Retribution Road

Arthur Bowman #1

by Antonin Varenne, Sam Taylor (Translator)

"We owe you our lives, Sergeant, but you are our worst nightmare . . ."

Burma, 1852. Sergeant Arthur Bowman, a sergeant in the East India Company, is sent on a secret mission during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. But the expedition is foiled - his men are captured and tortured. Throughout their ordeal, a single word becomes Bowman's mantra, a word that will stiffen their powers of endurance in the face of unimaginable suffering: "Survival". But for all that, only a handful escape with their lives.

Some years later in London, battling his ghosts through a haze of alcohol and opium, Bowman discovers a mutilated corpse in a sewer. The victim appears to have been subjected to the same torments as Bowman endured in the Burmese jungle. And the word "Survival" has been daubed in blood by the body's side. Persuaded that the culprit is one of the men who shared his captivity, Bowman resolves to hunt him down.

From the Burmese jungle to the slums of London to the conquest of the Wild West, Antonin Varenne takes us on a thrilling journey full of sound and unabated fury, reviving the lapsed tradition of the great writers of boundless adventure. Sergeant Bowman belongs to that breed of heroes who inhabit the imaginations of Conrad, Kipling, Stevenson . . . Lost soldiers who have plunged into the heart of darkness and will cross the globe in search of vengeance and redemption.

Translated from the French by Sam Taylor

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Crime, 19th Century, Westerns, Adventure, France

528 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2014

About the author

Né à Paris en 1973, Antonin Varenne n’y restera que quelques mois avant d’être enlevé par ses parents pour vivre aux quatre coins de France, puis sur un voilier. Il n’y reviendra qu’à vingt ans, pour poursuivre des études à Nanterre.

Après une maîtrise de philosophie (Machiavel et l’illusion politique), il quitte l’Université, devient alpiniste du bâtiment, vit à Toulouse, travaille en Islande, au Mexique et, en 2005, s’arrime au pied des montagnes Appalaches où il décide de mettre sur papier une première histoire. Revenu en France accompagné d’une femme américaine, d’un enfant bilingue et d’un chien mexicain, il s’installe dans la Creuse et consacre désormais son temps à l’écriture.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a extraordinary and epic translated novel, a hybrid of a number of genres taking in among others, adventure and western, that imprints itself on your consciousness and is destined to remain there for a long time. It begins with Sergeant Arthur Bowman, a loner, an East India Company soldier, sent on a covert mission in the second Anglo-Burma war in 1852 with a ragtag group of men. The mission is a failure, they suffer some of the worst that mankind offers and only a handful of barely alive men survive, with Bowman's mantra, Survival, embedded in their torn souls. This is a story of greed, retribution, redemption, forgiveness, what it is to live tenuously on the edge between life and death, and the driven search for a disturbed killer that spans continents.

A deeply traumatised Bowman, a heavy drinker and visitor of opium dens, is working as a policeman in an impoverished and stinking London. Suspended after a man is killed, he then finds himself being led to an unimaginable murder with the word 'survival' at the scene. He knows it could only have been committed by his group of men. Prior to being disbanded, the East India Company deny such a mission occurred and Bowman becomes the chief suspect. He locates Captain Reeve who tracks down the current whereabouts of those men and gives Bowman a veritable fortune. Upon locating most of the men, Bowman finds nearly all are victim to misfortune, death, and madness. By coincidence, he comes across a New York Tribune article that relates a murder with the same MO in Reunion, Texas. Becoming aware that two of the group are in the USA, he travels there to find his man to stop him. His search takes him to the wild west, across many states and Mexico. He encounters pioneers, farmers, gold prospectors, soldiers, indians, slavery, the American Civil War and Alexandra Desmond. The journey tests him to his limits and puts him on the path of profound change as the ghosts around him multiply.

This is a complex and intricate story of its time, of how much the human spirit can suffer, endure and the slight possibility of hope. Bowman is a man who tries to put right the wrongs he encounters without fear because he has seen all the horror there is to see and done much he is not proud of. He is a man more sinned against than sinning. The writing is sublime, vivid and descriptive, with a compelling narrative that captures the countries in that specific historical period. The author has clearly done his research. This is a book I loved and which I highly recommend. Thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

[Andy Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Varenne's novel opens in London in 1858, the year of the Great Stink; hot and humid weather with a drought so dry that it was said it was possible to walk across the Thames in places. Sargeant Arthur Bowman is sent to lead a secret mission into the jungles of Burma in the second Anglo war. This opening of the book is savage and brutal as 19th century warfare in Asia was, but then the novel heads in a very different direction.

But this wonderfully researched story is about a lot more than the history of an ugly and brutal war. It soon turns 'murder mystery' as Bowman and his men return from the war. Bowman recognises some of the characteristics of a murder and knows straight away it is one of his men. Before long he is pursuing the perpetrator to America, where he hears of a second and similar murder. The historical interest continues as the story becomes an 1850s road trip through New Mexico and Texas to a Colorado in the midst of the gold rush, and on to San Francisco. Meanwhile the opening skirmishes of the Civil War take place.

This historical novel is a huge achievement for Varenne, but the real interest is in the character of Arthur Bowman, once the toughest and most uncompromising soldier, and why he dedicates his life to tracking down a murderer. Almost misleading is the word 'retribution' in the title. Perhaps better something like, the salvation of Sargeant Bowman.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have tried and failed to write a coherent review of Retribution Road, with several attempts, as it’s impossible to do justice as an amateur reviewer to the sheer magnificence of this novel. Adopting the form of an allegoric odyssey, Antonin Varenne has produced a sprawling, magisterial novel that defies comparison to anything I have read before…
Structured as three interlinking parts, and traversing more than 700 pages, I could feel the influence of a quest serving as a plot device in mythology and fiction, with a difficult journey towards a goal, in the character of Arthur Bowman who inhabits, and influences, each stage of the novel. As he journeys from his military service in Burma, then on to Victorian London, and finally to the swathes of  unconquered territory of America in the grip of the gold rush, each section of the book is wonderfully visual, with Varenne depicting each landscape with pinpoint precision. In his use of location the ordinary is made extraordinary, and the reader’s sense of us being such a small inconsequential part of the natural world is continually brought to bear. Bowman is beautifully cast as both avenging angel and pioneer, weighted down by the brutal events in his personal history, and hence a man of changeable moods and impulses that wax and wane during the course of his mission to track down a killer.
The prose throughout is as tender and sensitive, as it is violent and vengeful, and our emotions and feelings are challenged and manipulated throughout, as Bowman navigates through both testing terrain, and human interaction. The book also poses some interesting theories on  morality and immorality, particularly as a consequence of Bowman’s actions, and those of the man he so ardently and doggedly pursues, at intense personal cost. I don’t think it is any exaggeration to say that this is a true magnum opus, and held me utterly in its power along the long road to redemption and justice. It was just a completely wonderful emotional rollercoaster,  suffused with historical detail, and a totally authentic evocation of place. It is a hugely complex and challenging novel, addressing themes of war, religion, revenge, human connection and emotional strife. As ever, Sam Taylor provides a perfect translation, that subtly captures the nuances of Varenne’s intensity of emotion.  I cannot praise Retribution Road enough, and would highly recommend it for fiction and crime fiction readers alike. C‘est vraiment magnifique!  

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit the locations in the novel Retribution Road

Almost three books for the price of one – a historical read, plus a political one on the horrors of the Burma wars and a western story. Yes that surprised me too, but as you read and see the threads coming together it all blends and works very well together.

It is a long read and at times the descriptions of warfare and torture can be heavy going at times but overall it’s a rewarding read. It’s really in a genre of its own I would say as it ‘s much more than a sum of its parts.

I loved the historical premise with the mystery of the East India Company and the types of missions which went on at that time, the type of war which originated in the Burmese jungle and the conditions and minds of the men who played a role. As Bowman follows the trail, he encounters many events in American and world history which populate the pages, creating a veritable journey in every sense of the word.

It’s an impressive and epic novel although I do think it could have been shorter and yet still as effective if not more. A little less detail and more breathing space would have made this more powerful in many ways but you con’t deny that the author has more than done his homework and for that I applaud him

Special mention has to go to the translator as it’s a smooth and impressive story in English too. This would not have been an easy job and to keep the threads in order, the tension up then down, the haunting story of the past coming to the fore….the nuances of the time and place.

An epic and impressive read that brings its own rewards.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novel of epic proportions encompassing Asia, London and America. The massive amount of historical research is astounding. The descriptions of the settings are vividly cinematic. The plot is wide ranging and compelling with interesting characters.

Sergeant Arthur Bowman was a soldier who witnessed and committed atrocities in Africa and India; bad, half-mad and dangerous to know. A hard brutal man in brutal situations. He is a loner, brooding and mostly uncommunicative. He was sent by the East India Company in 1852 on a secret mission to Burma which ended in failure. The men were captured and imprisoned in a jungle location for several years. They were kept in separate cages, barely fed and underwent indescribable torture. Bowman’s mantra to his fellow prisoners was. ‘Survive’. Ten are finally released, broken in body, spirit and mind and bearing terrible scars. Afterwards the mission, according to the Company, never existed.

Bowman, newly returned from Asia is working as a policeman in London. It is 1858, the year of ‘The Big Stink’. The temperatures were intense in July and August. The Thames nearly dried up leaving mounds of human and industrial waste piled up and the air thick with pollution and disease. One day Bowman is led by a frightened boy to observe a body in the London sewers. The body shows signs of the same type of torture inflicted in Burma and the word ‘Survive’ is written in blood. Bowman recognizes to his alarm that the killer must be one of ten men who survived captivity in Burma. The police chief doesn’t believe this theory. He is fired and even under suspicion for the murder.

On learning that a similar murder has been committed in America, he embarks on an epic journey across the United States. He has investigated the present whereabouts of the surviving prisoners and learns most are said to be dead, dying or insane. It seems the locations of only two of the men are unknown. He becomes obsessed in tracking them down in America. Soon other bodies with the same signature and in the identical mutilations are being discovered in several towns in America and Bowman realizes he is on the trail of a serial killer. His journey takes him from New York, where he disembarked, through the Wild West . The frontier is just starting to be settled. A Black man and three Indians have been unjustly executed for the killings as it is believed that no white man could commit such horrific crimes. The gold rush is on, land is being opened up for farming, Lincoln is president and the Civil War is underway.

After much grueling travel, illnesses and injuries, Bowman finally tracks down the two survivors of Burma and suspects one must be responsible for the serial murders. The book is highly recommended for anyone interested in historical and complex mystery and adventure. What starts out by Bowman as a search for retribution becomes one of redemption.

[John Wiltshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sometimes wish I didn't use a two-star system for reviewing books: 1-star crap; 5-star good. Occasionally a novel comes along which is so outstanding I'd like to give it more than 5 stars. I didn't want this novel to end. I lived it more than just read it. I cannot recommend it too highly. Long, complex, intriguing, enigmatic, beautifully written, it's cast a spell on me over the last few weeks. I've found myself relating everything in my life to Arthur Bowman and his hunt for a killer. I won't sum up the plot, suffice to say that it begins in Burma and spans over ten years of Bowman's life, and incorporates a time in London and then in the newly expanding America. I'm not entirely sure I understood the ending, but that's okay. I don't get real life most of the time either.
If you like being immersed in a story, give this one a go.

[charlotte, · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @ p74

[Frédéric · Rating 5 out of 5]

After one year of captivity in the Burma jungle former East India Company sergeant Bowman his released from active duty and is a beat cop along the Thames River in London. A loner to the core and opium addicted, Bowman is still haunted by the tortures he's endured in the jungle, by what he'd done to survive.

Then a mutilated corpse is found in London's sewers. Bowman knows these mutilations. His body is scarred with the same. They were ten coming out of the Burma jungle; the killer has to be one of the other nine.

On this thriller-like beginning Antonin Varenne develops an epic story, ranging from the Burma jungle, a shit-infested London and the desert of the american south-west on the eve of the civil war.

But it's more than a thriller. Actually that would be the slower thriller I've ever read! Varenne brilliantly cross-breeds crime, adventure and western, bringing along an incredibly vivid cast of characters in a realistic and harsh 19th century. He does it smoothly, without weighing down the reader with the historical researches he'd done.
It's a captivating slow paced story, stretched over a dozen years span with a Cormac McCarthy feel to it, although with a different writing style.

Bowman is a weird and not very likeable anti-hero, violent, somber and mutic, but his sufferings finally touch you and you can't help but ride along with him in his quest for something that might resemble peace.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an interesting premise, but far too long winded.

Sergeant Arthur Bowman works for the East India company, and along with ten other men, he's sent off on a mission that goes badly array.

Years later, he's an alcoholic and still clearly has PTSD from the events he experienced. When he stumbles upon a body mutilated in a similar way to the torture he and the other soldiers went through, he realises that one of the other men he was tortured with must be the killer and he sets off on a long journey to track them down.

I liked it in places, and I thought it was one of the best portrayals of alcoholism I've seen on the page. Bowman is principled but a bit of a train wreck. The actual meat of the novel, where he attempts to track down the killer is far too long, especially since we only really saw a handful of the ten men at the start of the book. There was also a very cringe sex scene that appeared out of the blue halfway through the book.

3 stars, not sure I'd read anything else by the author, but I am glad I read this one.

[Zek · Rating 5 out of 5]

בחיים לא שמעתי על הסופר הצרפתי הזה אבל שיננתי את שמ היטב למען אזכור. הוא הצליח לדחוס בספר אחד תכנים שונים כמו מלחמה/ מסע / הרפתקאות ואפילו מערבון...
הוא כתב ספר ממש כמו פעם ובמובן הטוב של המילה. ספר מרתק, מלא תהפוכות ומפתיע. למיטב ידיעתי זהו ספרו הראשון שמתורגם לעברית ואני מאד סקרן לקרוא ספרים נוספים מפרי עטו.
חמישה כוכבים מנצנצים קיבלת ממני מר אנתוני וארן.

[Angela Serban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am plecat fără așteptări și m-a surprins tare placut. Mi-era dor de o poveste de aventuri cu eroi duri si cu suflete frumoase.

[Wal.li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loneliness, Happiness

Auf Jahre verpflichtete sich Arthur Bowman bei der Ostindienkompanie. In Afrika und Asien verdingte er sich als Söldner, ein harter Hund, der beinahe mit Blicken töten konnte. Von seinen Vorgesetzten wird er auf eine Mission geschickt, die nur ein Todesurteil bedeuten kann. Eine Möglichkeit dieses hoffnungslose Unterfange abzulehnen besteht nicht und so begibt sich Bowman mit dreißig Männern auf eine Dschunke, die den Fluss Irrawaddy hinauf fahren soll. Es geht schief, was schief gehen kann und später im Jahr 1859 als Bowman bei der Londoner Polizei als Streifenpolizist tätig ist, ist er nur noch ein kriegsgeschädigtes drogen- und alkoholsüchtiges Wrack. Gerade Bowman jedoch findet eine schwer verstümmelte Leiche und er selbst gerät in Verdacht, den Mord begangen zu haben.

Was für eine Achterbahnfahrt bietet dieser Roman, man ist gezwungen in die gestörte Psyche eines abgehalfterten Soldaten einzutauchen, der doch in entscheidenden Momenten so etwas wie Mitleid zeigt, der die Fähigkeit besitzt, Urteile nicht zu vollziehen, der für sich selbst auf die Suche nach einer Wahrheit ist. Er ist sich ziemlich sicher, dass er den Mord nicht begangen hat, doch er ist auch fast sicher, dass er den Mörder an der Art des Tötens einer bestimmten Gruppe, zu der er selbst gehört, zuordnen kann. Bowman folgt den Spuren, die diese Männer hinterlassen haben. Immer wieder seiner Sucht nachgebend, beinahe aufgebend und doch hartnäckig in dem Wunsch seine Unschuld zu beweisen. Einen kleinen Trost findet er in Thoreaus Walden, dessen Lektüre ihn zur Ruhe kommen lässt.

Aufrüttelnde Schilderungen des Soldatenalltags, der Unfähigkeit der Kriegsheimkehrer, das Erlebte zu bewältigen, wechseln sich mit fast zarten Beschreibungen der Landschaft ab. Grausamkeiten, in aller Deutlichkeit dargestellt, stehen einer flirrenden Schönheit gegenüber. Gegensätze, die die Lektüre nicht leicht erträglich werden lassen, die aber außerordentlich fesseln. Eine Geschichte, in die man eintauchen kann, die einen die Hitze des Dschungels ebenso spüren lässt, wie die Kühle der Wälder, die einen die weiten Ebenen der Prärie ebenso sehen lässt, wie die Enge der Städte. Arthur Bowman ist kein Held, dem man sich leicht nähert, mit widersprüchlichen Charaktereigenschaften ausgestattet zeigt er dem Leser seine wahre Größe erst nach einer Durchwanderung der halben Welt. Seine Härte birgt Liebe und Verzeihen in sich und das macht ihn zu einem Helden, der beeindruckt.

4,5 Sterne

[Lisa]

I have tried to read this two times and I just cannot get on with it.

[Keith Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic novel, set in Victorian times, sweeping from the jungles of Burma to the stews of London to the Wild West of America, following the redemptive odyssey of the physically and mentally mutilated Arthur Bowman as he seeks out one of his former soldiers who has left a trail of grossly tortured corpses in his wake.


To the author's credit, the graphic details of sadistic torture are hinted at rather than dealt upon. The story is a fascinating adventure with some intellectual and emotional depth. It also reflects a wide knowledge of disparate localities and events - the East India Company, the Great Stink in London, the California Gold Rush.

While not quite as clever as it thinks it is nor as it might have been, it is nevertheless a powerful and involving story which carries along the reader to its redemptive conclusion.

[Bogdan Hrib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foarte tare.
Jules Verne, Paul Feval și Edgar Wallace... dar într-un stil modern.
Însă cu multe detalii despre epocă, locuri, obiceiuri... Bănuiesc o documentare uriașă.
O frească a unei lumi în schimare - deceniul 7 al secolului XIX în Marea Britanie și SUA.
Imagini descrise magnific.
Nu e o carte pentru cei care citesc un volum într-o noapte. Nu e cu urmăriri de mașini și nici salve de mitralieră. E o carte de gustat și degustat.
Încercați dacă vă place să citiți așezat, pe lung și pe lat.

[Netta · Rating 2 out of 5]

התחיל מעניין ומסקרן והמשיך לעלילה אלימה מדי, כאוטית וחסרת פשר, עם סיום מעצבן.
לא אהבתי.

[Marina Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not at all my usual reading fare: serial killer trope, historical setting, taking in 3 continents, sweeping saga with Western elements... it shouldn't work at all. And yet it does. It has all the breadth and variety of RL Stevenson, the darkness of Joseph Conrad and none of the 'going off on a tangent' of Moby Dick. What it reminded me of most (although it was written a while before) was the recent British TV series 'Taboo' produced by and starring Tom Hardy. A damaged but principled individual returning from a traumatic experience abroad, the East India Company as an out-and-out villain, the dirt and miasma of London and its poorest people, the lure of the New World across the Atlantic. However, I have to admit the book is more coherent and less deliberately obscure than the TV series. A real tour de force, bravo Monsieur Varenne!

[Etay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retribution Road was a difficult read for me, as the first half of the book had me wondering why anyone thought this story is worth telling - and while things did get better as the story progressed, the stronger sections never quite covered up the weaker ones.
For the entire start and middle of Retribution Road, the PoV character Arthur Bowman is as unrelatable a character as you'll find. He is aggressive and forceful, a brute who loves no one and is loved by no one. Events in the story lead him to being even more of an unpleasent outsider, and he doesn't really appear to have any hidden depth or inner good to coax the reader to forgive him his serious flaws.
The environment around him seems to suit his character. Most other characters are repulsive or apprehensive in some way or another, and the author makes no attempt to glorify history, thrusting the evils of western colonialism and the horrifying consequences of post trauma on the human psyche to the front.
The result is a long series of encounters and events that are gruesome, sad, or tragic. Bowman seems to drift without purpose in a world that isn't worth the trouble of trying to change himself.
Luckily, things do pick up after that. Bowman sets on a physical and mental journey that redeem him to the reader in slow, hesitant steps. While the writing is always emotionally distant, Bowman is a believable enough person that the reader can fill in the gaps and experience the pain and the blossoming hope alongside him. While the story has a very slow pace and a strong tendency to wonder into side tracks and digressions, the narrative accrues inertia until a compulsion to turn the next page grows - I've never quite noticed at what point it happened, but at some point I found myself seriously hooked.

This just about covers my impression of the plot and characters. As for the setting, large parts of the world in the late 1800s are explored, and each of them feel distinct from the others. It's immersive, even if there's never a true wealth of details to discover. For Varenne the historical canvas is not about the places, or the events, or the technology - it is about the mood, the ephemeral spirit of the time, and the kinds of people who populated it.

I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Retribution Road, as it takes some serious dedication to extract enjoyment from it. However, for those who don't mind sloughing through some muck to find gold, or those who particularity enjoy redemption stories, there's certainly an epic yet personal story of growth and pain to be found here that would keep you engaged and stir your emotions.

[Iza Brekilien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce qui m'a le plus frappée dans ce roman, c'est que c'est un roman de mouvement.
Le passage d'un continent à un autre.
La transformation d'une personnalité.
Le passage d'une époque à une autre.
La seule fois où le personnage ne bouge pas trop, il y a le passage d'une génération à une autre et aussi un changement de saison !

Cette histoire est multiple : sorte de roman policier (le héros est à la poursuite d'un tueur), avec de la psychologie (les troubles post-traumatiques et leurs conséquences), roman d'aventure à la Jack London qui nous emmène de Birmanie en Angleterre puis aux Etats-Unis, puis on finit pratiquement avec un western !

Dans une interview d'Antonin Varenne, il parlait du défi qu'a représenté Bowman, le charismatique personnage principal : comment transformer un infâme salaud à sang froid en un type acceptable. Pari réussi ! Et pourtant, au début, croyez-moi, ce n'était pas donné. Homme, enfant, animal, il n'en avait rien à faire de la douleur des autres. Pour un auteur venant du roman policier, Varenne continue à évoluer, même si je retrouve ce mouvement dans les livres que j'ai déjà lus de lui. J'ai hâte de lire Equateur (même si le titre me donne chaud d'avance...) pour en arriver à son dernier, celui qui m'a motivée à tout lire.

Passionnant !

Quelques citations :

"Les Etats-Unis ne sont pas une jeune nation, mais un commerce d'être humains florissant. Ceux qui débattent aujourd'hui à Washington de l'émancipation des esclaves sont les propriétaires des usines où travaillent ces femmes. Ce sont eux qui font tirer sur les ouvriers. Dans le Sud, un Blanc qui tue un Nègre ne va pas en prison, mais un Blanc qui aide un esclave en fuite ira moisir dans une cellule pendant longtemps."

"Quand on sera là-bas, tu me laisseras parler. Tu es peut-être blanc, mais tu ne connais pas ces endroits.
- Je ne dis rien ?
- Tu restes comme tu es, tu fais peur aux gens et moi je parle."

"John Doe se planta à l'entrée de la grande tente, porta une main à sa bouche et poussa un hurlement sauvage, un cri aigu de cavalier indien montant à la charge. La moitié des buveurs se retourna. L'Indien ôta son chapeau, découvrant ses cheveux noirs, fit une sorte de révérence bancale et sourit.
- Bonsoir, civilisation !"

[Clarabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce roman ambitieux fascine, autant qu'il peut effrayer. En majeure partie, je l'ai trouvé très bon, entraînant, écrit sans complaisance, porté par un personnage central charismatique, un type bourru et brisé par les nombreuses désillusions. L'histoire prend vite la tournure d'un western, dévoilant des décors magnifiques, authentiques et bruts. Franchement, c'est bien fichu. Un emballage peaufiné, pour une histoire sombre et amère. Et pourtant, quel sacerdoce ! De longues descriptions, un récit qui s'enlise... c'est parfois trop lourd et accablant.

[Pascal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman très prenant, très réaliste, une traque infernale au bout du monde d'un monstre traumatisé par son passé en Birmanie en tant que soldat sous la East India Company...On parcourt le Londres bloqué par une infestation terrible, les Etats Unis de la guerre de sécession et de la ruée vers l'Ouest et l'Or...On s'accroche à un héro atypique et déglingué par la même expérience du tueur traqué... Terrible, on ne ressort pas de l'aventur i

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The start is very involving.. good. The next part is Ho hum. . I didn’t finish.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit long winded.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic story ranging from the East India Company declaring war on Burma in the early 1850s to the East End of London, and ending up in America and the Wild West around the time of the Civil War. It's not for the faint-hearted. Sgt Arthur Bowman is a member of the East India Company's army and a cold, ruthless leader of men. His views and attitudes are of his time (1850s), where most Englishmen in the colonies thought all other races were ‘below’ them. He and 10 men of his choosing are sent on a ‘special mission’ in Burma which isn’t all it seems. Descriptions and actions are bloodthirsty, merciless and cruel. His group are caught, imprisoned, starved and tortured in a jungle camp by Burmese soldiers , scarring them horrifically for life both physically and mentally.

After their release the story moves to London where the East India Co. has its own police force for which Bowman is now working, when not binge-drinking or opium- smoking to forget the past. In the (inadequate) sewers in the middle of a stinking heatwave Bowman is led to a tortured corpse with the word ‘Survival’ written in blood beside it – his men’s ‘mantra’ for staying alive in the Burmese jungle prison. The corpse bears all the signs of Burmese torture and Bowman knows one of his men is responsible. But he becomes a prime suspect, and is removed from the police force.
Bowman tries to find out more about the secret ‘River Mission’ and is led to Captain Reeves (who ordered it, acting on orders from superiors in ‘The Company’) and now who chooses to aid Bowman in his quest to find the survivors and the killer. Bowman finds the survivors one by one, all are damaged or ruined by their experiences. Down to the last 2 on his list, he’s led to America, Mexico and the Wild West - following leads he also finds an ever-increasing number of similarly tortured corpses!

Bowman is an anti-hero – He’s horrific at first; you then gradually find yourself rooting for him as he becomes slowly more ‘human’; he definitely has compassion for others, but not as you’d know it! He hates injustice. As the book goes on, you want him to grow emotionally and recover from his past.

This book has brilliant, evocative descriptions of places and details I’ve never imagined before: 1850s London and the Thames in ‘The Great Stink’ of 1858 - a dung- filled heatwave with no proper sewage system - oily, black sewers filled with carcasses ; China Court - full of laundries and opium dens; the filth and poverty of ordinary people; how the 3rd class passengers and emigrants were treated at both departure and arrival in America; the workers’ strikes there and how the army dealt with them; the ‘utopian’ ideas of idealistic settlers whose lives were ruined by corrupt officials and barren land sites, slavery, treatment of native Indians, Civil War, gold prospectors and how everyone was ripped off by corrupt local governments and companies; the sheer expanse and variety of terrain in America and the journeys involved; and how 'justice' was meted out.

This amazingly researched and detailed book was a total education for me - It’s just whet my appetite for finding out more about the dastardly (very polite term there) East (and West) India companies. I highly recommend this – what an adventure!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and again you come across a book that blows you away. For me, this was one of those books.

The story starts off with Sergeant Bowman and his men getting captured during a secret mission in Burma. It was this captivity that left significant scars both mentally and physically on each man who survived. This ordeal would shape the future of every man. Years later and still battling all kind of demons Arthur Bowman comes across a corpse in a sewer. The victim showed all the hallmarks of pain that Arthur and his men suffered all those years ago. Believing it was one of the men he was in captivity with he sets upon a remarkable crusade to find the killer.

The story is exhilarating. I never quite knew who the killer was and they always seemed just out of reach of Bowman. It was suspenseful with a slow burn that kept on developing with an ending that stunned me. At times however, the hunt for the killer almost played second fiddle to the immersion of Arthur in various parts of history. Bowman scoured Britain before venturing overseas to America. The locations and historical elements were incredible and added so much value to the progression of the story. I loved the coverage of America. Bowman found himself enveloped in it all whether it be the wild west or the gold rush.

Ultimately, what made this book was the character of Arthur Bowman. He was a man capable of acts of extreme brutality. Yet he subsequently was at the mercy of men who forced him to endure despicable acts. This left him with little identity and no purpose. It took an extreme event to force him out of the seemingly inescapable hole he was in and drive him to confront the devil inside him. The subsequent development of his character was so addicting.

Five star. Wasn’t hard to decide on that rating.

[Cerisaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific read, though one that requires patience of its reader until the characters and unfolding narrative draw you in.

I was gripped and simply couldn't put it down. The scope is huge, blending genres and crossing continents, from colonialist adventure to Western, serial killer crime drama to philosophical rumination on human nature, memory and redemption. It's a lot to take in, and in translation, too, so it's a credit to Sam Taylor's skills I completely forgot the book was written in French.


Fans of East India Company TV series Taboo starring Tom Hardy should enjoy Varenne's novel. I don't want to say much about the story, but the characters are wonderfully realised, deeply flawed, occasionally heroic, often hideous, heartbreaking and horrifying. Sergeant Bowman, the Preacher, Penders, memorable creations. The part detailing London's infamous Great Stink calls Dickens to mind and is described in such detail you can smell the sewage and noxious air, experience the horrendous heat.


Varenne is a good storyteller, this novel one of the best I've read all year, a story I was sad to finish. It's a journey into hearts of darkness but the title is apt. I'm adding the author's other books to the top of my reading pile. Very well done.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not entirely sure I liked this book.

It was a compelling read, rightly enough. The characters horrific that did horrible things and yet there was redemption too.

Bowman clearly felt responsible for everything that happened or was happening and felt by a misguided duty (or otherwise) to right wrongs.

I stopped and restarted it several times as the book itself is split into several smaller books which actually do provide you with natural break points (not sure why this wasn’t a series of shorter novels? Perhaps because the writer didn’t think people would continue?)

The history it travels from the brutality of The Company, to the dirt and downtrodden London, and then on to the “New World” and the gold rush in the US, gives us insight into the every day lives of people on the edges of society and that in itself carried me through this novel.

For those who are squeamish, I wouldn’t recommend. It stops short of being horror but barely and whilst it seems to reach conclusion a few times, there’s always another twist in the tail to entice you to carry on.

This is not a book that will leave you with a happy shiny feeling, but one of subdued contemplation.

[Ad Wegner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those rare books, making you sad when it's over. I know there is a follow up, but I am going to congest this one for a while before reading Equateur.

Originally written in French, Varenne's descriptive narrative of the environment, scenic landscapes and political events of the day, gives you more than just a captive storyline. It makes you feel, smell and live through the Colonial conquest of Burma, Victorian England and eventually a pre-civil war America.

Vast and empty with frontier justice and opportunity for the brave entrepreneurs. Add to that a complex protagonist, struggling with past trauma, seeking escape in addiction, but slowly finding salvation in those unsavoury characters crossing his path, giving advice and unsuspected compassion.

And then there is the main plot. Him searching for a murderer, although that is not all this book is really about.

Looking forward to reading more of Mr Varenne's material in the future.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part historical fiction, part history lesson, part western, part murder mystery, part road trip and all adventure, Retribution Road feels like a saga. Sergeant Bowman returns from his service with the East Indian Company broken by PTSD following the horrors he suffered. It seems that the rest of his party are no better, and for one in particular it's too much to bear. Bowman's search for a killer who once was a comrade takes him round London and beyond, across the sea to an America moving towards civil war. For a long time, I really enjoyed the story, but during the trail across the Wild West, the road trip started to drag a bit and became repetitive. When I saw it was "only" 528 pages, I was surprised as it felt longer. A fascinating read overall, with a real feel for the setting and time period, along with some great characters, but let down by the sagging road trip. My rating is 7/10, rounded down.

[ℳatthieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le sergent Arthur Bowman travaille pour la Compagnie anglaise des Indes dans les années 1850. Torturé en Birmanie puis rescapé, le militaire peine à reprendre une vie tranquille. Lors de « La Grande Puanteur » de Londres (en 1858), un meurtre va ��tre le déclenchement d'une quête effrénée vers le nouveau continent.
Le premier tiers du livre est prenant, l'intrigue s'installe. Vient ensuite la traversée du Far West (on ne peut s'empêcher de penser à Lucky Luke). Malgré une bonne documentation (conquête de l'Ouest, géographie), cette chasse à l'homme devient vite fastidieuse et longue. La trame est assez prévisible et le suspens n'est qu'à moitié là. Le roman s'achève en pleine guerre de Sécession (1863). Happy End!