Windrush

Jack Windrush #1

by Malcolm Archibald

Burmese War, 1852. Unable to join the famous Royal Malverns, Jack Windrush is commissioned into the despised 113th Foot.

Determined to rise in the ranks and make a name for himself, he is sent with the 113th to join the British expedition. But when they get involved in the attack of Rangoon, Jack realizes that war on the fringes of the Empire is not as honorable and glorious as he expected.

After a chance meeting with a renegade British soldier, Jack witnesses the true terrors of war, and begins to question the whole framework in which he has grown up.

Praise from

★★★★★ - "A well-crafted historical novel."

★★★★★ - "Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys military fiction."

★★★★★ - "Archibald delivers one heck of a story."

★★★★★ - "Impossible to put down."

Genres: Historical Fiction, War, Historical, Asia, Fiction, Military Fiction, Amazon

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2016

About the author

My 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.

Reviews

[Jacqui · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't read this if you're Asian. How is it that here in 2018 (ok, this came out in 2016, but still...) it is acceptable to embrace so many racist stereotypes? The mysterious, exotic woman! The unflaggingly servile companion! And, oh, those horrid savages! I wish I had read this in print instead of on my Kindle. I might have felt a teensy bit better if I could have at least hurled it across the room.

Shame on you, Mr. Archibald. Also, if you enjoy Jane Austen so much, perhaps you might bother to spell her name correctly.

[Ellen McNerney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Must be spoiled by the likes of Bernard Cornwell and C.S. Forrester because the efforts put forward by Archibald and so many others is weak in comparison .

A very interesting story line was poorly served. Wouldn't recommend following the last two books in this series. Mark McNerney

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (3/20/2018)!💝

[Patrick MacGuire · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a reader I am not all that hard to please, but the complete horrible mess of this book left me amazed in disgust. The characters are wooden and do not act or speak in ways that any persons, let alone Victorian period people might. The protagonist is a commissioned officer and, ostensibly a gentleman, yet carries his own trunk on and off ships, he is accused of homosexuality, for choosing to avoid the company of a woman who so far is a creep, a lunatic, a slut and a complete bitch. He travels through the Suez Canal, nearly twenty years before it exists. I could go on and on. I really have to question the legitimacy of reviews awarding this buzzards more than two stars.
And yet, this book is a work of historical fiction, so it very properly DOES NOT share our modern fancies and sensibilities. Those reviewers which find it insensitive, if not racist, are dumb arseholes who completely miss the point that an 18 year old upper class Victorian Englishman is going to look down on EVERYONE. We don't get to judge fictional long dead people and insist they should stop being bigots, homophobes or racists or that they be able to spell the English language like ignorant Americans.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I chose this book, really not my thing

[Tessa Barding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, solid adventure novel and I bet it'd look great as a TV series. I'm not familiar with the Sharpe books but I know the films, and Windrush has a similar feel to it which I enjoyed. It's a quick-paced, well-written story that is fun to read.

A thought on language: as opposed to other reviewers I didn't take offence at what may look like inappropriate wording as per today's view (e.g. "exotic"), rather, I accepted the odd out-of-place words in their context which means: through the eyes of a young, white Englishman of the 19th century raised to be a gentleman (by that time's standards), and despite him being born in India, anything not English must seem "exotic" to him.
But as Mr Archibald doesn't have his MC behave like a white supremacist (correct me if I'm wrong but I didn't see it) I'm willing to forgive the his choice of words. I think that if you write a novel set in the 19th century, then you cannot have your MCs use "appropriate", today's, wording but you can - and should - make sure the "hero characters" don't behave in an offensive and insulting manner. IMO the author did a good job balancing that - but that's my opinion and others may disagree.

What did irk me, however, were the spelling errors, typos and misplaced (or missing) commas of which there were a few. Not sure if this is a self-pubbed novel but even so, (professional) proofreading should be taken seriously because too many errors can easily spoil your reading fun. And in the case of Windrush, it would be a shame.

Still: putting the next books in the series on my to-read list.

[Lynn's · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’ve heard about books that have a “rags to riches” theme, right? Well, this book has the opposite story line. With the death of Jack’s father, his mother decides it’s time to reveal that he was actually an illegitimately born son and sends him off to the lowest regiment in the Royal Army there was. There, he’s sent to Burma, where he’s determined to make a name for himself...or change the name of the 113th.

I was intrigued by this book because of its setting and once I got into it, the character’s really grew on me and the story was very interesting. There was a lot of bad language in the novel and that didn’t thrill me, but if you could get past that it was a decent story. A lot of the reviews I read before getting this book mentioned that the story was disrespectful towards the Burmese people by calling them heathens and other degrading names. Though I don’t typically read and approve of books like that, after reading the novel myself, I did not take it to mean that the author was a racist, but just trying to portray the thought patterns and prejudices of the British towards other nationalities in that time period.

Conclusion: For a “war” novel, the story line kept my attention and had a good plot. I did not like the foul language and for that reason, won’t continue to read the series, but, if the language wasn’t an issue, I would read on. The author had a great style and could make you feel like you were right there in the middle of Southeast Asia.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical fiction read!

What an interesting and wonderful book! I absolutely enjoyed it from beginning to end.

I'm a historical fiction buff and tend to lean towards historical military endeavors this year. This book is fascinating as Jack Windrush begins his English military career in 1840's Burma.

The battle scenes are so well written and we get an insight into this young ensign endeavoring to bring honor to a lowly regiment known as the 113th Baby Butchers. The descriptions of jungle, rivers and villages made me feel the stifling heat and swarms of insects as Jack leads his small contingency of misfits into one dangerous situation to another.

I would highly recommend this book to historical fiction readers. Great writing here!

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the death of his father, Englishman Jack Windrush's world is turned upside down. He joins the army and is sent out to Burma in hopes of recovering at least part of what he has lost.

Pros: This is a relatively short book with a brisk pace and several decent action scenes.

Cons: Annoying repetition. Things like the 113th is full of nothing but losers and rejects, Myat smells like sandalwood, or Windrush reminding himself he's a British officer, the author says these things over and over and over and over. I got it the first 100 times, Malcolm. Staaahp!

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the brilliantly woven tale of young Jack Windrush who, all in a short space of time, finds his inheritance pulled from under him, enlisted in the 113th Foot Regiment alongside vagabonds & thieves, and facing battle in the Burmese jungle. I was drawn in from the start & enjoyed the camaraderie between Jack & his men immensely. Such a great story, it reminded me very much of the TV series 'Sharpe' & the dramatic writing ensured that every canon fire was imagined to be heard & each thrust of the sword exhilarating.

[Marjory Forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting Romp

Jack Windrush is the ultimate hero in a very readable tale that keeps you gripped from start to finish. The setting in Burma adds interest and the subsidiary characters are also heroic and loyal with an unexpected twist at the end. Should appeal to lovers of action adventure and historical fiction.

[Stephen B. Jurbala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well constructed and written book. It gives the reader a realistic view of India and Burma during the British Raj. It's exciting and engrossing keeping the reader engrossed as to what will happen next. It's filled with wonderful twists and turns of the characters lives and problems. Anyone who loves historical novels will love this book.

[Chris Peace · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. Set in Burma in 19C, it’s the story of Jack Windrush, whose family for many years were all military leaders and Gentlemen and all through Jacks early years he expected following the tradition, to receivie his ticket into the distinguished family regiment when his father died, but to Jacks dismay this was not to be.

[William Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I did think it was a bit on the formuliac she, but in all fairness that is pretty much the case with all similar series as well. This is the kind of book tat used to be called (& maybe still is) a "great summer read". I liked the characters Mr Archibald created. I'm going to go read the second in the series now. It's a fun book, check it out.

[Betty Burkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable historical fiction

Well developed characters that tell a story. Takes you through the thoughts and feelings of ensign Windrush as he battled his conflicting feelings all the while trying to be an English gentleman. A surprise at the end that I didn't see coming.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Windrush was brought up to be an English gentleman and, as the eldest son, expected to be his father’s heir. In his will, the father had instructed that Jack join the Royals Regiment, a highly respected branch of the military in which he himself had served with distinction. Jack’s younger brother William was to look after the estate. However, at his father’s death, Jack found that he was a bastard, the son of his father and a kitchen maid. The woman, whom he knew as his mother, coldly told him that his younger brother William was to join the Royals. Jack was to join as an ensign in the 113th, regiment, the “baby butchers”, a disgraced group of so-called cowards. Jack was given a modest stipend and told never to return to their home.

Jack was on a mission to prove himself, to rise in the ranks, and retrieve his former place in society with an honorable career in the army. He attempted to mark himself for glory rather than fight for any cause he believed in. At one point, when he was sent to fight in Burma, he stole two gold Buddha statues from a captured pagoda, although he had told his men they were not to plunder the enemy’s gold and other possessions. Jack thought of buying his way up in the ranks or, possibly, buying land in England.

The book takes place in the 1850s, primarily in Burma. The men of the 113th are sent to fight Bo Ailgaliutlo and his followers. Bo is a renegade Englishman, who is fighting against the English presence in Burma. Jack learns his surprising identity just before his men kill Bo.

Through his experiences as a soldier who is responsible for the lives of his men, Jack changes his perspective on what is important. Towards the end of the book, his men save a number of prisoners and take them to safety, but Bo and his men capture Jack. Sergeant Wells, O’Neil, Coleman, Armstrong, Thorpe, and Ranveer determine his whereabouts and save Jack’s life. Jack realizes they risked their own lives to do so. Jack returns the stolen Buddhas to Myat, a Buddhist who is Well’s wife and their translator. He says he does not need the statues now.

As Myat says to Jack, “You had three battles to win, Ensign Windrush. You had to defeat your country’s enemies, the enemies within your family and the enemy within yourself.”

The story is action-packed with fighting. This book pulled me in and had me on the edge of my seat. The author did an excellent job in his description of the battle scenes. I am not ordinarily interested in military battles, but I was hooked.

The ending was not as well written and was too abrupt for me. It is almost like the author decided, “Okay, let’s end it”. There are other books that continue the Windrush story, however, so read on!

[Chris simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read at all, I get a bit fed up with the very last minute reprieve/rescue/intervention but I suppose it makes it more exciting, I thought the premise was good. An eldest son from the privileged class discovering that he is in fact illegitimate which disbars him from the regiment that the eldest son has always joined, He joins 113th foot, a regiment with no battle honours and known as the baby Killers as they where responsible for the killing of women and children in an earlier campaign. Determined to further his career and so transfer to a better regiment he sets of with the regiment for Burma and so the saga begins. It is a shame that some people choose to complain about the attitudes and language of the soldiers of Victorian Britain, although they where wrong by modern standards that is how they acted and it would be wrong and dangerous to pretend otherwise and there are many more modern problems to be indignant and upset about . We must learn from the past and not pretend it was different

[Samantha Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the attention to detail. I work in archives and read 18th and 19th century letters every day, so recognise the authenticity of the speech patterns in this book. We chose it as our book of the month in our book club, and enjoyed it immensely.
The characters are accurate, so I felt sorry for poor Jack losing his heritage in the early pages, and hope he can recover his position in subsequent volumes.
In the early sections, Jack does not fit in, and his experiences as an outsider are painfully accurate.
Jack's crossing of Egypt in the pre-Suez Canal days is spot on, with the Mahmoudieh Canal and railway - I think I read something similar in the biography of Lord Roberts on his journey to India around the same time.
Equally accurate was the description of the insect life, paddle steamers and towns in Burma, with Jack's reaction to the shock of the East fantastic.
Without giving too many spoilers, there are family twists and bloody skirmishes- fantastic book.

[Isobel Blackthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Windrush is the first in this historical war series. The novel is set mostly in Burma during the Anglo-Burmese war and packs a punch from the get-go.

Upon the death of his father, Jack’s mother informs him that he will not be serving in the prestigious Royals, but must instead join a different and lowly regiment of the British Army, as fitting the shocking revelation withheld from him until this moment, when he discovers he is the result of his father’s indiscretion with a kitchen maid. The 113th Foot. With that devastating news, Jack sets off with much to learn and much to prove.

Archibald captures the mood of the times and clearly knows his history. The writing is taut and smooth, and the plot well-paced in what amounts to a gripping read. The battle scenes are very well handled. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series.

[Suzanne Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Sharpe’s Rifles & Horacio Hornblower...

...You will love this! I’m not a fan of battle scene books, but this is wonderful.

The plot itself is a new one: Victorian Englishman learns he is a bastard, scheming stepmother dooms him to a disgraced military unit, disregarding her deceased husband’s wishes, and everything that would earn the man a better reputation just sends him further into disgrace. Or does it?

The arc of the plot is well developed as are the character arcs. The ending is somewhat surprising, as the reader filters out the “what” and part of the “who” in the foreshadowing. The descriptions of battle are not overly graphic, but descriptive enough to depict the horrors of war in the 19th century.

This is another author I’ve added to my “FMB” list, as there are at least 5 more books in the series.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad colonial era adventure yarn, set in an unusual location. It reminded me of On the Irrawaddy: A Story of the First Burmese War by G.A. Henty. In terms of plot and character, it's nothing special, and of course it suffers, like all stories of this genre, from an uncomfortable undercurrent of racism, but it passed the time on a flight.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Windrush (Jack Windrush, #1) is an old-fashion History/Adventure tale that takes you to a lesser known part of the British Empire in the Near East. It starts with just a riot in England, a destruction of a young man’s dream and proceeds to place him in danger on every page. Nothing is dull about this story; not the complex characters with their own agendas or the pure brutality of war in the 1850’s. The author spares none of the gritty details of army life. It is one slam, bang action scene after the other. Take a deep breath, you’ll need it!

[Mary Irvine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book displays extensive research and provides a genuine and credible background to the story, which moves along smoothly. A positive is that the author produces a variety of characters. Jack reflects very much the traditional 'officer class' of the time and contrasts well with other ranks which are often drawn as 'rough 'uns' but without the swearing that some writers feel is necessary so to do. A good read for a dreich Scottish Spring day. One tiny quibble - A line break between time slips would have been helpful.

[Giles Ekins]

A great action novel highlighting a little known colonial war, the war in the former Burma.
Jack Windrush, the bastard son, is driven out by family after the death of his father and unable to join the family regiment.
Instead he has to make his way in a regiment with the reputation of fleeing from battle.
His various adventures as he strives to restore the regiments reputation are well detailed and exciting.

For anybody who likes action novels set in a historical setting, Windrush is highly recommended.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes place during the war in 1852 Burma where we meet ensign Jack Windrush assigned to the 113th Regiment in the Royal Malverns British Army. Jack's regiment is sent to fight Bo Aligaliutlo an English renegade and his band of renegades but is captured. Most of the men in Jack's regiment escape and save many prisoners and bring them to safety. Jack had stolen Buddhas in Burma but later returned them to a Buddhist in Myat who forgave him as Jack had battled and defeated his enemies. This is a well written action packed story. I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel.

[Tom Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Held my interest thru out. Lloyds of action and sixpence. Anxious to read the next one in the series. also more of Malcolm Archibald books. He is a great story teller..

The action is so life like and hi characters a are soreal
Must read m more of his historical work.

[Phil Ellenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good action story

The hero won his three battles. The reader revived some insights into the warfare techniques of the period the author prosolatized on doing the mantras of the period. Do t my taste it was a bit to bloody in the battle scenes. However, the book is media good read.

[Barbara Packard · Rating 5 out of 5]

British soliders at war in the East.

Well I think that this story explains what a British solider is. At least the ones who fought in Burma and parts of India. It was a very harsh place with some very harsh people. Of course there is no place that isn't harsh where there is war. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down until I finished.

[Monta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel guilty even rating this one, since it's not at all ringing a bell, even after refreshing myself with reading a summary. For awhile I did a kind-of book "club" thing --called Bookbub--where an email sent me good deals on books. I tended to buy a few a month for a few months until I decided I was literally throwing away money because I was buying random books, not books I bought because they looked especially good to me. So, bottom line, I don't remember this book at all.

[Joan Maten · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was well written and certainly a page turner. But, by God, it was battles and war followed be battles and war, followed be battles and war. Plot? Well, maturation of comrades, jealousy, maybe a family twist counts. And, oh yes, the English took more territory. It’s a good story if you’re a war buff. Otherwise, I’m moving on.