Mid 5. The seige and defence of Ladysmith was of momentous import to the preservation of the ideals which underpinned the British Empire, amidst a conflict which brutally exposed the outdated approach of the Crown's forces. Set in 1899, this novel brilliantly evokes the suffering of the beseiged as they await the relief column which is pinned down by Boer forces en route. Many reviewers appear to regard the multitude of characters confusing and revealing a lack of depth of characterisation, but in this reader's opinion, Foden has expertly crafted an engrossing and accurately detailed novel. Part of the novel's strengths is the fact that it is composed of snapshots of the distinct political and social forces which were converging as Victorian society brushed against the harsh realities of modernity - the war correspondents such as George Steevens facing censorship and the need to report news; the political awakening of the Zulus and Irish characters; the feminist attitudes displayed by Bella; but most of all the brief cameos by Churchill and Gandhi which determine their future trajectories. Historical fiction at its best.
