle scenes seemed rushed and over before they even started.
Given that I did like the book because the hero wasn't always heroic, a bit more human than Sharoe can be and the history was interesting, the Anglo-Zulu war is something new to me but the book got me interested in it. I will read the second one on the hope that the series will improve in time.
Great read !! - Rated 
I found this book by accident when browsing through Amazon and what a great find. This is the start of a new adventure hero in the veign of Sharpe and Hornblower. I think it is a shame when you have to compare one book with another authors (Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow to name but a few), but in a packed market of Historical fiction comparisons are going to be made. This book stand on its own with its tale of the Battle of Rorke's Drift during the Zulu wars of 1879. Far more insight than the film Zulu which was a classic.
Well researched, well told with characters that will continue in the forthcoming adventures. I am sure as the books unfold the writers style will improve and the main players will slowly flesh out. Like Sharpe and Harper, Simon Fonthill and his trusty man servant Jenkins will go from strength to strength.
As with any 1st book in what is going to become a series there will be teething troubles but I found this to be a crisp refreshing tale of good old stiff upper lip and daring do.
I have ordered the next to books in this series and am looking forward to them. Ten out of Ten !!!!
Not too bad - Rated
I always feel obliged to write something on the reviews section after reading a book that I have bought, mainly due to the reccomendations of others on this site. Well, this book is worth a look, not in any way a great piece of literature, but worth reading. You can tell this is a new ish author, as the style clearly needs some working on to get it slicker, but that said, the story is pretty good, and the charracters have lots of room for development. As the other reviews state, this is similar to the Fancy Jack novels, but not quite as many interesting charracters. I am currently reading the next installment, the road to kandahar...
Good First Novel in the 'Sharpe/Hornblower' Tradition - Rated 
John Wilcox has produced an extremely readable, entertaining tale of action and adventure set during the lead-up to the Zulu Wars. However, the (eventual) hero of the piece, Lt. Simon Fonthill, has neither the dash nor the dangerous edge of a Bernard Cornwell 'Sharpe', nor does he possess the depth of characterisation of a 'Hornblower'. In fact, some of the supporting characters - particularly Jenkins 352 and Alice, are far more colourful and convincing. On a further positive note, key female characters are depicted as refreshingly liberated and strong. Mr Wilcox has certainly not resorted to period Victorian stereotypes of swooning and essentially weak and weeping maidens.
To summarise, despite Fonthill's slightly understated characterisation, the book remains a very well researched,well-written and entertaining read. I look forward to the sequel, 'The Road to Kandahar', in which I hope to find Fonthill's character fleshed out into a more convincing, red-blooded persona more appropriate to his role in what essentially is a theatre of swashbuckling tales of 'derring-do'.
I rewrite this review in retrospective... better five! - Rated
When I first reviewed this item I rated it 4 stars.
Now, with 4 books in the market and another one promised for next year I think my first impression was wrong.
I thought the character wasn't acting as an officer (Sandhurst, family tradition, you name it is all in his background!) but THAT probably was the subterfuge of the author to justify his presence at BOTH ISANDLHWANA and RORKE'S DRIFT (WITHOUT LEAVING FOOTPRINTS IN HISTORY), so his acts are a bit strange and out of "sense" until you realize (I am slow at times you see....) that the REAL protagonist of the story is Mid-Late British Colonial Empire Army and it's battles...
Once you have digested that, the titles, the plots, subplots, characters (specially THE REAL ONE'S, etc...) come into focus brilliantly. Also once the author has understood that the public (me included) who buys this historical fiction NEED some romance here and there... the series get better.
No one had touched this period seriously (for laughs you have the FLASHMAN novels) before (excepting P.C.Wren and MASON... and they aren't quite in fashion with the crowd nowadays...) as thoroughly and with such a well documented background.
So all in all, better if you start at the beginning with this book... FONTHILL and 352 are here to stay!
ADB
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