Chasseur à Cheval: Napoleonic Horseman, Book 1

Napoleonic Horseman #1

by Griff Hosker, Simon Aitchison (Narrator)

From rejection to revolution; the cavalry calls.

Robbie Macgregor is the bastard son of a French Aristocrat and a Scottish servant. Unwanted by his father and finding himself without wealth and power, he is still despised by the masses. Forced to join the French army to avoid the guillotine, his new career gives him chance to be reborn. As a Chasseur à Cheval and through action and heroism, Robbie is involved with the capture of the Dutch Fleet on the Texel and the conquest of Malta, catching the eye of a young French General, Napoleon Bonaparte, who is quickly rising to power.

"I was born Robbie Macgregor. To many people, I am a traitor. To the French people I grew up with, I certainly was. To the English I fought for, I probably was and to my Scottish relatives? I suppose it depends to whom you spoke. I take no blame for any of this; it was all an accident of birth and death."

Fast moving and action-packed, Chasseur à Cheval follows the early days of the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power and campaign through Italy, through the eyes of a young cavalryman.

The first book in Griff Hosker's Napoleonic Horseman series—a sweeping 10-book saga of war, loyalty, and transformation, as viewed from the perspective of a young horseman caught in the storm of revolution and the rise of empire. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, C.S. Forester, and Alexander Kent.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Audible Audio

First published November 7, 2013

About the author

I was born in 1950 in Lancashire and attended a boy’s grammar school. After qualifying as an English and Drama teacher in 1972, I worked in the North East of England for the next 35 years. During that time I did write, mainly plays, pantos and musicals for the students at the three schools in which I worked.

When I stopped teaching I set up my own consultancy firm and worked as an adviser in schools and colleges in the North East of England. The new Conservative Government ended that avenue of work and in 2010 I found that I had time on my hands; having started work at the age of 15 I found the lack of work not to my liking and used the time to research the Roman invasion of Britain and begin to create a novel. The result was The Sword of Cartimandua.

My decision to begin writing was one of the best I have ever taken.

griff-signature-360x57

Reviews

[Charles van Buren]

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This review is from: Chasseur à Cheval (Napoleonic Horseman Book 1) (Kindle Edition)

This book is a simple, quick read mainly concerning two French cavalrymen who end up in Napoleon's army in Italy. The two main characters, Robbie and Jean are well developed as is Napoleon. The others not so much. Descriptions of combat and the historical battles do not have the detail and color provided by such authors as Bernard Cornwell. Despite being wanted by the French Revolutionary government for a probable appointment with Mme. Guillotine and the dangers of combat, there is no real sense of danger to Robbie and Jean. They confront battle and enemies. They win. All of that aside, Mr. Hosker seems to have potential. The historical research appears a little shaky. Things such as seeming to imply that the Barbary pirates were black.

[Robert Kaul]

This story was a different approach for me, taking place during the late 18th century with napoleon's light calvary fighting in Italy and Austria. Great characters and good start in this series. Want to thank Mr Hosker for the free audio book.

[Derk West]

This series will be right along the lines of Richard Howards "Alain Lausard" series. Well done, I was very pleased and have already purchased the second book. If you like the characters, Richard Sharpe, Alain Lausard, or Jack Absolute, you will enjoy this series. Griff Hosker has a good series started, I can only hope he continues it.

[Malum]

Pretty mindless action/adventure historical fiction with a Gary Stu protagonist. Characterization is pretty thin but there is always something happening which helps. Hosker is not a fantastic writer (for example, he way overuses some variation of "his face disappeared" when someone gets shot in the face-which happens a lot) and his dialog can feel clunky, but he gets the job done.

[Dana Reeves]

Entertaining

Really a very entertaining and adventurous novel. Very well written and enjoyable characters. I look forward to the next installment

[sharon anne walford]

Decent read,

If you like Sharpe then give it a go, it's different hearing the same part of history but from the French side