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The Noise of Zulu Battle
South Africa, 1877. Andrew Baird is a man trying to escape his past. The son of the famous “Fighting Jack Windrush” of the Royal Malverns, Andrew hopes to forge his own path away from the shadow of his father.
Amidst the turbulence of the Zulu-British War of 1879, Andrew finds love with Elaine Maxwell. But after Elaine dies tragically and her sister is kidnapped, Andrew must confront the Zulus in bloody battles, driven by the hope of rescuing the woman and proving his worth beyond his father's legacy.
Grappling with his inner demons and battling a relentless enemy, can Andrew find the strength to overcome adversity and claim his own destiny, or will his past forever haunt his pursuit?
Malcolm Archibald's "The Noise of Zulu Battle" immerses readers in a captivating era of courage and sacrifice. With its rich historical detail and compelling narrative, this epic historical novel takes readers on a thrilling journey through war-torn landscapes, where one man's determination becomes a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
Amidst the turbulence of the Zulu-British War of 1879, Andrew finds love with Elaine Maxwell. But after Elaine dies tragically and her sister is kidnapped, Andrew must confront the Zulus in bloody battles, driven by the hope of rescuing the woman and proving his worth beyond his father's legacy.
Grappling with his inner demons and battling a relentless enemy, can Andrew find the strength to overcome adversity and claim his own destiny, or will his past forever haunt his pursuit?
Malcolm Archibald's "The Noise of Zulu Battle" immerses readers in a captivating era of courage and sacrifice. With its rich historical detail and compelling narrative, this epic historical novel takes readers on a thrilling journey through war-torn landscapes, where one man's determination becomes a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
530 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 19, 2023
180 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Malcolm Archibald
132 books72 followersMy primary interest is historical, either fiction or non fiction, but I can enjoy most anything from Jane Austin to Kipling to J K Rowling. I have been very quiet on this site, but I think I might be a bit more active now.
I also enjoy the stimulation of meeting people and finding out about them.
I also enjoy the stimulation of meeting people and finding out about them.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 15, 2026
great book
I really enjoyed this book. It gave the flavor of the time and place. Created a convincing hero and believable love story
I really enjoyed this book. It gave the flavor of the time and place. Created a convincing hero and believable love story
June 18, 2023
one of the best
A great novel. Strong plot line. Superb character development. Excellent action sequences. A re-flection of a very thorough research project dealing with the Zulu war. Strongly recommend it.
A great novel. Strong plot line. Superb character development. Excellent action sequences. A re-flection of a very thorough research project dealing with the Zulu war. Strongly recommend it.
July 2, 2023
Excellent story!
Everything about this book was perfect. Well written, well-researched and well told. It is a story that will leave you wishing it would not end.
Everything about this book was perfect. Well written, well-researched and well told. It is a story that will leave you wishing it would not end.
September 7, 2023
Intriguing
Great story not just the tale of the famous struggle with the Zulus but the actions and the early aftermath and how and wear the kingdom was overcome.
Great story not just the tale of the famous struggle with the Zulus but the actions and the early aftermath and how and wear the kingdom was overcome.
September 7, 2024
The Noise of Zulu Battle by Malcolm Archibald is a adventure story set in South Africa just before the onset of the Anglo-Zulu war, with the protagonist being the son of a fictional major British general from the time, who was the subject to the authors previous books which I have not read. The story feels like a throwback to an old style adventure book from the 1910s set in the British Empire, just without the racism from that time, and it is honestly a pretty good story.
The protagonist is a young man enlisted in the mounted police, who goes from fighting in border skirmishes to leading a battalion of Dragoons, all while trying to keep his true identity a secret, and going by Baird. While transporting survivors from a wreck, he meets and falls in love with a woman, and meets the women’s sister. If you read the back of the book you know what happens next, tragedy strikes and Baird is forced to fight his war through Zululand to find the women’s sister.
After the beginning stages, once Baird actually begins his quest, the story actually gets quite good, although it does slow at parts. The ending definitely surprised me in a good way, and overall I thought this book was written well enough, although it of course is never going to become a classic. It is a fun read to pass time and see the setting come to life, and in that role it is great, although still not better than the likes of Wilbur Smith or other famous adventure writers.
The setting is well written and for the most part authentic, although it does have a few stereotypes, nothing major though. I would call it a great recreation of late 19th century South Africa, especially for the British people living there, for the Zulus I’m not quite as sure, but definitely not a cliche as other works set in this war. It represents the Zulus fairly, and not as savages but as brave warriors, which I really liked. The Boers are not mentioned very much, and when they did appear they were written well, so the author definitely did his homework about the period.
Overall this is a fun book to read if you are bored or are just interested in the Anglo-Zulu war, but do not expect anything extraordinary. If Goodreads had more freedom for scoring this book would likely be a 3.75 for me, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt and round up to a 4, and I recommend this book for fans of adventure stories in the British Empire.
The protagonist is a young man enlisted in the mounted police, who goes from fighting in border skirmishes to leading a battalion of Dragoons, all while trying to keep his true identity a secret, and going by Baird. While transporting survivors from a wreck, he meets and falls in love with a woman, and meets the women’s sister. If you read the back of the book you know what happens next, tragedy strikes and Baird is forced to fight his war through Zululand to find the women’s sister.
After the beginning stages, once Baird actually begins his quest, the story actually gets quite good, although it does slow at parts. The ending definitely surprised me in a good way, and overall I thought this book was written well enough, although it of course is never going to become a classic. It is a fun read to pass time and see the setting come to life, and in that role it is great, although still not better than the likes of Wilbur Smith or other famous adventure writers.
The setting is well written and for the most part authentic, although it does have a few stereotypes, nothing major though. I would call it a great recreation of late 19th century South Africa, especially for the British people living there, for the Zulus I’m not quite as sure, but definitely not a cliche as other works set in this war. It represents the Zulus fairly, and not as savages but as brave warriors, which I really liked. The Boers are not mentioned very much, and when they did appear they were written well, so the author definitely did his homework about the period.
Overall this is a fun book to read if you are bored or are just interested in the Anglo-Zulu war, but do not expect anything extraordinary. If Goodreads had more freedom for scoring this book would likely be a 3.75 for me, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt and round up to a 4, and I recommend this book for fans of adventure stories in the British Empire.
March 5, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. Having grown up in Natal and having visited Rorke's Drift, I know quite a lot about the history of the events depicted in this novel. Also I am familiar with some of the actual battle sites.
It is quite fast moving & not bothering to get embroiled in a detailed history of events but keeping the characters and their escapades moving along at a good pace to make the book hard to put down at times. The ending is a bit predictable but satisfying as it lends itself to continuing the story in future novels. This I have done by embarking immediately into Book 2 of Andrew Bairds Adventures in late 1800's South Africa.
It is quite fast moving & not bothering to get embroiled in a detailed history of events but keeping the characters and their escapades moving along at a good pace to make the book hard to put down at times. The ending is a bit predictable but satisfying as it lends itself to continuing the story in future novels. This I have done by embarking immediately into Book 2 of Andrew Bairds Adventures in late 1800's South Africa.
September 25, 2023
Enjoyed the insight into the Zulu Wars, a subject that I have very little experience with. The character development was excellent, and the author did a good job of detailing both sides of the conflict. The story itself drew me in from the very start. Books like this are the reason I so enjoy historic novels. My first experience with Malcolm Archibald, and I certainly was not disappointed. Looking forward to reading more of his work.
September 3, 2023
Excellent Historical Novel
Intriguing tale of the impacts of colonization taking place during th Zulu War of the late1870's. Terrific characters are included in an excellent storyline that contains quality writing and plenty of action. The clash of cultures and the ramifications thereof are very well described. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Intriguing tale of the impacts of colonization taking place during th Zulu War of the late1870's. Terrific characters are included in an excellent storyline that contains quality writing and plenty of action. The clash of cultures and the ramifications thereof are very well described. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
July 25, 2024
ROUSING!! ACTION PACKED!! WELL WORTH THE READ!!
What a great story about a South Africa I knew very little about.
Malcolm Archibald has written a great book - WELL WORTH BEING READ!!
He puts you IN the Action side by side with the characters.
A Masterful Storyteller!!!!
What a great story about a South Africa I knew very little about.
Malcolm Archibald has written a great book - WELL WORTH BEING READ!!
He puts you IN the Action side by side with the characters.
A Masterful Storyteller!!!!
September 10, 2024
Good boys own stuff
The son of jack follows his father's example and starts at the beginning of his career in the army,and with daring do triumphs .
The son of jack follows his father's example and starts at the beginning of his career in the army,and with daring do triumphs .
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews