Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana

The Anglo-Zulu War, Book 1

By: James Mace

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

It is December 1878, and war looms on the horizon in South Africa. British high commissioner Sir Henry Bartle-Frere seeks to dismantle the powerful neighboring kingdom of the Zulus and uses an incursion along the disputed border as his justification for war. He issues an impossible ultimatum to the Zulu king, Cetshwayo, demanding he disband his armies and pay massive reparations. With a heavy heart, the king prepares his nation for war against their former allies.

Leading the invasion is Lieutenant General Sir Frederic Thesiger, Baron Chelmsford, a highly experienced officer fresh off a decisive triumph over the neighboring Xhosa tribes. He and Frere are convinced that a quick victory over the Zulus will negate any repercussions from the home government for launching what is, in essence, an illegal war.

Recently arrived to South Africa are newly recruited privates Arthur Wilkinson and Richard Lowe, members of C Company, 1/24th Regiment of Foot under the venerable Captain Reginald Younghusband. Eager for adventure, they are prepared to do their duty both for the empire and for their friends.

As Frere's ultimatum expires, the army of British redcoats and allied African auxiliaries crosses the uMzinyathi River at Rorke's Drift into Zululand. Ten days later the British and Zulus will meet their destiny at the base of a mountain called Isandlwana.

©2016 James M. Mace (P)2017 James M. Mace

amazing

I have listened to this book four times so far and I love it

Loved it

Brutal Valour: The Battle of Isandlwana.
Superb storytelling. The book blends a historical event and a fictional dialogue.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. I couldn't put it down.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily left this honest review.

Kindle version has photos

You might want to spend $5 to purchase the Kindle version to accompany the audiobook. Throughout the book, photos of the actual men and units from both sides are included.

Outstanding!!

A Brilliant piece of work!! One of the most detailed histories of the Anglo-Zulu Conflicts that I have even come across. James Mace is to be complemented as is Jonthan Waters for his presentation.

Brutal History Wonderfully Retold

I hadn't previously known anything about the Anglo-Zulu wars. This book brought to life the actual brave redcoats who were there and fought and died, as well as the brave Zulu warriors involved.
What I appreciated most is both sides are told and neither side is made out to be the villain, except those who actually started the conflict with their own selfish motivations.
I feel that the British and the Zulus whose stories are told herein would feel that this book did them justice.
Once again, as many times throughout history, the astounding and needless loss of life involved in war is painful to revisit.
The amount of research James Mace has done to write this series is astounding.
Jonathan Waters is an incredibly talented narrator. His Zulu accent and voices, as well as the voices he chose for the different British army personnel are really spot on. I looked many of the people up on Wikipedia as I was listening and felt that he really nailed what their voice would have sounded like. He really brought them all to life.
I was provided this audiobook to review.

Truth in Fiction?

So believable that one might think the dialogue was from the mouths of those soldiers and officers of the Queens army. The vast research which must’ve taken course by Mace is overwhelming to consider. However, all accounts of this greatest defeat in the Victorian army, which I have studied prove up Mace’s outstanding representation.

Thrilling account of a battle

The book starts a little slowly with the introduction of characters, some of whom represent typical British soldiers and family members. This made the story a little long at over 15 hrs. The pace begins to pick up when the troops reach Natal. The final chapters breathlessly detail the battle, mostly from the British sode, but also that of some Zulus. Can't be sure how accurate the fictional conversations between actual characters and events represent what might have occurred.

Brutal indeed - awsome for war history buffs

I love it!

This story is so rich in detail, which feels utterly well researched that it blends perfectly the historical nature with the fictional narrative. The parties within the story are very clearly delinated which makes it easy to follow - and yet, given the story's premises, i am drawn from supporting one and then the other. On several occasions in this listen I am touched on my base values (honor among soldiers/warriors being one of them) to a point where I rewind and relisten - just to make sure I actually registrered what happened.

The level of detail in the descriptions of especially the Zulu culture and traditions and the tribal affiliations is incredible. For someone like me, who likes the idea of hero leaders, there is a veritable host of interesting cast. The characterisation of key personae is so vivid it made me realize why so many campaigns fail misserably even though "everything was planned and strategized intelligently and wisely" (Mind you, dear reader, not just in a war setting but also in my real life business experience)

I like the fact that, while some passages are gory, it never seems to go over the top to prove a point. Its sober in a sense, in that it is enough for me to get that slight gut wrenching feeling and a bit of a tingle in the extremieties described but never to a point where I go "oh man!!" which makes this a very balanced listen. It isn't a caricature of "North vs. South brutality" but a harsh "war is terrible and unpredictable" which sets this book apart from others I have read.

One thing I do slightly miss, is a deeper sense of connection with some of the major cast's emotions regarding personal relationships. There is personal dilemma and certainly the sense of personall loss in the face of war, but it seem underdeveloped in some instances where an epilogue might have shed some more ligtht on the war distress.
. It isn't the point of the narrative, so it does not detract from the vividness of the story - it is more like...icing, really. It can also easily be explained by the nature of infrastructure and sheer distances in the setting.

I especially like the feeling of isolation the narrative conveys. The army is far, far away from home, queen, country and representation of rule - and it shows in the development of decisions and the consequent actions.

A very recommendable listen.
Jan

Fascinating story!💜

This was not my genre and it’s a war story so I wasn’t expecting to like it. That said, I found it to be a riveting, engaging & heartbreaking story of war, duty & honor. I found myself on the edge of my seat praying for the safety of these men. I understand this was based on actual events but because history was not my favorite subject I had no idea how it would end which added some excitement to this this story. In the beginning there were a lot of foreign names that were difficult for me to remember but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.
The performance by Jonathan Waters was wonderful. He really nailed these characters and all the different accents. I totally imagined I was watching a movie and shouting out orders to the soldiers had me wanting to stand at attention. Bravo 👏
This is book 1 in this series. If this is your genre I recommend this book.

Sisters Spotlight 💜

Excellent

Brought a tragic story to life. Highly recommend. Brought a real human element to a tragic event.