The Passage to India

Sep 21, 2024 9:57 PM

Author:Allan Mallinson

From THE Sunday Times bestselling author Allan Mallinson, a riveting read with the perfect combination of hero, history and adventure - perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and Bernard Cornwell.

'A very astounding and enjoyable military read' -- ***** Reader review

'Excellent - full of excitement, adventure and history' -- ***** Reader review

'Outstanding' -- ***** Reader review

'Magnificent!' -- ***** Reader review

'Allan Mallinson is a truly gifted storyteller..."- ***** Reader review

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1831: riots and rebellions are widespread . . .

In England, the new government is facing protests against the attempts of the Tory-dominated House of Lords to thwart the passing of the Reform Bill. In India, relations are strained between the presidency of Madras and some of the neighbouring princely states.

Having taken command of the action in Bristol to restore order after one of the bloodiest and most destructive riots in the nation's history, Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Hervey is out of favour with the new government. But then his old friend, Sir Eyre Somervile, offers him a lifeline...

Somervile has persuaded the Court of Directors of the East India Company to approve an increase in the Madras military establishment. Hervey and the 6th Light Dragoons are sent to the princely state of Coorg. The Rajah is in revolt against the East India Company's terms and Hervey's regiment is called upon to crush the rebellion.

With the stakes raised by an unexpected visitation from his past, for Hervey the question is whether he and his men will get out of this brutal war unscathed?

Reviews

Mallinson's series of early 19th-century military adventures are even better than Patrick O'Brian's naval equivalent. In the latest, The Passage to India we find our hero...called back to India. Faithful period detail. Rattling pace. Loveable characters.

—— A. N. WILSON , The Tablet 'Summer Reading'

[An] extraordinary story… Askwith’s compelling book, as much about 20th-century history and women’s equality as it is about racing, is a fitting tribute to a truly remarkable and courageous woman

—— Camilla Swift , Mail on Sunday

Askwith… writes beautifully… One of the most remarkable racing stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading

—— Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder

[This] thoroughly researched, deeply moving account does justice to a remarkable life

—— John Cobb , Racing Post

An inspiring tale of an indomitable spirit

—— Nick Pitt , Sunday Times (Best Books of 2019)

This is a truly great story which has the reader rooting for a 41-year-old woman of whom most will have never heard

—— Peter Sharkey , The Post

Lata Brandisová’s story is remarkable… Stirring, vivid stuff

—— History Revealed

Askwith’s book has all the ingredients of a compulsive page-turner… Lata Brandisova was one of the most famous sporting figures in Czechoslovakia… Largely forgotten…Askwith has hunted down leads to present her story in compelling style

—— Alexandra Henton , Field

A great story, one worthy of the silver screen

—— UK Press Syndication, *Books of the Year*

A fabulously written book about a remarkable lady. A must-read for National Hunt enthusiasts

—— James Fry , International Racing Bureau

Astonishing, inspiring, sad… I found it utterly compelling

—— Rose Paterson , Chairwoman, Aintree Racecource

Fascinating

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

A truly great story

—— Peter Sharkey , The Post

The Czech nation will surely feel that he has done [Lata Brandisova] justice.

—— Robin Oakley , Literary Review

Few historians could be better placed to investigate this subject than Keith Lowe . . . riveting

—— Evening Standard

Magisterial. The biography of Maclean we have all been waiting for

—— Charles Cumming, author of the Thomas Kell series

Admirable… [a] compassionate, absorbing book

—— Miranda Carter , The Oldie

[A] persuasive and polished biography

—— Sunday Times

Roland Philipps illuminates, in both broad and subtle strokes

—— John Lloyd , Financial Times

Philipps does an admirable job of piecing together the spy’s tale

—— Mary Jo Murphy , Washington Post Sunday

Philipps’s telling of the tale is masterly. He weaves a complex web of professional, psychological and marital themes into a wonderful fluent, coherent and compelling narrative

—— Xan Smiley , Standpoint

Elegant, thorough and surprisingly exciting

—— Marcus Berkman , Daily Mail

[A] superbly told tale

—— Daily Mail , Daily Mail, **Books of the Year**

In A Spy Named Orphan Roland Philipps’s description of Donald Maclean’s psychological make-up chimes with what I have always felt about the Cambridge spies (Philby excepted) – namely, that their romance with the Soviet Union partook of patriotism as much as it did of espionage… Philipps makes the story and the slow uncovering of his treachery a gripping narrative and an overwhelmingly sad one

—— Alan Bennett , London Review of Books

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