Redcoat's Rifle

Soldier of the Queen, Book 2

By: Griff Hosker

Narrated by: Marston York

The British Army at the end of the nineteenth century was not a fair place. Despite the reforms, a bad officer could still ruin men's lives and Jack Roberts discovers that despite being a hero of Rorke's Drift, that means nothing when a superior has influence. He becomes a soldier serving in the Egyptian campaign where he learns not only new skills but how to deal with the new responsibility fatherhood brings.

Throughout it all one thing is constant, he is a soldier of the queen, a redcoat with a rifle.

©2023 Griff Hosker (P)2023 W.F.Howes Ltd

Almost...

The 'Soldier of Queen' series evokes mixed feelings from me.

The problem starts with some of the historical detail and timelines which stretch from the slightly confusing to outright twighlight zone level. An example of the latter is the British campaign against the Mahdi in which Robert's participates.

In Hosker's version Colonel Billy Hicks marches his Egyptian division next to Wolsey's advance force in the failed relief of 'Chinese' Gordon at Khartoum. In reality 'Pahsa' Hicks was slain a few months before the siege of Khartoum actually began. A fact which even Hollywood got right in its 1966 movie epic version titled "Khartoum". A simple internet search would've revealed his error.

That said Hosker's development of various characters, including Roberts and his family, is quite nice and I found myself continuing the series even with some of the sloppy historical research.

The narrator was pretty good except for his depiction of 'Middy', the young Midshipman turned Corporal. Somewhere along the line 'Middy' developed the deep baritone gruffness of a seasoned older campaigner. In reality he would have been, at most, in his early to mid twenties. And he made Major Dickenson sound like a Swiss mercenary--which bothered me less.

Still,despite the flaws, something drew me in and I purchased the whole series anyways. I suspect because of the nostalgic GA Henty similarity Hosker evokes so well.

great continuation of the first book!

great continuation of the first book. only dislike is that the Martinie Henery Rifle is .45 / 80gr caliber NOT .303!