The Last Roundhead

Antonia Senior, The Times,

-In another civil war, a hero who owes much to the legendary Flashman is drinking and whoring his way through the English Civil War. Sir Blandford Candy, an aged roué, recounts his youthful adventures in The Last Roundhead. After the unfortunate seduction of his brother’s wife, Sir Blandford finds himself embroiled in the violence erupting between king and parliament. A roundhead by accident, rather than by conviction, he becomes a scout, or spy, in the service of the parliamentarian army, uncovering royalist plots and avoiding his irascible, cavalier brothers.

“Sugar” Candy — he earns this monicker because of his pretty face and success with ladies — is an entertaining and witty guide to the political intrigues of the early Civil War. The plot can feel episodic, rather than entirely coherent, but the research is impeccable and the writing full of verve.

Michael Jecks, author of Blood in the Sand

-This is, frankly, glorious. The story is a romp that does not take itself too seriously [...] It is thoroughly delightful, and I recommend it to all who enjoy Flashman, Tom Jones and similar period romps. The great thing is, I think I learned more about the English Civil War from this book than any other I ve read and it was all enjoyable!

Historical Novel Society

-It is great fun and a rollicking good read, while Candy lives an exceptionally and, somewhat unlikely, charmed life in surviving the perils and vicissitudes of the war. The language is ribald and entirely immersed in the culture and conventions of crude 17th-century England. Footnotes and endnotes provided by the editor give the historical detail and context of the narrative intended as an accurate accompanying scholarly apparatus. The story is similar in style to the parodies by Robert Nye, written with an appropriate zest and dash. 

David Luckhardt (English Civil War Society of America)

-I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the English Civil Way by Jemahl Evans. I know quite a lot about the history of the conflict, which improved the experience. Reminiscent of the Flashman series in tone and footnoted structure, Evans also rewards those who have studied the period with a wealth of gritty detail and practical soldiering. Read a trade paperback review copy sent to me from the UK.

Brian Keaney, Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, award-winning author.

- The English Civil War is so often portrayed as a conflict between the royalists and the puritans that one forgets it began as a conflict between the king and parliament. So it is interesting to read a novel set during this initial period before the whole edifice of English society had been overturned but when, nevertheless, structures were beginning to crumble.

Cleverly dovetailed into history, with its spurious but convincing provenance and its cast of real and invented characters, The Last Roundhead is the story of Blandford Candy, who is obliged to join the parliamentary army to avoid a scandal at home.

It's a period of political and military uncertainty. Both sides are at war but both sides are also involved in a protracted series of negotiations. Many of the parliamentarians still feel a good deal of loyalty towards their king and although attitudes are hardening , there is still room for sympathies to change. It is in this environment that Blandford finds his true vocation. He becomes a Scout, a spy for the parliamentary party with a licence to unravel the enemy's machinations.

To his own surprise, he proves successful at espionage but everything else in his life goes awry. His friends are killed; he loses the woman he loves; and his two brothers, who have joined the royalist party, are determined to see him dead. Finally, he becomes the target of an a determined assassination plot.

Laced with disenchantment at the incompetence of powerful men, the novel pulls off that difficult trick of seeming entirely authentic while simultaneously resonating with a contemporary sensibility. When I got to the end, I immediately wanted to go back to the history books and find out more about the characters who flitted in and out of its pages.

James Kemp, English Civil War Society

-The best historical fiction I have read in years!

This is the tale of Blandford Candy, the last living roundhead in 1719 when he wrote his memoirs. In the long hot summer of 1642 he is forced to leave home because his sister has discovered that he is having an affair with his eldest brother's wife to be. He rides up to London in search of fame and fortune, just in time to be enlisted in his uncle's Regiment. It is by far the best historical fiction that I have read since I finished reading the Flashman papers. 

Laid out in the style of the Flashman papers, Candy's story is very well researched and thoroughly end noted. The history is part of the story and doesn't get in the way, it all makes sense without reading the end notes (although if you do you will learn about mid seventeenth century England). Blandford Candy is not Flashman, his character is wholly different. For a start he lacks the bully boy swagger and cowardice of Flashman, although like Flashman he often gets involved in things that he would not have done otherwise, and he's lead by lust more than brains. He does have brains though, and they get him out of some of the scrapes along with a measure of luck. 

Candy is an unreliable narrator from a period where truth and accuracy were seen as perspectives rather than necessities in journalism. The chapters in the book are interspersed with correspondence and news pamphlets from the time, giving us other perspectives than just Candy's. Like many of his time he is sophisticated in his cynicism of the printed material. 

He is the third son of a middling family. Candy has been brought up as a gentleman, but also has an understanding that there will be no inheritance for him. The social position leads him falling naturally into being a young officer in his uncle Samuel Luke's cavalry troop. This takes him to Edgehill, where his flamboyant red hat marks him out for special attention in the melee with Prince Rupert's cavalry. Barely surviving the initial clash he recovers his composure and is able to participate later in the breaking of the King's infantry, where he kills a red-headed ensign and takes the colour. 

Back in London he becomes one of the 24 scouts when Parliament appoints Samuel Luke as Scoutmaster General. This leads to a whole load of skulduggery and plotting as well as a raid to uncover the printing press producing pamphlets for the royalists in London. He also goes to Oxford over the winter with the peace commissioners where he meets his middle brother, recently knighted by the King for loyal service. There's a whole load of hidden plot here that develops through the rest of the story. 

We see Blandford Candy being transformed from an innocent young man driven more by libido than anything else into a hardened warrior, confirmed roundhead and cynical agent for Parliament. He also develops close friendships with the other scouts, and there are moments of tragedy when some of them die, whether from disease or enemy action. There's a lot of promise for more in the book too, references to other events and interesting characters, including Rochester. I certainly hope that there are as least as many of these as there were of the Flashman papers. 

The book is available for pre-order, and is on general release from 1 August. Jemahl Evans kindly sent me an advanced reading copy knowing that I was a book reviewer and a member of the English Civil War Society. The Last Roundhead has exceeded my expectations and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that enjoys history, thrillers, spy stories or mysteries, because it has all of these wrapped in together.