The Road to Kandahar (Simon Fonthill Series)

by John Wilcox

Book Overview

The year is 1879, and Captain Simon Fonthill is ready for another challenge. Having survived the Zulu onslaught at Rorke's Drift, he is sent to the North-West Frontier - India's border with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0755309855
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Headline
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 1.1" x 4.6"

Customer Reviews

A good old-fashioned ripsnorter of a tale.

It seems to me that today's historical fiction is geared more to the feminine reader or to those who enjoy reading historical mysteries. I'm not knocking either of those kinds of stories, but I much prefer the kinds of books full of action, with engaging characters who must inevitably struggle as two different cultures collide. It seems more real, more true to what things were like in that time. This book does just that. It has the sights and sounds and sensibilities of England and Afghanistan in the 1880's. It has a sincere hero who actually gets hurt and suffers and still perseveres. It has a terrific sidekick. Their are genunine moments of humor in their banter. And, as I said, it has lots of action - plausible, cinematic action. By plausible I mean our hero, Simon Fonthill and his acquaintances, make mistakes, act irrationally, while at other times they emerge heroic and resourceful. In other words, they are human and not cardboard superheroes. They sound real, too. Wilcox did a good job with his dialogue. Each character has his/her distinct method of phrasing, while the narration, without resorting to Victorian excesses, seems authentic to the time period. Finally, Wilcox raises a number of themes that are really quite modern. Themes on feminism, racism and tolerance, the xenophobia and cruelty within every culture, and, whether intended or not, some interesting parallels between what happened in Afghanistan in 1880 and what is happening there now. All in all, I loved this book. Since it my first by Wilcox, I intend to read the other Simon Fonthill adventures. He's converted me, by Jove.