Shadows of Empire

by Allan Massie

Tells the stories of four Scottish brothers throughout the 1930s and the war against Hitler. The first is a journalist in the Spanish Civil War; the second a secret Communist and even more secret homosexual; the third is a follower of Oswald Mosley; and the fourth, a remittance man in the Far East.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Allan Massie is a Scottish journalist, sports writer and novelist. Massie is one of Scotland's most prolific and well-known journalists, writing regular columns for The Scotsman, The Sunday Times (Scotland) and the Scottish Daily Mail. He is also the author of nearly 30 books, including 20 novels. He is notable for writing about the distant past.

Reviews

[David Lowther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows of Empire is an excellent example of why you should always finish a book. There are slow patches in the middle but the overall sense of satisfaction is such that I was glad I stuck with it.

Shadows of Empire is a bit of a saga stretching over most of the twentieth century, although predominantly the narrative takes place in the 1930s and the war years. The story is told through the eyes of Alec Allen, one of four brothers from a well-to-do Scottish family whose father is a cabinet member, for a while, in the National Government. All four drift through life without any real idea where they're going. One goes to Malaya and seeks work in the rubber industry, another works for the Foreign Office and is later suspected of being the 'fifth man' (it was actually John Cairncross) while a third flirts with fascism. Alec himself becomes a journalist and we follow him through the turmoil in pre war Berlin and Paris. His diplomat brother is gay and Alec does enjoy the company of young men from time to time but never seems to be able to fall in love with the right woman.

Massie's evocation of the pre war years is convincing and, after its trough in the middle, accelerates excitingly towards a climax in which attempts are made to tie up loose ends. We also get a peek into the turmoils of the ruling class as the days of empire slip away and Britain moves towards being a fairer society. The whole thing is cleverly done and an excellent read

David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil (thebluepencil.co.uk)

[ErnstG · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many books dealing with the period 1925 - 1955. The generation who grew up after the War to end all Wars, lived through the Depression, the Communist / Fascist struggle that ended in WW2 by way of Spain. The first half of this book is just one more of these books - four Scots brothers of which one is in the FO and a Russian spy, one a Nazi fellow traveller, one goes to colonies and does well, and the narrator who is a journalist so he can see interesting bits needed by the story.

But the second half is an excellent bringing together of the various strands, not just in a plot but by way of superb writing that makes us feel it in the characters. The result is to give a wonderful sense of what the 1945 - 55 period meant in France, Germany, Britain and then Europe.

p 191 for an acute summary of Churchill -- the man who could face one reality but not a second.

[Keith Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Panoramic in scope, Allan Massie’s pre-World War II set novel is a broad-based perspective on the European politics of concern as Spain fights a civil war, Germany heads for confrontation – and Britain, ruled from London, potters along mired in days of glory gone by.

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