With Clive in India. G. A. Henty

With Clive in India.
G. A. Henty.
A. L. Burt, ca. 1900.

Henty is an author much sought-after by homeschoolers. He wrote historical fiction for teenage boys, although the writing style and vocabulary of this book far exceed that of most modern teen writers.

This book takes place in India around 1750, when England and France are battling for control of the country. Clie is the British officer who made many daring attacks against the French and helped turn the tide for the English. Henty, however, does not make him into a superhero, and points out emphatically that Clive's connivings in one battle were greedy, ungentlemanly, and one of the blackest moments in British military history.

The book flows quite smoothly and is interesting and humorous when describing the fictional adventures of Charlie Marryat (the main character), but becomes bogged down in military detail and jargon when the author describes some of the battles that took place -- his laudable concern for historical accuracy hampers the otherwise enjoyable prose. Overall, quite a good book and I would be interested in reading some more by Henty.

The Proving Trail. Louis L'Amour

The Proving Trail
Louis L'Amour.
Bantam: 1979.

This is the first Western I have read. Centers around a young man whose "pa" has been killed after winning big at gambling. Mysterious men come after him -- turns out Pa's family back east isn't so nice. Our hero has to wander around the West -- mostly Colorado -- to avoid the bad guys. Along the way, he chats with a nice waitress. In the end, there's a shoot-out, the bad guys die, and the boy gets the girl.

The most annoying thing about this book is that although it is written in heavily accented and lingo'd first person, our 18-year-old narrator steps outside himself and starts teaching the reader how things were "in his day." There are other, slightly less obvious paragraphs where L'Amour is trying to teach us something about the Old West, but overall, the segments are indicative of a complete lack of subtlety in writing. Passable, but not a genre I want to get deep into.

King Solomon's Mines. H. Rider Haggard.

King Solomon's Mines.
by H. Rider Haggard.

Supposedly the first African adventure novel, this book contains interesting details of the white man's experience of Africa circa 1885, but since so much is obviously made up, there are some places where you're not sure how much Haggard is intentionally stretching the truth.

Two English men approach a white hunter to locate their brother whom the hunter (Alan Quatermain) knows has gone off to search for King Solomon's Mines. They enlist some native help, and discover a lost valley. One of their helpers happens to be the rightful king. They invoke a civil war, win it, and are led to the diamond mines by an evil and ancient witch, who then betrays them, only to wind up dead thanks to the efforts of African maiden in love with John Good. They escape with a few diamonds and live happily ever after, etc.

The plot is too simple for its time and genre, but laced with enough humor to keep your interest. Quatermain stars in 16 more books and stories, although he dies in the sequel to this one.

By Neva's Waters. John R. Carling.

By Neva's Waters.

John R. Carling.
Little, Brown: 1907.

An uncommon title by Carling, who was a writer of historical romances. A hundred years ago, there was much more emphasis on the adventure than the romance, though. This is a simply marvellous tale of Russia at the time of czar Alexander I's rise. A dashing and gallant Englishman, Lord Wilfrid Courtenay, falls in love with a beautiful Russian noblewoman.

Various adventures and political intrigues ensue. At times, this is more a drama of manners, as it were, since so much of the plot revolves around certain people's perceptions of other people. Nowadays, of course, such thinking seems quaint and it is felt to be an outdated plot device.

At the end, it turns out that Wilfrid's love is in fact the Czarina, and as such, a relationship is impossible. So, he settles for his second favorite lady, who was in love with the Czar, but now prefers Wilfrid. Strange, but wistfully happy.

Death of the Fifth Sun. Robert Somerlott

Death of the Fifth Sun
by Robert Somerlott.
Viking, 1987.

Historical novel of the Conquest told from Malinche's point of view. Somerlott is most successful when giving Aztec points of view on religious matters: it is complex, mysterious, yet matter-of-fact. He has clearly done his homework on Aztec history, both social and political (and has lived in Mexico for 30 years, apparently), but his understanding of some of the historical pressures on the Spaniards seems superficial and basic. Perhaps this is because Malinche (the narrator) was never able to learn much more than the basics.

Characterization is quite good even though personalities may not fit with my own imaginings - especially Cortes. Malinche, especially, is truly a well developed character. Somerlott really only uses the parts of history he wants -- he skims over some parts, makes up others (to give Malinche more power). I think he got tired toward the end, for he covers the seige & destruction of Tenochtitlan in just a few paragraphs! Oh, well, still an enjoyable book.

Montezuma, the Serf. Joseph Holt Ingraham.

Montezuma, the Serf
by Joseph Holt Ingraham.
H. L. Williams: 1845.

Interesting book. A historical romance revolving around a one-week period in which Montezuma I rises from serf to King. I got this book online, knowing only the title and date, hoping it was some cool history. As it turns out, the author must have known very little about the Aztecs, as historical inaccuracies fill every page.

I would like to read more 'chivalric romances' from the era to see how stylistic this book is. Obviously, 19-century readers had fewer demands for historical research for their fiction. The ending is very Shakespearean, complete with people in disguise, everything coming to a climax at once, and even a fool.

Ingraham, who was a Reverend, makes the Aztec religion something like Christianity, complete with a Noah's ark legend. What's interesting, though, are the parallels he draws between Montezuma and Jesus: he even gives Montezuma a 1000-year reign, until the white man comes -- perhaps suggesting that whites are to bring the Aztecs to heaven?

Of course, 1845 was a time of much speculation about the pre-columbian mesoamericans, and many professionals had proclaimed dramatic parallels between Christianity and the Aztec religion, as well as the possible Hebrew origin of the Mesoamericans. Also of interest, given the novel's year of writing, are the constant tirades against slavery, and for equal rights & representation.... probably not a popular novel in the southern U.S.

The Changeling. Alison MacLeod.

The Changeling
by Alison MacLeod.
St. Martin's Press: 1996.

MacLeod really wants to teach us about old wives' tales. This historical novel of the pirate Anne Bonny can't go a single chapter without reciting some such thing; at first it was good local/temporal color, later it became annoying.

Strangely written novel, possibly borrows from magical realism tradition. Anne comes across as a 1990's strong woman -- a cross-dressing experimentally lesbian womyn who "gives birth to herself" and can do whatever men do as well as they do -- yet, in the ultimate (unintentional?) irony, all of her actions are either directed by or reactions to men: her father, husband, or male lover.

As is often the case, the artsy-fartsy writing style, while interesting in its own sake, and done consistently well, ultimately leaves me distanced from both plot & character. And setting. Perhaps MacLeod's intention was a disconnected feeling, yet something so physical as piracy ought to be more tangible.