- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Format: Hardcover
- Source: Review Copy
- Pages: 448
- Publisher: Hachette India
- Publication Date: December 3, 2018
- My Rating: 3 stars
Goodreads Blurb
It is 1744, and Nicholas Ballantyne, a young Scotsman dreaming of a life as laird of his ancestral estate finds himself quite unexpectedly on the Winchester, a ship bound for Hindustan, seeking to begin a new life as a ‘writer’ on the rolls of the British East India Company. On board, he meets the spirited and mercurial Robert Clive, determined – at whatever cost – to make a fortune in a land of opportunity.
Over the years that follow, their friendship sees many twists and turns as Clive’s restless hunger for wealth and power takes him from being a clerk to a commander in the Company’s forces, masterminding plans to snuff out rival French interests in Hindustan and eventually leading the company forces to victory at Plassey, the prelude to nearly two centuries of foreign rule in Hindustan.
Brilliantly crafted, and bringing to life the momentous events that shook India in the mid-eighteenth century, Fortune’s Soldier is an epic tale of a fascinating era by a master storyteller.
My Thoughts
Fortune’s Soldier begins when Nicholas Ballantyne is sent to Hindustan by his uncle James to work in the East India Company. It was my first time reading about India through a foreigner’s perspective and it was quite interesting. The book consists of a lot of accounts on India’s history and legends. It also mentions some Mughal rulers.
I liked how the characters developed throughout the book, especially Nicholas. We see him go through many dangerous situations. Tuhin Singh was another interesting character. The book is quite well-written.
However, this book didn’t work for for me. I found it boring and monotonous a lot of the times. I liked the historical aspects but it wasn’t thrilling enough to keep me engrossed.
The book is clearly written after a lot of research and I highly appreciate the author’s effort.
I recommend this book to fans of historical books.
