I’m heading to London tomorrow to sign some books (always A Good Thing) so this week’s blog of the week is slightly early. Let me introduce to you….<drum roll>…. The Eloquent Page, which has this to say on The Eagle of the Twelfth, kind blog that it is…
There is much to enjoy here, but it was the depiction of the various battles that really took my breath away. Most of the action is described directly from Demalions’s perspective and there is a real sense that he is right in the midst of these frenetic, bloody encounters. Scott perfectly captures the chaos of each engagement as well as the emotions that Demalion experiences. As he spends more and more time as a soldier, his attitudes toward constant training and bloodshed evolve and he becomes far more comfortable on the battlefield. The initial fear of being in a life-threatening situation never disappears, but he also learns the raw elation of surviving. It’s an effective juxtaposition that he feels most alive when surrounded by death. At one point, another character asks Demalion if he loves war and he finds he can do nothing other than say yes. The harsh reality of the situation is never sugar-coated though and the human cost of battle is in evidence on each and every page.
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I read Eagle of the Twelfth last week because I was due to be on a panel at Kelmarsh with Manda. Alas poor Kelmarsh, but I very much enjoyed the book - a strong story with strong characters and the author particularly adept at easing the reader into Demalion’s shoes. Despite doing classics at school, my knowledge of this period and this place was sketchy and I learnt a lot. I like books which both entertain and inform and this one certainly does. Some of the descriptive passages are almost lyrical in style, but never hold up the flow of the narrative. A splendid book, recommended to all.
Andrew - I’ve been sadly remiss in my blog-management and so just found this - thank you very much indeed. So sorry Kelmarsh was a washout, but we have other ideas to replace it - all under a roof!