What a remarkable tale. James Lewis escaped poverty in London by joining the East India Company at aged 21. By age 27 he had had enough and deserted. At that point he reinvented himself and became Charles Masson and what an adventurous life he led. His passion became a search for one of Alexander the Great's cities, Alexandria Beneath the Mountains located in Afghanistan. He was a reluctant spy, explorer, healer, scholar and archeologist. He led a fascinating life and, with the help of Edmund Richardson, his story is finally being told. This book gives the reader a rare glimpse of Afghanistan in the mid 1850's. Once I finished it I wanted to learn more, the mark of a very well written book.
My thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

You can't make this stuff up! This is an adventure tale unlike any other. James went AWOL from the British East India Company in India in 1827 and reinvented himself as Charles Masson. As Masson, he searches for the lost cities of Alexander the Great and along the way makes important archaeological discoveries. Richardson makes good use of the diaries and other writings left by Masson and his contemporaries, some of whom loom large here. Masson encounters a host of scoundrels, double dealers, and government officials. in his travels through India, Pakistan, Egypt, and most of all, Afghanistan. It's a tale of derring do. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

This is the story of Charles Masson, a man who deserted the East India Company's army, traveled through much of India and Afghanistan on foot, learned the story of Alexander the Great, and decided to look for one of his cities. While that may sound simple, things involving the East India Company tended to be anything but, and his case was no exception. Eventually found near Kabul he was forced to become their spy in the region and while he hated every minute of it, the EIC loved it because Masson knew Afghanistan as no other Englishman did. Masson's story in "The King's Shadow" is more his story in the shadow of the EIC than in Alexander the Great's, despite his wishes to search for one of the cities Alexander founded and be a simple archaeologist, he rarely gets the chance. So if you're reading this book hoping to discover more about Alexander, you'll be out of luck. But for a book on the outrages of the East India Company in the Middle East, their games and selfishness, the inept upperclass men they put in charge at various places, and how they may have gotten some of the very best advice but rarely listened to it- this is a good starting place. Author Edmund Richardson pulls no punches with them and clearly admires Masson for writing about what he saw when the EIC moved into Afghanistan and being one of the people to try and get Britain to see what was happening.

I have to admit there were many times, especially in the beginning, where I didn't really feel like I was getting to know Masson as a person, he was just moving the rest of the story along without any attempt to dive deeply into the thoughts or feelings that I imagine must have been expressed in Masson's journals. Perhaps I'm wrong about the journals, but I felt none of the fascination Richardson tells us Masson felt for Alexander. He was clearly obsessed but why? I did definitely feel the hatred Masson felt for the EIC come through the pages by the end. My only other real complaint with the book was Richardson's tendency to foreshadow events with versions of "this would be the last happy day" or "if he knew what was coming" sort of writing that I am not a fan of, but I know many biographers insist on using.

Masson's life had its ups and downs, sadly more downs than ups, but he was one of the few Englishmen who saw that the "other" didn't equate with "barbarian". He sought to learn and discover, not steal and belittle, which certainly made him a man above many (or most) of the so called gentlemen running the East India Company.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was cool. It's a super unique take on a classic history story. The fact that it was "underneath" it was drew me in initially.

A few chapters in and I was thinking "Where's the movie?" The life of Charles Masson was so unlikely and several of the individuals in his story so outsized my husband asked if I was talking about a work of fiction. Bits of it might be since Richardson explains that these these people weren't necessarily reliable narrators. Looking through the notes and bibliography you'll see that the author researched sources extensively in order to bring this book to life.

Masson was a man who left the British East India Company in 1827, but was not able to get away from it. He more or less wandered into his passion of finding the remains of one of Alexander the Great's cities. Along the way he got to know many of the major players in the Afghanistan of the day. The Company wanted information on these people and coerced Masson to provide it to them. Eventually the British decided to invade Afghanistan and ended Masson's dreams. The details make the story and Edmund Richardson's prose carries it along effortlessly. This is one excellent book. A movie couldn't do it justice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ebook copy of this ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading this nonfiction publication and recommend it to fans of adventurous stories from history. The author was able to tell the story of Charles Masson in a riveting, fascinating way. Even though it's clear what's real from history and what isn't, the author is able to evoke a sense of reading an interesting work of fiction. Some of the events are so shocking that you'd really think the story was invented, which makes it all the more spectacular. Since there's also a lot of travel in the story, readers may enjoy finding out about the history of the different interesting locations and the interesting people in those places.

I found this to be a fun and fascinating read. Following along as you find out about the life of Charles Masson aka James Lewis was very interesting. A spy, deserter, prisoner, British explorer and an archeologist! Masson led an incredibly intriguing life! But also the adventure and the different lands from Egypt to India and Afghanistan was also very interesting. The pace of the story is wonderful; it reads just like a novel and it stays that way throughout the whole book. It's a well written and well researched book. Overall a great read!

“The King’s Shadow”, by Edmund Richardson, opens an original, interesting, and fascinating world that. I have never been interested in, and wasn’t even aware existed despite my lifetime interest in World History. It is a story more interesting than fiction, and more unbelievable, too. We follow the story of Private James Lewis, who decided to go AWOL from his British East India Company and who emerges as the famed archeologist Charles Masson. Masson spends much of the remainder of his life chasing down the mystery of one of the missing towns founded by Alexander the Great ( yes, that Alexander!) two thousand years previously. At times Mason’s story reminds the reader of Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade; at other times the story of Mason’s victories and failures leave Indy in a trail of Afghanistan dust.
There are a few times in the story I would love to edited a few pages here-and-there….but, now that I have completed the book I am glad that author Richardson wrote just the right number of pages. I hope y’all enjoy reading this book as much as I have. And a big “thanks” to NetGalley for the opportunity to read “The King’s Shadow.”

SYNOPSIS

The King’s Shadow is the story of a modernized England, in 1827, making his way through rudimentary India and Afghanistan. Using his wits to survive and evade the East India Company’s agents, James Lewis truly becomes a chameleon.

A disenchanted soldier in India, James deserts at a time when absconders where, if caught, “broken on the wheel.” He quickly learns how to con the locals for everything he needs to survive from food and lodging to clothing and money. He discovers that the more outlandish his con, the easier it is to pull off. Along the way, he makes acquaintance with every stratum of class structure. He his entertained by King’s and befriended by peasants.

Changing his name to Charles Masson, he teaches himself to be an archeologist. However, he cannot stay ahead of the East India Company, and his true identity is uncovered. He is then blackmailed into becoming one of the most important spies for England in the Middle East. Although a renowned archeologist for his work on finding the lost city of Alexandria, it is his spy network which is the most important to the East India Company and England’s interests in the region.

CONCLUSION

The King’s Shadow is a true historic spy novel. It has suspense, thrills, danger, intrigue, blackmail and world politics. Dr. Edmund Richardson has done a superb job researching and documenting the life of James Lewis, a.k.a. Charles Mason. His attention to detail and the past is unequaled in this historic tale. This true-life spy drama excites the mind and provides a look into the time and politics of the region.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I'm fascinated by history and archeology, so was super interested in a book about Alexander the Great and Charles Masson's attempts to find one of his lost cities.

This had as much to do with the British East India company and their time in both India and Afghanistan. It was a fascinating look at that period of time and how a larger political climate affected one man and his efforts. I had no idea Afghanistan has held so much interest politically for such a long time. I went into this book expecting to learn about Alexander the Great, and about archeology and an historical dig. Instead, I learned about Afghanistan and the political culture in the mid 1800s. About another facet of the British East India company that I didn't know about.

That is exactly why history interests me. You think that it is only about one thing, but I always discover an interconnectedness that I never knew about. Kind of like its own archeological dig.

This book is part biography and part legend of Charles Masson who was a deserter, vagabond, spy, and person of questionable character. While some of the story is hard to believe as real the author does a good job making this an engaging read. It starts with a man named James Lewis who becomes Charles Masson and is the main focus of the book. The quest for the lost city of Alexandria is just one of the components of the book and the reader should not expect it to be the focus. Overall a good read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

The King’s Shadow by Edmund Richardson is a fascinating read. A work of history told in a novel format, this book is well researched and would be interesting to history buffs. The novel format was not as successful as I had hoped. Yet this book is clearly well researched and fascinating still. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Could have used more romance but overall a good book

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this biographical and historical work.

Once upon a time it was easy to have a second act. Run far enough, cross enough borders, change clothing, put on airs and suddenly you could be a respected citizen, a person of class distinction and knowledge, not a poor deserter facing a death penalty from his employers for fleeing. With a little gumption, curiosity, and a whole lot of luck in not being killed, that person could be respected, trusted and considered a invaluable resource in a land unknown, and whose secret once found out could be blackmailed into serving those employers he had fled from. All while being thought of as one of the preeminent scholars in Asia.

Edmund Richardson in The King's Shadow :Obsession, Betrayal, and the Deadly Quest for the Lost City of Alexandria tells the remarkable story of Charles Masson née James Lewis, deserter from the British East India Company, who became one of the most travelled, knowledgeable men about the country of Afghanistan and the lost cities of Alexander the Great. Masson's travels, using numerous disguises to get people to talk, and spending all his money, and money he didn't have on information and relics, plus his ability to stay alive and avoid dying in many different stupid ways reads like fiction. Especially when after gaining a certain amount of academic fame, he was blackmailed into helping the British in their Great Game, a cold war with the Russians for power in the Indian subcontinent. The stuff of thrillers, but for real.

The book is deeply researched, sourced and very well written. The story reads in some spots like fiction, a point the author is honest about, since writing about a biography about an acknowledged liar can be difficult. In fact it seems that Afghanistan was a haven for liars and people ether dodging the law or trying to make themselves kings. The real people portrayed here are quirky, full of liars, braggarts, unctuous military men and spies galore. All are given clear descriptions and explanations in some places about who they are, where they wound up and the cost of many of their actions.

A fascinating story about a man I knew nothing about, but now wish I had. What an interesting life Masson led, and well I won't run the ending. What is clear from the writing is that Masson loved Afghanistan, loved learning and would have spent his life happily looking for lost cities, and learning everything he could. Recommended not only for history fans, but for readers interested in the region and for people who like biographies on interesting characters.

I daresay many readers have never heard of Charles Masson aka James Lewis, a deserter, spy, prisoner, archeologist, and early British explorer in Afghanistan. He started out as a private in the East India Company’s army, but soon deserts, takes a pseudonym, and flees the authorities. He becomes obsessed with finding the lost cities of Alexander the Great and makes a few discoveries that were overlooked for various reasons explained in this book.

It is extremely detailed. Masson and other notable figures of the era left copious diaries, and Richardson has made good use of them to create vivid scenes of what Masson’s life was like in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. We learn a good bit about the history and politics of this region in the mid-1800s. The spying is less of a feature since Masson was pressured into this task reluctantly. He definitely led an interesting life.

This book delves deeply into the life of a man who truly appreciated this area of the world but was never recognized for his accomplishments due to his opposition to the politics of the time. The artifacts he discovered are currently on display in the British Museum. I think this book will appeal to history and archeology fans.

When the book begins, it reads a bit like a novel and an interesting adventure. Charles Masson (Pvt James Lewis) was a shadow, creating stories of his past and surviving in spite of having run away from his post with the East India Company with nothing more than the clothes on his back. While traveling through India, Afghanistan and even to Egypt he becomes interested in following the trail of Alexander and finding one of the many lost Alexandrias. As the book progresses, we are introducted to the culture, history and politics of the time that Charles Masson is surviving in and exploring.

Part of what we know from this shadow of a man is from what others have recorded when they came into contact with him. I am impressed with the depths of the authors research. It has created as complete a picture of Masson as possible. The pacing is good and in spite of the wealth of locations and people that are presented as part of Massons journey, the story flowed well.

I did not read this book straight through. But when I had set it aside, I was still thinking about it. I wanted to pick it back up to continue reading, which is a praise worthy quality in a book. If you enjoy history, then I recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin Press for the ARC.

I've never heard of Charles Masson before, but the dude was wild. Formerly James Lewis, a private in the East India Company's army, he one day deserts, assumes the name Charles Masson, and spends the next 20 or so years wandering around India and Afghanistan. Along the way, he becomes obsessed with Alexander the Great and decides to try and find one of the lost cities of Alexandria. He never quite succeeds, but he does manage to make a lot of interesting discoveries. The book is written in a popular history style, it often seems more like a fast-paced fiction book than a nonfiction account. But, that seems to suit Masson, as there's a certain mythos around the man that makes it hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to his personal life. This is an interesting read, and worth picking up. The writing style makes this kind of nonfiction really fun to read.

I was expecting a thriller but didn't feel a thrill at any point as I was reading the ARC through Netgalley. It's got a fabulous cover and an intriguing title and subtitle which is what drew me in but that wasn't the case as I began to read it.

Maybe it's because I'm used to middle grade and YA nonfiction that reads a little more movie-like with a heart-pounding pace making history insatiable for the reader. I wanted this to be the case but it kept holding me back learning about this awkward man with multiple names and a weird sense of travel and intrigue. But I wanted to know more about what the City of Alexandria was then and what the lore is now and who Alexander was. I didn't learn much of that as I moved through because it took to long to get anywhere. Maybe this would be best as a documentary for me, but as a print book, I wasn't convinced.

This is a fascinating account of an adventure you probably have never heard of. The way that these White men navigated these cultures and kingdoms is so interesting as we look at this from a modern perspective. This will be very interesting to history lovers.

THE KING'S SHADOW follows the life and (mis)adventures of a deserting soldier from the British East India Company who passed himself off as one Charles Masson in Afghanistan. As a penniless, wanted man, he manages to stay alive and even indulge his obsession for finding one of Alexander the Great's lost Alexandrias. Plenty of famous and infamous historical figures play roles (including Jane Austen's publisher John Murray!), the British East India Company behaves badly, peril and frustration abound, and my favorite Koh-i-noor diamond even puts in a couple cameo appearances.

This book will make you want to read more about the Silk Road, as well as spend time in the British Museum galleries you might have skipped in the past.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. I was sorry the galley did not contain all the illustrations!