Zulu Hart by Saul David

When the author George MacDonald Fraser died at the beginning of last year, it marked the end of the disreputable adventures of the Victorian anti-hero Harry Flashman, one of the most entertaining series in modern British fiction.

But fans of imperial derring-do will be pleased to hear that the military historian Saul David, a self-confessed admirer of the Flashman books, has now jumped into the breach with a fictional hero of his own — George Hart, the bastard son of a half-Irish, half-Zulu actress (not many of them around in Victorian London, surely?) and, surprise surprise, a mysterious English aristocrat.

Since 18-year-old George is every bit the Boy's Own hero, complete with "classically handsome face", "slightly crooked nose" and "unruly black curls", it is no surprise that his adventures follow a distinctly wellworn formula. Bullied by rotters at Harrow, he gets his revenge in a bloody boxing match. "That was a plucky effort, lad, very plucky," says his admiring housemaster.

A couple of pages later, we meet the obligatory old family retainer, who, as is traditional, immediately raises his eyebrows at the young master's impetuous ways. And soon the rest of the familiar imperial-pastiche cast are on stage, too: the villainous commanding officer, determined to force George out of the dragoons; the sexy older woman who seduces our naïve hero; and the progressiveminded love interest boasting "wide blue eyes and a sensual mouth", which comes as standard in books of this kind.

Where David's background in military history really comes in handy is in his descriptions of army protocol, the sweep and detail of the South African landscape and the politics of the Zulu War, about which he has already written an acclaimed factual account. Readers interested in Victorian imperial history, as well as lovers of books like The Prisoner of Zenda, will probably find all this highly entertaining stuff.

And yet, despite all the cardplaying, shooting and bonking, you are left with the impression that Harry Flashman would eat George Hart for breakfast. What made Flashman such a brilliant character was that, beneath the strapping frame and devilish charm, he was a cad, a coward and a thoroughly bad egg. But George is so upright, so humourless and so priggishly earnest that you sometimes wish a Zulu would stick a spear in him — even though that would mean an abrupt end to what promises to be a colourful, amusing and successful series..

Synopsis by Foyles.co.uk

Bullied at school for his suspiciously dark skin and lack of a father, Hart soon learns to fight -- and win. At eighteen, his world is shaken by his mother's revelation that his anonymous father is willing to give him a vast inheritance -- provided he can prove himself worthy of the prize as an officer in the King's Dragoon Guards. At a time when racism and prejudice are rife in Victorian society, Hart struggles to come to terms with his identity. Forced to leave the army, he decides to head to South Africa, and a fresh start. But George Hart has soldiering in his blood, and once in Africa the urge to serve again is strong. Yet now he is caught between two fierce and unyielding forces as Britain drives towards war with the Zulus. Hart must make a choice -- and fight for his life.