The Secret War - MFW Curran

A big thanks to Orbit UK for sending this one out to me.

When I saw the blurb for this book I rather assumed it was a fantasy based in the Napoleonic era. It actually turned out to be more of a Napoleonic fiction with a little borrowed from fantasy. It doesn’t read like a fantasy and it’s only the presence of supernatural beings that ever suggests it could be.

The book revolves around Captain Saxon and his best friend Lieutenant Harte, who coming back from battle with the French find themselves drawn into a different, much longer war. The war between good and evil.The main characters are not explored as deeply as they perhaps could have been, but the book loses nothing for that as they are consistent and their choices feel natural for them.

The first sign that this really isn’t normal war fiction is the Daemon who draws them into the secret war in the first place. Interestingly the supernatural battles are drawn through the book often enough to remind you of their presence, but without dominating the story. The battle scenes emphasise the battle aspect rather than the supernatural and in spite of the involvment of monks and the basic good and evil nature of the secret war Curran resists the temptation to push the religious aspects.

It's well written and well paced with the mud & blood of battle coming through strongly without obsessing over the gore. I tink the only thing about the book that is a little misleading is the blurb, which definately suggets a stronger fantasy element than the book contains, but it's an excellent read and thoroughly absorbing.