A Bloody Campaign

De: Jemahl Evans

Narrado por: Bill Allender

Blandford Candy, rake and spy, returns.

1643.

Bloody civil war rages through England.

The Roundhead army is in disarray and its leadership, divided.

The King looks certain to defeat his rebellious Parliament.

If the Royalists can capture Gloucester, a town with weak defences and few men, the road to London and victory is open.

A Bloody Campaign is a collection of short stories tracing the campaign and Candy's involvement.

The book contains the following:

The Mercenary Creed: A mercenary officer is placed in an impossible command against overwhelming odds, and no chance of escape.

Davenant’s Egg: A disgraced poet seeks redemption for his past crimes by purchasing the greatest cannon in England.

The Gravediggers: There is more work but no extra pay for the gravediggers of Gloucester Town.

A Dowry Cow: A confiscated milk cow leads to true love for a confirmed spinster.

The Red Regiment: Two naive boys follow their hero Blandford Candy in search of glory, only to find that heroes have feet of clay.

©2019 Sharpe Books (P)2021 Jemahl Evans

"He used his dimple as a weapon."

Five delightful short stories, vignettes of various characters, set in and around Gloucester during the English Civil War, each filled with life, energy, and humour. Author, Jemahl Evans, manages to capture a real feel for the place and period whilst simultaneously being contemporary, probably because people are people whatever the era.
The five titles are:
- The mercenary creed
- Defendant's egg
- The grave diggers
- A dairy cow (my personal favourite)
- The red regiment.
Narration by Bill Allender was well performed with impeccable timing and good modulation, the characters each given distinctively individual voice, adding to the enjoyment of the tales.

My thanks to the rights holder of A Bloody Campaign, who freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. Each story is in the region of twenty minutes in length, perfect to slip into a short break or journey and to be transported into an earlier time. With enough historic detail to bring the period visually to life and a brief chapter which references further reading, it is a fun introduction to what must have been a tumultuous and terrifying period Recommended.