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Jack Steel #2
Rules of War
Jack Steel, first introduced in Man of Honour, is a splendid hero on a new and dangerous mission. Perfect for all fans of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe. MEET JACK STEEL - GENTLEMAN, SOLDIER, HERO. In the early eighteenth century, the British army led by John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, were the leaders of a wide-ranging and very successful alliance. Jack Steel, maverick gentleman, superb soldier, was in the middle of any fight. Ramilles 1706. One of the great victories of the British army, a signal battle honour for the regiments who were there. But for Captain Steel, standing at the head of his Grenadiers, sinking into the swampy ground, at odds with his Allied partners and receiving contradictory orders, it was hard to see the General, Lord Marlborough's grand stratagem. Even after victory, Steel finds himself mired in further difficulties. The Allies had thought that they were liberating the Low Countries but some preferred their previous masters, the French, who at least were Catholic, and some wanted independence from all powers, while others of his fellow officers wanted out of the war altogether. Far from the battle lines he enjoys, Jack Steel is sent undercover to discover and deal with the traitors. He needs to identify the loyal locals who would help a few British advance troops into the besieged city - a dangerous mission made deadly by his identification by an old enemy of his and the brilliant malevolence of the renegade French pirate who is in charge of Ostende.
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2008
About the author
Iain Gale
45 books41 followersIain Gale has always had a passion for military history. He is the Editor of the National Trust for Scotland magazine and Art critic for Scotland on Sunday. He lives outside Edinburgh with his wife and children. His first novel, Four Days in June, is a stand-alone military adventure set on the battlefields of Waterloo.
He is also the writer of eleven non-fiction books.
He is also the writer of eleven non-fiction books.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 3, 2021
**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**
Read this book in 2008, and its the 2nd volume of the "Jack Steel" trilogy.
This time the tale is set at first from Ramilles, in the year AD 1706,
From there Captain Jack Steel, after the British victory under John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, is now standing at the head of his Grenadiers, but at odds with his Allied partners and receiving contradictory orders, and so hard for him to see Lord Marlborough's grand stratagem.
After liberating the Low Countries , Steel finds himself in a very difficult situation with the locals, because a few of them prefer the French for being Catholic, with some preferring independence from all powers, while others of his fellow officers wanted out of the war altogether.
Within these there are some who are traitors and Jack Steel is sent undercover to infiltrate these camps, and doing so he will meet an old enemy, as well as a French renegade who's in charge of Ostende.
What is to come is an intriguing and thrilling adventure, in which Jack Steel must do everything he can to survive, and deal a severe blow to the enemy and their treacherous behaviours, and so relieve a besieged city in the end.
Very much recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this delightful trilogy, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Enjoyable Jack Steel Sequel"!
Read this book in 2008, and its the 2nd volume of the "Jack Steel" trilogy.
This time the tale is set at first from Ramilles, in the year AD 1706,
From there Captain Jack Steel, after the British victory under John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, is now standing at the head of his Grenadiers, but at odds with his Allied partners and receiving contradictory orders, and so hard for him to see Lord Marlborough's grand stratagem.
After liberating the Low Countries , Steel finds himself in a very difficult situation with the locals, because a few of them prefer the French for being Catholic, with some preferring independence from all powers, while others of his fellow officers wanted out of the war altogether.
Within these there are some who are traitors and Jack Steel is sent undercover to infiltrate these camps, and doing so he will meet an old enemy, as well as a French renegade who's in charge of Ostende.
What is to come is an intriguing and thrilling adventure, in which Jack Steel must do everything he can to survive, and deal a severe blow to the enemy and their treacherous behaviours, and so relieve a besieged city in the end.
Very much recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this delightful trilogy, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Enjoyable Jack Steel Sequel"!
August 9, 2017
The blurb on my edition of this novel suggests Iain Gale is aiming to interest the readers of Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe novels. There is a lot of similarity stories about a soldier in the historical British army, this one in the army of the Duke of Marlborough rather than the Duke of Wellington a hundred years later. Gale has lots of the plot devices we see in Cornwell/s novels, high placed enemies who frustrate the hero's career, low placed but highly malicious enemies working at all times to end the hero's life, a small group of loyal friends who re appear in each novel.
Gale also knows how to build a narrative to a climax so readers will not be disappointed.
He also has researched the period. He knows about the way wars were waged at that time, the tactics, the range of weapons. It all has a feeling of authenticity. It was particularly interesting to see how grenadiers used their weapon and how grenades were used in combat
The novel has a basis in fact the Battle of Ramillies, and the siege of Ostend. Gale rightly points out that the Royal Navy committed a serious war crime in the bombardment of Ostend as they acted with disregard for the numbers of civilians they killed.
This fits intp Gales, theme which he signals in the title, "Rules of War". At numerous points in the novel the characters act in ways which they acknowledge are contrary to the rules of war. They discuss some of the strange etiquette observed by officers. However there is no sustained examination of the theme, no socratic dialogue or Shavian discussion back in the camp. Readers would be able to debate the issue but it is not clear in the end where Gale stands.
The plot is cleverly shaped to build to a climax but at places the hero is saved by what seems more like a deus ex machina. In the torture scene, having seen the Flemish school teacher Brouwer murdered in a despicable manner and it seems that Steele must die the same way, he is rescued. The novel does prepare us for this rescue but it still rings a little hollow. Similarly the way Steele is exposed as a spy comes as a shock which is a little too convenient. Many readers, will, however not be too perturbed by these aspects of the plot.
The novel also shows us a picture of Belgium in the Eighteenth Century. Forming the Austrian Netherlands, it is fought over by the French who want to extend their border to the Rhine and the Dutch who see the Flemings as Dutch citizens and Flanders and Brabant as part of their nation. The novel suggests the Walloons and the Flemings were fighting on opposing sides, that Belgian nationality was being promoted over a hundred years before the formation of Belgium. He also presents Ostend as a multicultural city where people from other continents live openly in the city and are despised and resented by the citizens as we see in Belgium now. I am left wondering how much this is true of the period.
Gale also knows how to build a narrative to a climax so readers will not be disappointed.
He also has researched the period. He knows about the way wars were waged at that time, the tactics, the range of weapons. It all has a feeling of authenticity. It was particularly interesting to see how grenadiers used their weapon and how grenades were used in combat
The novel has a basis in fact the Battle of Ramillies, and the siege of Ostend. Gale rightly points out that the Royal Navy committed a serious war crime in the bombardment of Ostend as they acted with disregard for the numbers of civilians they killed.
This fits intp Gales, theme which he signals in the title, "Rules of War". At numerous points in the novel the characters act in ways which they acknowledge are contrary to the rules of war. They discuss some of the strange etiquette observed by officers. However there is no sustained examination of the theme, no socratic dialogue or Shavian discussion back in the camp. Readers would be able to debate the issue but it is not clear in the end where Gale stands.
The plot is cleverly shaped to build to a climax but at places the hero is saved by what seems more like a deus ex machina. In the torture scene, having seen the Flemish school teacher Brouwer murdered in a despicable manner and it seems that Steele must die the same way, he is rescued. The novel does prepare us for this rescue but it still rings a little hollow. Similarly the way Steele is exposed as a spy comes as a shock which is a little too convenient. Many readers, will, however not be too perturbed by these aspects of the plot.
The novel also shows us a picture of Belgium in the Eighteenth Century. Forming the Austrian Netherlands, it is fought over by the French who want to extend their border to the Rhine and the Dutch who see the Flemings as Dutch citizens and Flanders and Brabant as part of their nation. The novel suggests the Walloons and the Flemings were fighting on opposing sides, that Belgian nationality was being promoted over a hundred years before the formation of Belgium. He also presents Ostend as a multicultural city where people from other continents live openly in the city and are despised and resented by the citizens as we see in Belgium now. I am left wondering how much this is true of the period.
October 12, 2024
Rules of War is a realistic fiction story that takes place in the 1700s and follows Jack Steel, the captain of the British Grenadiers, and his life as part of the British army. At the beginning, Jack is feeling good after coming off a British victory. As the story goes on, Jack questions his orders, and questions the people around him, some of whom are secretly traitors. His story of questioning those around him and trying to find truth amidst it all while struggling with his own demons make this an intriguing novel.
What Gale does best is making you feel what others feel. For example he is good at capturing moments when characters sympathize with others. For example, in the middle of the book, the main character Jack sympathies with those mourning the loss of their loved ones, and I think Gale does a good job of encapsulating how Jack feels in that moment, and how he starts to relate to these people that he doesn’t even know very well. And it’s moments like this that reveals to Jack that at the core of everyone lies a vital worth that makes them worth saving.
Apart from sympathy, one of Gale’s strengths as a writer is depicting battles. His descriptive language as well as his usage of metaphors and similes helps you feel as if you are there, on the battlefield. His background and passion on war really shines with these potrayals. That being said, one thing I don’t like about his writing style is that sometimes dialouge can seem a bit dry and not super engaging.
Overall, Rules of War is a solid book. A captivating war novel that captures the essense of war. If you are into colonial times and war, then this book is the book for you. I would give this book a 4/5 stars. Solid book and a good read.
What Gale does best is making you feel what others feel. For example he is good at capturing moments when characters sympathize with others. For example, in the middle of the book, the main character Jack sympathies with those mourning the loss of their loved ones, and I think Gale does a good job of encapsulating how Jack feels in that moment, and how he starts to relate to these people that he doesn’t even know very well. And it’s moments like this that reveals to Jack that at the core of everyone lies a vital worth that makes them worth saving.
Apart from sympathy, one of Gale’s strengths as a writer is depicting battles. His descriptive language as well as his usage of metaphors and similes helps you feel as if you are there, on the battlefield. His background and passion on war really shines with these potrayals. That being said, one thing I don’t like about his writing style is that sometimes dialouge can seem a bit dry and not super engaging.
Overall, Rules of War is a solid book. A captivating war novel that captures the essense of war. If you are into colonial times and war, then this book is the book for you. I would give this book a 4/5 stars. Solid book and a good read.
April 25, 2021
A rather fun episode in an enjoyable series that possesses far less sincerity than it does uniqueness.
October 29, 2021
Brilliant book well fun to read. Good battles and espionage
January 5, 2010
A poor imitation of Bernard Cornwell. Disappointing.
All the ingredients were there and I should have enjoyed it but it didn't quite work for me. Dialogue is poorly written and at times jarring as it tries just that little too hard to convince. It doesn't.
Story was a little contrived, elements like the obligatory 'love interest' are inserted and shoe-horned in. They do not blend or unfold as a progression. They are just a writer 'hitting his marks'. Sadly for me, the book missed the mark as a result.
All the ingredients were there and I should have enjoyed it but it didn't quite work for me. Dialogue is poorly written and at times jarring as it tries just that little too hard to convince. It doesn't.
Story was a little contrived, elements like the obligatory 'love interest' are inserted and shoe-horned in. They do not blend or unfold as a progression. They are just a writer 'hitting his marks'. Sadly for me, the book missed the mark as a result.
December 1, 2010
The person who read this before me shook his head and said, "Too much like Sharpe." I disagree. It's not too much like Sharpe - it's exactly like Sharpe. If I was Cornwell, I'd be seriously pissed off. Fanfic is all very well and good - I enjoy both reading it and writing it - but you don't go and publish it!
There's not many emotions that can't be summed up by a picture of an animal with a humourous caption. Hence: http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordp...
There's not many emotions that can't be summed up by a picture of an animal with a humourous caption. Hence: http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordp...
July 13, 2014
Very well written. The hero cleverly parodies a derring-do officer in one of Europe's most pointless wars while the background of the misery inflicted upon countries and their populations is brought to life. The callous measuring of a person according to social class is revealed in the horrific bombardment of Ostend as well as Marlborough's careless disreegard for the life of the ordinary soldier.
March 7, 2016
A solid sequel
I chose 4 stars as it was a great follow up from Man of Honour. It had everything in it to make a great sequel and was rounded off nicely for the third book. The only thing stopping it from receiving 5 stars was that I felt it was not as gripping as the first. I'm looking forward to finding how his relationship goes with Henrietta. And will he finally see Stringer hang?!
I chose 4 stars as it was a great follow up from Man of Honour. It had everything in it to make a great sequel and was rounded off nicely for the third book. The only thing stopping it from receiving 5 stars was that I felt it was not as gripping as the first. I'm looking forward to finding how his relationship goes with Henrietta. And will he finally see Stringer hang?!
Read
August 6, 2011If you like Sharpe you will like this one. This was so easy and enjoyable to read that I had finished I fairly ripped through it!
April 18, 2016
The second book continues to have a lot of Sharpe like events but also continues to be a fairly good read
December 14, 2016
Mildly entertaining. Probably worth reading some books by this author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews