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Fortune's Heir
The long-anticipated sequel to Fortune's Soldier, from the author of the Empire of the Moghul series.In his Himalayan retreat of Glenmire, Nicholas Ballantyne is determined his days of bloodshed and intrigue in the service of the British East India Company are over. Yet the Battle of Plassey, where he fought with Robert Clive, has delivered only a short-lived peace and the 1770s are precarious times in India.
Martial Marathas, formidable Sikhs and wild Afghan Rohillas threaten not only each other, but the Company’s very existence. Most dangerous of all are the militarily astute Hyder Ali and his charismatic son Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, who – with strong French support – are intent on driving the British into the sea.
When Warren Hastings, the Company’s newly appointed Governor-General, beset by internal rivalries, seeks Nicholas’ help, he agrees. Though long-cynical about the Company, he foresees a bloodbath that could rip India apart, cause thousands of deaths and imperil his own family. A quiet life must wait.
Martial Marathas, formidable Sikhs and wild Afghan Rohillas threaten not only each other, but the Company’s very existence. Most dangerous of all are the militarily astute Hyder Ali and his charismatic son Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, who – with strong French support – are intent on driving the British into the sea.
When Warren Hastings, the Company’s newly appointed Governor-General, beset by internal rivalries, seeks Nicholas’ help, he agrees. Though long-cynical about the Company, he foresees a bloodbath that could rip India apart, cause thousands of deaths and imperil his own family. A quiet life must wait.
413 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2021
42 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Alex Rutherford
20 books317 followersAlex Rutherford is the pen name of Diana Preston and her husband Michael. Both studied at Oxford University reading History and English respectively. They are keen travellers and have now clocked up visits to over 140 of the world's countries.
Says Diana 'our greatest love is India where we've spent at least a year of our lives. Our research into the building of the Taj Mahal for our non-fiction book 'A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time', led us to explore the early history of the dynasty which built the Taj – the Moghuls. To help us get inside the heads of the founders of the Moghul dynasty for our fiction quintet 'Empire of the Moghul', we've read all the chronicles of the time. Over the years we've also retraced the steps of the Moghuls from the Ferghana Valley in Kyrgyzstan – home to the first Moghul emperor, the boy-king Babur – to Iran and to the blue domes and minarets of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, across the red deserts to the Oxus River, over the Hindu Kush to Kabul and Afghanistan and down through the Khyber Pass to the plains of northern India.
'In fact, apart from on one occasion when we were stranded on a remote island off the coast of Borneo and forced to hide from pirates, some of our hairiest moments when travelling have been when researching our non-fiction books. While working on our book about Captain Scott and the race for the South Pole, 'A First Rate Tragedy', the Russian research vessel on which we were sailing into Antarctica's Ross Sea was nearly lost in one of the worst storms in Antarctic history with 140 knot winds (over 240 kilometres per hour) and 20 metre high waves. The life rafts washed overboard and the superstructure iced up like the inside of an old fridge, putting us in danger of capsizing. On another occasion while researching our book on one of our favourite characters the buccaneer-naturalist William Dampier, 'A Pirate of Exquisite Mind', we set out in his footsteps to cross the Darien Isthmus in Panama with local Indian guides. We had to dodge FARC guerrillas, Colombian paramilitaries and the deadly fer de lance snake, in the latter case wading waist high in rivers – our guide claimed snakes can't bite and swim at the same time!'
Says Diana 'our greatest love is India where we've spent at least a year of our lives. Our research into the building of the Taj Mahal for our non-fiction book 'A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time', led us to explore the early history of the dynasty which built the Taj – the Moghuls. To help us get inside the heads of the founders of the Moghul dynasty for our fiction quintet 'Empire of the Moghul', we've read all the chronicles of the time. Over the years we've also retraced the steps of the Moghuls from the Ferghana Valley in Kyrgyzstan – home to the first Moghul emperor, the boy-king Babur – to Iran and to the blue domes and minarets of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, across the red deserts to the Oxus River, over the Hindu Kush to Kabul and Afghanistan and down through the Khyber Pass to the plains of northern India.
'In fact, apart from on one occasion when we were stranded on a remote island off the coast of Borneo and forced to hide from pirates, some of our hairiest moments when travelling have been when researching our non-fiction books. While working on our book about Captain Scott and the race for the South Pole, 'A First Rate Tragedy', the Russian research vessel on which we were sailing into Antarctica's Ross Sea was nearly lost in one of the worst storms in Antarctic history with 140 knot winds (over 240 kilometres per hour) and 20 metre high waves. The life rafts washed overboard and the superstructure iced up like the inside of an old fridge, putting us in danger of capsizing. On another occasion while researching our book on one of our favourite characters the buccaneer-naturalist William Dampier, 'A Pirate of Exquisite Mind', we set out in his footsteps to cross the Darien Isthmus in Panama with local Indian guides. We had to dodge FARC guerrillas, Colombian paramilitaries and the deadly fer de lance snake, in the latter case wading waist high in rivers – our guide claimed snakes can't bite and swim at the same time!'
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 6, 2022
I really enjoyed the first book in the Ballantyne Chronicles, but this entry felt a bit laboured at times. The last sortie into the fictional kingdom of Nokat, for me, gave the impression of being an afterthought.
January 21, 2022
Good sequel
Excellent read,a good sequel,characterisation defined,action handled very well.*** *** **** *** "* **** *** *** **** *** "*** *" **
Excellent read,a good sequel,characterisation defined,action handled very well.*** *** **** *** "* **** *** *** **** *** "*** *" **
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April 5, 2022Looking forward to the next chapter of the adventures of Nicholas Ballantyne...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews