The Nizam's Daughters

Matthew Hervey #2

by Allan Mallinson

India, 1816 - Fresh from the field of Waterloo, Matthew Hervey is dispatched on a mission of the utmost secrecy. Leaving behind his fiancee, Lady Henrietta Lindsey, he must journey across tempestuous seas to India, an alien, exotic and beguiling land that will test his mettle to the very limit. For the princely state of Chintal is threatened both by intrigue from within and military might from without, and Hervey - sabre in hand - finds he is once more destined for the field of battle..."Captain Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons and ADC to the Duke of Wellington is back in the saddle ...He is as fascinating on horseback as Jack Aubrey is on the quarterdeck." - "The Times".

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, India, Audiobook, 19th Century, Military History

Paperback

First published March 2, 2000

About the author

Brigadier Allan Lawrence Mallinson is an English author and was an officer in the British Army.

Mallinson is best known for writing a series of novels chronicling the (fictional) life of Matthew Hervey, an officer serving in the (fictional) British 6th Light Dragoons from the late Napoleonic Wars through subsequent colonial conflicts in India, North America and south Africa.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**

Read this book in 2006, and its the 2nd volume of the excellent "Matthew Hervey" series.

The historical details concerning this period of history are very well implemented by the author within this story concerning the war in India.

This book is set in the year AD 1816, and Matthew Hervey, newly appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Wellington, must leave behind his fiancée Lady Henrietta Lindsey and travel to India to complete a dangerous mission.

In India he will find a part of that land called, Chintal, that is threatened from within by intrigue and from without by a military might.

All this problems will be settled on the battlefield where the Nizam's Daughters, and these two canons will play an important part, whether benefitting or working against Hervey and his men that remains to be seen.

What is to follow is a very interesting tale of the war in India and its implications for Hervey and his men whether its identifying friend from foe, and to understand the feelings and thoughts of these people in India, if only they want to be successful with their English military might in their dealings with the local Indian rulers, and so remain the dominating factor on that subcontinent.

Very recommended, for this is a very enjoyable addition to this glorious series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Satisfying Hervey Sequel"!

[Lee (the Book Butcher) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read awhile ago but this series lead me to the far superiorly entertaining Sharpe series. But Mallinson's Harvey series is far more information. If you are looking to learn about 1800 vet practices while be entertained by a battle or two than this series is for you. Calvary charges are exlarlating.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of a series about Matthew Hervey, a British Cavalry Officer in the post-Waterloo era. (You need to start with A Close Run Thing.)

Allan Mallinson is a retired senior cavalry officer, and he clearly knows a lot about horses. (Mind you, given that I know SFA about the subject I am easily impressed.) At times the horsy details become a bit much for me, but your mileage may differ.

This particular book is mainly set in India, and there's quite a lot of intrigue and some exciting battle scenes. It's an enjoyable read, I've just worked through it for a second time and liked it as much as before. It does help to have a dictionary of Indian terms though - only some of them are explained, the others you have to know or guess.

If I had a criticism of the hero, Hervey, he's maybe a little bit too good to be true. He's a brilliant soldier (natch) but also a complete gentleman in every sense of the word, respectful and courteous to all - and I do mean all. He even finds time to say his prayers, and although a devout High Church Anglican he honours other faiths just as highly. He may have the odd glass of whisky in the mess, but he's never remotely drunk. As for women - well, he's tempted, notably so in this book, but he's too decent and loyal to his beloved Henrietta to ever think of straying. Were there early 19th century cavalry officers like this? I'd like to think so.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really come to love novels about Napoleonic Era British soldiers and sailors. Horatio Hornblower, Richard Sharpe, and Jack Aubrey have all pleasantly gobbled up hours of my reading time. Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey has now made his way into that list. A Close Run Thing introduces readers to Matthew Hervey in the months prior to and during the battle of Waterloo. His adventure continues in The Nizam's Daughters (Also entitled Honorable Company in some versions).

This book takes Hervey to India, and it is a wonderful exploration of that nation before the Raj. I really love Mallinson's ability to create a sense of both time and place. The adventures are exciting and the emotions powerful.

I am glad I met Matthew Hervey. Looking forward to more.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons thought that his service life was to be garrison duty only following the end of the Napoleonic War. He had led his unit in a glorious but costly charge that helped to carry the day at Waterloo, but faced life in a peacetime army. And then he was appointed an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, who, as it happened, was contemplating accepting an offer to become head of the Honorable East India Company. (India was the scene of Wellington's (then Wellesley) early military successes at Assaye and Seringatapam.)

Hervey's cover story was that he was to investigate the use of the lance by Indian cavalry units (why not go to Germany, then, a colleague asked). He was really the Duke's advance man and, to use 20th-century parlance, his bag man, for the Duke had land titles in India that could imperil his appointment, the Honorable Company having been wracked by corruption. Hervey's arrival put him squarely in the middle of serious conflict between two Indian states. His forthright ways, dedication to his profession, and sense of honor gave him a decisive role in saving the day for the weaker of the two princely states, the Company, the Duke, and the Crown. The military details are very bit as good as those in "A Close Run Thing" (Allison's Waterloo novel), and Hervey is a very appealing hero, with more adventures to come.

[Sridhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the description of the parts of Andhra Pradesh & Tamilnadu as they existed during the colinial times. Also it is interesting to learn the impressions the Colonila rulers had about the various parts of the country (India) and people from the various parts of the country. Loved the style of writing and description of the battle scenes. All in all thoroughly enjoyed listening(Audio book).

[Adam Ra · Rating 4 out of 5]

After impressive feats of leadership and strategic thinking at Waterloo, Matthew Hervey is sent as an aide-de-camp of the Duke of Wellington to India to do some spying and whitewashing of a dirty business at a fictitious state (Chintal). There's something in storytelling that made this an amazing read despite apparent flaws. I felt like a child again, feeling the mysterious world appearing before my eyes — the scents, colours of India, the balance of power, local customs and spy work, horsemanship and strategy and battle tactics.
The Raja is a very positive, colourful and philosophical character, I loved several thoughts of his (especially that one about earning the right to sweet dishes in England versus having it earned via reincarnation already in India). The intrigues came to a moment where I got a bit confused, though.
What came as a disappointment was the depiction of the “Honourable” East India Company, especially as depicted in times directly preceding the horrid Opium Wars. You wouldn't get the idea that it was one of the most shameful institutions in 19th century history from reading this book, quite the contrary.
The second disappointment was the character of Hervey. His punctilious honour, incredible strategic skills (curiously developed despite lack of much strategic experience; understanding of artillery, too), his boring religiousness and always faithful to his not-even-wife. With all this, his character felt quite unreal.
Also, the general course of events seemed unrealistically positive. If we were faced with several letdowns and more dramatic events, the final triumph would taste better (as in O'Brian's books, more foreboding and pessimism before bouts of optimism). A bit more of humour would do, too.

[Dantheman68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about the book was the vivid description of 19th Century India. Far superior in this respect to Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels set in India. Great story. what lets it down is the lack of characterisation of the hero Hervey. His mindset is a total mystery and reasons for his action or inaction can only be imagined. He just seems to have a robotic obedience to duty.

[Dean David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[April Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical military fiction.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in hardbound as Honourable Company, this novel is now known by the nickname given to the formidable cannonry of the enemy in this novel. Continuing the adventures of a British cavalry officer as the Napoleonic Era comes to a close, this series does not depict the "typical" military protagonist of this or any other era.

The average military hero is a confident, capable male who is so irresistible to women that he beds them almost more as a personal favor than to fulfill his own desires. He is far away and his love of significance isn’t available, so he succumbs to the attraction of the near. It seems “natural” and in a time of imminent danger, we usually suspend the rules. The average military hero has a ruthless code of his own that chafes under the orders of less competent officers who are superior in rank.

Captain Matthew Hervey is not the average military hero. He is the kind of man who has doubts about his own actions and the kind of man who struggles with the necessity of commanding men in situations where they will die. There is plenty of death in this series and some of it might have been avoided. But Hervey doesn’t take some mechanistic view of “God and Country!” He recognizes that doing his duty has personal costs and that neither he as an officer nor his commanding officers are omniscient. He can quote a verse from the Psalms for every occasion, but it doesn’t always salve his feelings.

Hervey seems a most honest character. He is tempted toward infidelity as he is caught up in the moment, but a voice or image inside his psyche (or spirit) challenges him before it is impossible to extricate himself from the situation. Even the existence of the situation and the desire that spurred it on has consequences for our hero. He is unable to treat people as objects and get away with it. He is forgiving of the shortcomings of others, but has higher standards for himself.

As for the story, Hervey finds himself on an expedition to India—an expedition which has delayed his upcoming marriage to the lovely Henrietta. He is assigned to India as an advance man for Lord Wellington and finds himself in the middle of a scorpion’s nest of intrigue. He is caught between his duty for Wellington, his skepticism about the British East India Company and their paramilitary operations, his personal affinity for a local rajah, and the treachery of a supposed ally.

In unraveling this skein of betrayal and espionage, Hervey assists in the rescue of an elephant caught in the mire, learns to use the lance in hunting wild boar, observes the mating ritual of two cobras, forges and renews friendships which are not as expendable as “red shirts in StarTrek” since some valued friends feel the lethal bite of sword or shot before the story reaches its conclusion. The author really does a great job of putting the reader in Hervey’s situation of shifting loyalties and trust in the immediate situation while attempting to remain true to a higher power (both Wellington as his ultimate military authority and God as his ultimate spiritual authority).

There are call-backs to other points in history throughout the novel that will inspire and amuse many readers. One situation seems analogous to the Emperor Constantine and another seems ripped straight from the history of the Punic Wars. Yet another presages the revolution to come to India after another century. It is a solid and fascinating work with insights on culture, medicine, and military strategy and tactics. With this series, the Napoleonic Era finally has cavalry to match with the infantry and fighting sail in the rest of the Napoleonic Library of Fictional Heroes. Is there an artillery series somewhere in the making?

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

9

[jallioop]

Gave up on this one, didn't finish. First in the series was so-so, but I wanted to try one more before making a decision on the series. This book had many Indian terms and would have benefitted from a dictionary at the back. Most of the time I had trouble figuring out what Hervey or the other characters were talking about. I also grew annoyed at the explanations of Indian history and geography, which the author had various characters provide, but which seemed more like he was just providing every detail of all of the background research that he had done to write the book. Perhaps this info was ultimately useful as the plot continued, but the utility was not obvious when it was provided early in the book - and all of the explanations used terms for natives and native regions that were not explained well at all (a map of the regions would have been useful, if nothing else). Perhaps readers that already have a knowledge of Indian history and culture would be less at sea. As for wealth of horse care and veterinary info - again, the level of detail on how to treat various horse ailments also had the feel of a textbook. Why was this info necessary to the novel? All it told me was that Hervey and the author was extremely knowledgeable about horses.

[TheIron Paw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A top notch historical novel. The military aspects of this novel are a worthwhile read, however it is the image of pre-Raj India that is the most valuable aspect of this novel. Mallinson has gone to great pains to portray India as seen through British eyes at the time (we so often misunderstand historical events because we view them from the perspective of our times). This historical perspective of India is provide within an excellent story of political intrigue, heroic adventures, a touch of frustrated romance, and, Mallinson's forte, a pitched battle.

This novel lacks the "Jane Austen" aspects of his first novel, and I think is a much better story. However I would recommend readers start with the first novel because it provides much background into the protagonist's character and actions.

Overall, an excellent read for anyone interested in a historical British view of India, and provides enough action to keep those interested in military history involved.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story line and plot. The writing, however, seriously let this book down. I was expecting it to be hard work - the first book in the series was - and in some senses the storyline here actually flowed a lot better. His english is still complex with many big words, but it was the inclusion of so many native indian words that threw me. A glossary of indian terms would have been helpful as without it I was fairly lost. Occasionally the author translated the word each time it was used, but not often; occasionally the word was defined the first time it was used; but most of the time you were just supposed to some hoe pick it up from thin air.
Hopefully in the future he will be returned from India and we won't have to trawl through the foreing language.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

As has been widely observed, Mallinson's Hervey books are the cavalryman's answer to O'Brian and Cornwell, set in the same general time frame as those famous series. Hervey is a great action hero, and TND is packed with fascinating bits of knowledge about horses, military strategy and tactics, and even sailing. I have three quibbles with Mallinson's writing: One can't always tell what's going on because his explanatory descriptions are incomplete, or late, or both; a map of the India locale would have been helpful (even if at least one of the provinces was fictional); and a glossary of the myriad Indian words and terms would also have been useful. Still, I'm definitely in for the next book in the series, which hopefully will be set in a more familiar location.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. I finished #1 and #2 in the series. The hero, Mathew Hervey, is not Richard Sharpe although he seems to be following in the steps of Sharpe. This story seems more in tune with "The Lotus and the Wind" by John Masters than Bernard Cornwell. Hervey differs from Sharpe in matters of ruthlessness and origin. A reader could not go wrong by interweaving the reading of books by Masters, Mailinson, and Cornwell. I believe that Masters and Cornwell accurately present the facts. Mailinson, as of this reading, seems to fall in that category as well. I look forward to #3. Perhaps we will learn how the Hervey's arrived in North America.

[Billy Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always have a problem with this book. While the setting and action are among the best Mallinson has done in the series I always find this book a little alienating. It took me awhile to figure it out but his books suffer when Mallinson separates his protagonist from the Sixth Light Dragoons. I always appreciate the care and attention that Mallinson gives to being in a Napoleonic cavalry regiment, which is almost completely lacking in this book. Yet as I said it contains some of the best action and settings in the whole series.

[Birgitta Hoffmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I will not return to this series. I was originally attracted to it, as it is written by a retired cavalry officer and I was looking into some informal insights on cavalry 'thinking'.
Unfortunately, while his account of Waterloo was OK, this volume set in India really showed up the weaknesses of Allan Mallinson's craft, or perhaps, I had just read too many of the books, he cites as his sources of information. Thus, over long passages, while desperately waiting for a development in the narrative, I was able to while away the time 'spotting passages', which distracted from the story.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Man And His Horse might be a better title for this diffucult-to-follow tale. Waaay too many subplots render The Nizam's Daughter tedious reading at best until about the 3/4 pole. It's not until the next to last page that Mallinson tells us who the villain (He has to tell because no one could possibly figure it out.) is.

A Close Run Thing was an enjoyable read so hopefully this was just a sophomore slump. If the next installment is anything like this l'm going to have to give up on Matthew Hervey which would be a shame because this series has great potential.

[BrianC75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Patrick O'Brian and have read all of his seafaring series about Aubrey and Maturin and was really sad when O'Brian died. Mallinson has been hailed as the new O'Brian but with a focus on Napoleonic land warfare rather than naval. This is the second of his novels that I have read. Not quite up to O'Brian's standards but very enjoyable all the same. Gives a real flavour of the life, human interaction and atmosphere of that period.

[Jerry Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the Mathew Hervey adventures are gripping stories - as good a series of reads as the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin seafaring adventures. Great for lovers of horses. I have read, and re-read, the lot.

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging story.Well written,plausible,touching,at times not easy to follow with unexplained Indian/ cavalry terms but it all comes together at the end.It made me keen to pursue the real history of colonial India.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's getting better. I am glad that I gave him another ho.

[Frank Scala · Rating 5 out of 5]

war with the lance in india

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read. Nice view of the time and place. Wasn't hooked enough to read others in the series, though.