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Matthew Hervey #6
Rumours of War
In Europe, rumours of war are rife once again, as Matthew Hervey returns to the Peninsula to fight a new battle, and to confront the ghosts of his first campaign…
The year is 1826, and the fragile peace in Europe following the defeat of Napoleon is threatened by Spanish aggression in the Peninsula. Matthew Hervey, newly returned from India, joins a party of officers sent to make an assessment and lend support to their Portuguese allies. His place on the expedition is secured with the help and influence of his new friend, Lady Katherine Greville.
But the Peninsula is a place redolent with memories. For it was here as a seventeen-year-old Cornet that Hervey had his first taste of military action. The French forces had pushed the British into an ignominious retreat, losing morale as quickly as ground, until under the leadership of Sir John Moore the army made a defiant stand at Corunna. In the epic battle that followed, Hervey and the Sixth Light Dragoons played their part in one of the Napoleonic War’s most famous military scenes. As the wave of the French onslaught broke against the solid rock of British resolve, the tide of war was turned once and for all in England’s favour.
Now, with the Spanish threatening the fortress at Elvas, and as Hervey makes ready for the battle once again, the sights and sounds of the Peninsula bring back a flood of memories. But it is not only Spanish aggression and ghosts from his past that Matthew must confront; Lady Katherine has arrived in the Peninsula and is looking for rewards in return for services rendered.
From the Hardcover edition.
The year is 1826, and the fragile peace in Europe following the defeat of Napoleon is threatened by Spanish aggression in the Peninsula. Matthew Hervey, newly returned from India, joins a party of officers sent to make an assessment and lend support to their Portuguese allies. His place on the expedition is secured with the help and influence of his new friend, Lady Katherine Greville.
But the Peninsula is a place redolent with memories. For it was here as a seventeen-year-old Cornet that Hervey had his first taste of military action. The French forces had pushed the British into an ignominious retreat, losing morale as quickly as ground, until under the leadership of Sir John Moore the army made a defiant stand at Corunna. In the epic battle that followed, Hervey and the Sixth Light Dragoons played their part in one of the Napoleonic War’s most famous military scenes. As the wave of the French onslaught broke against the solid rock of British resolve, the tide of war was turned once and for all in England’s favour.
Now, with the Spanish threatening the fortress at Elvas, and as Hervey makes ready for the battle once again, the sights and sounds of the Peninsula bring back a flood of memories. But it is not only Spanish aggression and ghosts from his past that Matthew must confront; Lady Katherine has arrived in the Peninsula and is looking for rewards in return for services rendered.
From the Hardcover edition.
369 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
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108 people want to read
About the author
Allan Mallinson
45 books87 followersBrigadier Allan Lawrence Mallinson is an English author and was an officer in the British Army.
Mallinson is best known for writing a series of novels chronicling the (fictional) life of Matthew Hervey, an officer serving in the (fictional) British 6th Light Dragoons from the late Napoleonic Wars through subsequent colonial conflicts in India, North America and south Africa.
Mallinson is best known for writing a series of novels chronicling the (fictional) life of Matthew Hervey, an officer serving in the (fictional) British 6th Light Dragoons from the late Napoleonic Wars through subsequent colonial conflicts in India, North America and south Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 6, 2021
Read this book in 2006, and its the 6th volume of the wonderful "Matthew Hervey" series.
The year is Ad 1826, and Matthew Hervey, after returned from India finds himself now in Portugal.
In this Peninsula memories of the bloody retreat to Corunna under the leadership of Sir John Moore, when the British were fighting the French, will play a very important part in Matthew Hervey's mind.
This time its the Spanish aggression towards Portugal that will be the task in hand for m Matthew Hervey and his men.
The Spanish are threatening the fortress at Elvas, and Hervey and the British/Portuguese coalition will have to do everything to fend off the Spanish forces, and so make the situation for the Portuguese Regent secure and safe.
Someone who will make a big impression in this tale and who will use her influence to promote Matthew Hervey is a certain Lady Katherine Greville.
What is to follow is an exciting historical adventure, where the historical details concerning this period of history are superbly implemented, and in which Hervey will be taken along in the war between Portugal and Spain, where political dealings and military issues will be paramount.
Very much recommended for this is another very fine addition to this excellent series and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Satisfying Rumours Of War"!
The year is Ad 1826, and Matthew Hervey, after returned from India finds himself now in Portugal.
In this Peninsula memories of the bloody retreat to Corunna under the leadership of Sir John Moore, when the British were fighting the French, will play a very important part in Matthew Hervey's mind.
This time its the Spanish aggression towards Portugal that will be the task in hand for m Matthew Hervey and his men.
The Spanish are threatening the fortress at Elvas, and Hervey and the British/Portuguese coalition will have to do everything to fend off the Spanish forces, and so make the situation for the Portuguese Regent secure and safe.
Someone who will make a big impression in this tale and who will use her influence to promote Matthew Hervey is a certain Lady Katherine Greville.
What is to follow is an exciting historical adventure, where the historical details concerning this period of history are superbly implemented, and in which Hervey will be taken along in the war between Portugal and Spain, where political dealings and military issues will be paramount.
Very much recommended for this is another very fine addition to this excellent series and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Satisfying Rumours Of War"!
August 9, 2020
A good piece of relatively easy beach, holiday reading.
This is my first book in Matthew Hervey series but i hope he is not such a perfectly honourable, infallible gentleman in all other books, because that would be boring. Here, at only 18 years old, MH is heroically charging at the French, schooling his older comrades, almost not fearing battle, dealing with a lack of sleep and extreme fatigue and excertions throughout Sir John Moore's army destructive retreat towards Corunna admirably even for some older fellow. In short, he is too perfect.
I suspect this is the trap most of gentlemanly English writers fall into - afraid of blemishing their main character even a single bit. As we have two perspectives on Matthew Hervey here (1809 and 1826), we see that little has changed - his honour is possibly his only true feature, besides of course the unavoidable courage and a very bright mind. Also, all of his comrades and officers are equally heroic and gentlemanly, with the one exception (Ellis) being perhaps too much of a villain, and that for no apparent reason besides the book desperately NEEDING another bad guy next to of course the incapable French dragoons, who are perhaps even today in the process of reforming their ranks and patiently waiting for mr Hervey's outnunbered troop to run them over in a glorious charge with little to no losses suffered and the enemy mauled.
It may just be me, but I would prefer a more complex account, both regarding the main character (give him some damn flaws! especially when he was an 18-year old kid....) and the Peninsular campaign of 1809 - perhaps an occasional cavalry defeat on battlefield, fleeing the enemy, dishonorably killing an opponent, or something of the like?
Let's be honest, all of us would instead prefer a novel covering some brutal British officer, such as Banastre Tarleton, and his battlefield theatrics and cruelty. What drives this man... is he the very devil himself?
In order not to criticize too much, and I did give this one a 4/5, I had up to now never read a novel (and I see there are aplenty!) covering an early 19th century British officer on a campaign, so it is very interesting from that standpoint. Luckily the 1809 campaign takes over the book in time, as the 1826 Portuguese endeavour turns out to be a dull, lifeless affair, purely there to kill some pages while we await the dramatic showdown at Corunna.
Great plus for every scene with the legendary Sir John Moore, book's visual design and its bulky, very readable frame, with an amazing cover page and a map of the Peninsula (maps are for me always a welcome bonus).
The ending poem of Sir John Moore itself is enough to get the one grade up.
Good summer reading, but I'll be waiting for a novel covering Tarleton or Benedict Arnold or someone of a similar, dishonorable lot.
This is my first book in Matthew Hervey series but i hope he is not such a perfectly honourable, infallible gentleman in all other books, because that would be boring. Here, at only 18 years old, MH is heroically charging at the French, schooling his older comrades, almost not fearing battle, dealing with a lack of sleep and extreme fatigue and excertions throughout Sir John Moore's army destructive retreat towards Corunna admirably even for some older fellow. In short, he is too perfect.
I suspect this is the trap most of gentlemanly English writers fall into - afraid of blemishing their main character even a single bit. As we have two perspectives on Matthew Hervey here (1809 and 1826), we see that little has changed - his honour is possibly his only true feature, besides of course the unavoidable courage and a very bright mind. Also, all of his comrades and officers are equally heroic and gentlemanly, with the one exception (Ellis) being perhaps too much of a villain, and that for no apparent reason besides the book desperately NEEDING another bad guy next to of course the incapable French dragoons, who are perhaps even today in the process of reforming their ranks and patiently waiting for mr Hervey's outnunbered troop to run them over in a glorious charge with little to no losses suffered and the enemy mauled.
It may just be me, but I would prefer a more complex account, both regarding the main character (give him some damn flaws! especially when he was an 18-year old kid....) and the Peninsular campaign of 1809 - perhaps an occasional cavalry defeat on battlefield, fleeing the enemy, dishonorably killing an opponent, or something of the like?
Let's be honest, all of us would instead prefer a novel covering some brutal British officer, such as Banastre Tarleton, and his battlefield theatrics and cruelty. What drives this man... is he the very devil himself?
In order not to criticize too much, and I did give this one a 4/5, I had up to now never read a novel (and I see there are aplenty!) covering an early 19th century British officer on a campaign, so it is very interesting from that standpoint. Luckily the 1809 campaign takes over the book in time, as the 1826 Portuguese endeavour turns out to be a dull, lifeless affair, purely there to kill some pages while we await the dramatic showdown at Corunna.
Great plus for every scene with the legendary Sir John Moore, book's visual design and its bulky, very readable frame, with an amazing cover page and a map of the Peninsula (maps are for me always a welcome bonus).
The ending poem of Sir John Moore itself is enough to get the one grade up.
Good summer reading, but I'll be waiting for a novel covering Tarleton or Benedict Arnold or someone of a similar, dishonorable lot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2025
I stumbled upon Rumours of War while browsing a friend’s bookshelf—one of those unexpected finds that lures you in with the promise of muskets, intrigue, and dashing cavalry officers. Having never read any of the previous books in the Matthew Hervey saga, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but by the time I closed the book, I was ready to saddle up and follow Hervey into the next adventure.
Mallinson writes historical fiction with the precision of a historian and the flair of a storyteller. His attention to detail is remarkable; the descriptions of early 19th-century military life, from the grind of regimental duty to the thunder of battle, are so vivid you can practically smell the gunpowder. Hervey, the titular character, is fascinating—haunted, principled, and just the right mix of idealism and grit.
What really stood out to me was the way Mallinson captures the murky line between duty and morality. Hervey’s struggles with loyalty to his regiment, the politics of empire, and his own conscience feel timeless, even if they’re set against the backdrop of post-Napoleonic Europe. The side plot involving unrest in Ireland adds a layer of complexity that makes the book feel more than just another military adventure.
That said, jumping into the series here felt a bit like arriving at a party halfway through the night. I could tell there were nuances in Hervey’s character and relationships I wasn’t fully appreciating because I hadn’t read the earlier books. The pacing also dragged a bit in places—Mallinson loves his historical detail, sometimes a little too much—but when the action hits, it’s gripping.
Compared to Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O’Brian, Mallinson’s style leans more heavily on military procedure and less on the swashbuckling flair, but the trade-off is a richer sense of realism. It’s not quite as rollicking as Sharpe or Master and Commander, but it has a quiet intensity that lingers.
In the end, Rumours of War surprised me. It’s intelligent, immersive, and full of heart. I might have started with the wrong book in the series, but it’s left me wanting to know more about Matthew Hervey—and that’s the mark of a story well told.
Mallinson writes historical fiction with the precision of a historian and the flair of a storyteller. His attention to detail is remarkable; the descriptions of early 19th-century military life, from the grind of regimental duty to the thunder of battle, are so vivid you can practically smell the gunpowder. Hervey, the titular character, is fascinating—haunted, principled, and just the right mix of idealism and grit.
What really stood out to me was the way Mallinson captures the murky line between duty and morality. Hervey’s struggles with loyalty to his regiment, the politics of empire, and his own conscience feel timeless, even if they’re set against the backdrop of post-Napoleonic Europe. The side plot involving unrest in Ireland adds a layer of complexity that makes the book feel more than just another military adventure.
That said, jumping into the series here felt a bit like arriving at a party halfway through the night. I could tell there were nuances in Hervey’s character and relationships I wasn’t fully appreciating because I hadn’t read the earlier books. The pacing also dragged a bit in places—Mallinson loves his historical detail, sometimes a little too much—but when the action hits, it’s gripping.
Compared to Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O’Brian, Mallinson’s style leans more heavily on military procedure and less on the swashbuckling flair, but the trade-off is a richer sense of realism. It’s not quite as rollicking as Sharpe or Master and Commander, but it has a quiet intensity that lingers.
In the end, Rumours of War surprised me. It’s intelligent, immersive, and full of heart. I might have started with the wrong book in the series, but it’s left me wanting to know more about Matthew Hervey—and that’s the mark of a story well told.
February 23, 2017
Matthew Hervey, back in England from India in 1826, is still single-mindedly striving to advance his career. In the absence of open war, this is difficult, but with the help of his paramour, he obtains an assignment in Portugal, England's ally. The country is split by competing aspirants for the crown, and the English seek to support one faction. As with his other books, Mallinson is heavy on exposition of people and places, and a slow-developing plot. The particular pleasure of this book, though, is how the author interweaves the "current" plot of 1826 with the back story of Hervey's involvement in 1809, as a freshly-minted Cornet, with the disastrous English retreat through Northern Iberia to Corunna. Again following form, the book finishes with a stunning climactic battle scene in Corunna, and a teaser ending in the "current" Portugal plot.
October 6, 2018
1826 - Portugal faces the prospect of civil war and Matthew Hervey forms part of a British military delegation to the incumbent government in Lisbon. Nothing much happens apart from Hervey continuing his involvement with a married woman and travelling to and from Elvas, so Hervey starts intermittently remembering his first campaign, Sir John Moore's march to Astorgas and retreat to Corunna. This jumping between 1826 and 1809 is quite random and creates a disjointed narrative. Just as you are getting interested in one narrative, suddenly you are 17 years away. If the 1809 sections had not been good I would have given this 2 *. Also if I hadn't already bought the next book I probably wouldn't bother reading it.
January 2, 2021
Far from the most exciting Harvey book so far. The split timeline approach didn’t help either storyline. I’ve always liked the escape to Corunna, but Harvey’s role in it was incidental and missed the grand sweep. The latter storyline was overshadowed by his frustrations with inept seniors who don’t appreciate his “brilliance”, and his constant explanations of minute detail - which the author hasn’t found a good balance of accuracy to story.
Overall unfortunately the Portuguese coup storyline was a pretty weak way to get Harvey back to reflect on Corunna. I look forward to better stories in future books.
Overall unfortunately the Portuguese coup storyline was a pretty weak way to get Harvey back to reflect on Corunna. I look forward to better stories in future books.
July 16, 2024
I struggled to get through this book. My main issue was the confusion between the present vs the past. It swapted many times wishing you could stay with one time period and complete it before moving on. The pace of the boom for the current story was a snails pace making it so difficult to retain interest. In the end I liked but not enjoyed this book
August 29, 2024
I try to labour through this but I gave up. To be fair it is probably not the book of this series to read first. I will give this author another try but starting at the 1st book.
November 5, 2015
I only read about half of Rumors of War, and I really love the Matthew Hervey novels. This one was just tough for me to get through. First, I have several other books I am dying to get to; second, the library due date for an interlibrary loan was impending; and third (most importantly as well), I found the narrative structure to be far less engaging that the other five Hervey novels I have read (I rated all the others at 4 or 5 stars but not Rumors of War.).
This novel involves Hervey returning to the Portugal twenty years after he had fought his way across the Peninsula with Wellington. It is a time of civil war in Portugal and there is a fair amount of adventure to be had, but this tale in interwoven with flashback memories of Hervey’s first time on the Peninsula. These flashbacks are wonderful little tales, but they are long enough that I got lost from the original story while reading the flashbacks. I would love a full book about Hervey’s first or second trip to the Peninsula, but not one book about both. I will definitely read more Hervey novels, but this one did not do it for me. It is probably worth noting that if I could find an audio version of this one, I will probably complete it, and I suspect I will enjoy it much more in that format.
This novel involves Hervey returning to the Portugal twenty years after he had fought his way across the Peninsula with Wellington. It is a time of civil war in Portugal and there is a fair amount of adventure to be had, but this tale in interwoven with flashback memories of Hervey’s first time on the Peninsula. These flashbacks are wonderful little tales, but they are long enough that I got lost from the original story while reading the flashbacks. I would love a full book about Hervey’s first or second trip to the Peninsula, but not one book about both. I will definitely read more Hervey novels, but this one did not do it for me. It is probably worth noting that if I could find an audio version of this one, I will probably complete it, and I suspect I will enjoy it much more in that format.
June 13, 2010
A great improvement on the rest of the series, but I can't help wondering if Mallinson secretly wishes he's started the series at the beginning of the Peninsula campaign rather than at Waterloo as this story runs two together. The main story built around the Miguelista uprising in Portugal and the Hervey's time as a young cornet in in the Spain of 1809.
While the book was quite entertaining I did think the ruse at the end was a bit reminiscent of that Morcambe and Wise movie The Magnificent Two. Hervey just isn't as much fun as Sharpe, he spends too much time worrying about what others will think rather than just getting on with it.
While the book was quite entertaining I did think the ruse at the end was a bit reminiscent of that Morcambe and Wise movie The Magnificent Two. Hervey just isn't as much fun as Sharpe, he spends too much time worrying about what others will think rather than just getting on with it.
June 11, 2012
Overall a so so fictional work.. In the start it promised so much with all the added niches of Victorian era British officers routine and thoughts and all the accompanied macho style but as it went on rather lingered on it was hard to read again n again the same sets and stories .... if u really have time and have nothing at hand to read anything and someone has lended u this one then carry on the reading part .. otherwise a word of advice ; money spent is lost
February 11, 2012
All of the Mathew Hervey adventures are gripping stories - as good a series of reads as the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin seafaring adventures. Great for lovers of horses. I have read, and re-read, the lot.
Read
August 20, 2012good read
September 2, 2012
Number six and I am still reading. Not earth shattering but still enough to keep you interested
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews