The Custom of the Army

The Custom of the Army (2012) Diana Gabaldon

Another re-read.

After a duel at an electric eel party (These used to be a Thing! Fascinating!) Hal decides it’s best if Lord John puts himself out of the way for awhile, so when his presence is requested in the Americas, to testify in a Court Martial, off he goes.

While there, he has nothing to do while waiting for the Court Martial…

A lieutenant-colonel without brief or regimental affiliation was simply a nuisance;

…and despite a warning from Hal about General Wolfe…

“Melodramatic ass” was what Hal had said, hastily briefing him before his departure. “Showy, bad judgment, terrible strategist. He has the devil’s own luck, thought, I’ll give him that. Don’t follow him into anything stupid.”

Lord John ends up getting involved in something potentially very stupid.

But he also meets up with Malcolm Stubbs, his cousin-in-law (Olivia’s husband), and isn’t happy with what he finds.

“Every solder’s seen such things, Malcolm,” he said after a short silence, almost gently. “You’re an officer. It’s your job to keep them in check.” And you know damned well it isn’t always possible, he thought.

That’s one of the things I like about this series. There is no romanticizing just how things were in the Army at that time. And things were very different from the military of today–even from the military of a century ago.

But I think some things about war probably haven’t changed that much.

Chest heaving, he turned round in a circle, disoriented. There was so much smoke around him that he could not for a moment tell where he was.

But I also enjoy the characters of Lord John and of Hal.

That was unlike Hal, whose usual communiques consisted of hastily dashed-off notes, generally employing slightly fewer than the minimum number of words necessary to convey his message.

All in all, another enjoyable read.
Rating: 7/10

Published by Dell

 
 

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