Product Description

The second in this epic quartet of novels focusing on two giants of European history, Wellington and Napoleon It's 1796 as THE GENERALS opens, and both Arthur Wellesly (later Wellington) and Napoleon Bonaparte are making their mark as men of military genius. Wellesley, as commander of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, is sent to India, where his skill and bravery make a remarkable impression on his superiors. Napoleon's role as commander of the Army of Italy leads to success in battle and rapid political progress. By 1804, Napoleon has established himself as Emperor, and has his sights set on conquering all of Europe. The time has come for Wellesly to stand against Napoleon in the confrontation that lies ahead.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119861 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 544 pages

Review
'Scarrow builds up a fascinating picture of a world at war and sets the stage for the looming confrontation between these two military giants -- an enthralling sequel' -- Good Reading, Australia 'One of the great duels in history, between two of its most fascinating characters. Simon Scarrow brings Wellington and Napoleon to life with a vengeance.' -- Paul Strathern, author of NAPOLEON IN EGYPT

Synopsis
The second in this epic quartet of novels focusing on two giants of European history, Wellington and Napoleon It's 1796 as THE GENERALS opens, and both Arthur Wellesly (later Wellington) and Napoleon Bonaparte are making their mark as men of military genius. Wellesley, as commander of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, is sent to India, where his skill and bravery make a remarkable impression on his superiors. Napoleon's role as commander of the Army of Italy leads to success in battle and rapid political progress. By 1804, Napoleon has established himself as Emperor, and has his sights set on conquering all of Europe. The time has come for Wellesly to stand against Napoleon in the confrontation that lies ahead.

About the Author
Simon Scarrow is the very well-established author of the Roman adventure novels in the Eagle series. He lives outside Norwich with his family.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant
Simon Scarrow really has done a top notch job of bringing two massive, and very different, historical figures to life. I love the way we watch Napoleon and Wellesly learn how to run and organise a campaign of war.

So good is this series that I wonder if it has had an effect on the much loved Eagle series, at the moment the Generals series is by far the more enjoyable of the two, I certainly look forward to the next installment.

Love this Book
I had read all of Scarrow's other books about Cato and Marco and found them a great read, but i just wondered if this series would live up to those books. It SO does- this series is just as gripping and exciting as Scarrow's earlier books and i would strongly recomend it to anyone who enjoyed his earlier books. When's the next one out????

Does "top-level" historical fiction really work?
Bernard Cornwell generously said of Scarrow that "I really don't need this kind of competition", (although I am not sure, even though this is quoted on the back of the paperback, that he said it of this series). The fact is, however, that this is a very different kind of novel to those about Sharpe, Starbuck or Thomas of Horton, or indeed of Jack Aubrey, Horatio Hornblower , Matthew Hervey or of the many other heroes of historical fiction that are truly fictional. Does historical fiction based on the leading protagonists, especially where they are historically well chronicled, really work?

I have to admit that I struggle to remember reading a historical novel based so centred on real and well known historical characters. Claudius and Belisarius by Robert Graves, Alexander the Great by Steven Pressfield, but it is fair to say that very much less of the context and detail of those protagonists' lives were available to their authors. Wellington and Bonaparte have been documented and analysed to a very high degree. Nevertheless, Scarrow's "The Generals" shows that it can be done. His book suffers from the added difficulty that until they meet at Waterloo in June 1815, there is no direct interaction between the two.

Despite these structural difficulties, however, Scarrow brings alive the lives of Arthur Wellesley (future Duke of Wellington) and Napoleon Bonaparte in a compelling narrative. He does admit that there were occasions when he bent the history and tweaked time to make the story work - but I did not notice these in the life of Wellesley. (My knowledge of the details of Bonaparte's life is much less developed and so I would have been much less likely to have picked up anything there anyway.)

There is the odd anachronism. One of Wellesley's colleagues in India comes out with "Only to the same extent that porcine aviation is conceivable". In 1803? While the phrase "pigs may fly" apparently dates back centuries, according to Wikipedia, the word aviation dates back only to the mid nineteenth century, according to the OED. Amusing, therefore, but ill-disciplined! Wellesley would not have approved.

I shall certainly read the third instalment of this series when it comes out, but ultimately I found it less satisfying than the more truly fictional works mentioned above. Perhaps one of my problems is that I felt that I should have been spending my time reading a "proper" biography. If that doesn't bother you, then that will not get in the way of you enjoying this gripping account of the period when the "revolutionary" wars became "Napoleonic".