Rogue Raider

by Nigel Barley Author

Rogue Raider is a humorous fictionalized history set in Southeast Asia during the First World War, which centers on a lovable rogue in the form of Captain Julius Lauterbach of the German Imperial Navy and the ship that catapulted the "Flashmanesque" Lauterbach to accidental fame (and infamy), His Imperial Majesty's Emden. Follow the adventures of Lauterbach, a beer-guzzling, cigar-smoking filcher, a braggart and, above all, a survivor.

296 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Imran Ahmed · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an (amateur) historian of Singapore I picked up this novel hoping to get a better sense of events surrounding the Mutiny of 1915 which occurred in erstwhile colonial Singapore.

Perhaps my expectations were misplaced and, instead, I should have prepared for a somewhat cynical and otherwise personality driven storybook.

The writing style was difficult to follow. There was much emphasis on descriptive static events which were not easy to string together into a coherent sequence. Indeed, one could easily be mistaken in thinking the Mutiny of 1915 was not a significant event based on this account.

I'm satisfied I made it through the novel but have a hard time justifying anything more than two stars for Barley's work.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

for a random pick off a shelf in georgetown, malaysia, this was an exceptional find. hilarious book, even better that it’s mostly true. i do wish that there was some sort of clarification of how much of the story was based on fact and maybe a list of sources. but the characterization of captain lauterbach is absolutely hilarious and deeply entertaining, offering the reader a very interesting perspective which livens up already fascinating historical events. the most satisfying part for me is the nuanced description of the different cultures he comes across in his journeys. having lived and traveled in east and southeast asia for several years now, it felt an accurate and sensitive assessment in the most boorish way possible

[Clifford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly fun read.