I love historical novels. I love the fact that I can learn something while also enjoying a good adventure story. The Mutiny is an ‘historical re-imagining’ of the events of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which began with the mutiny of native soliders (sepoys) against their British officers. Rathbone uses a set of fictional central characters to tell the story and explore the events of that year, and the result is a very enjoyable book.

The story is a real eye-opener. Rathbone has clearly done his homework, and the vast majority of characters and all of the key events are rooted in historical fact. He explores the root causes of the unrest (the zeal of certain sections of the British governing class to convert the natives to Christianity), the catalysts for revolt (such as rumours that new rifle cartridges were greased with fat from cows and pigs, offending Hindu and Muslim religious sensibilities) and the idea of the conspiracy that may have been at the heart of the rebellion. We see the unthinking racism of the white ruling class, and we learn about the brutal treatment that each side meted out to the other once the die was cast. There were some appalling massacres of British prisoners (men, women and children) by their native captors; the response of many British generals was often to hang any native man they encountered in their line of march, regardless of his involvement. As so often happens, these brutal acts, once performed, precluded either side from drawing back from the brink.

Rathbone writes engagingly and well; the prose is descriptive and flowing without being ornate; refreshingly devoid of cliche, and with an eye for period detail and the speech patterns of his subjects. The only jarring thing is his tendency to insert straight historical commentary in to the text: he tells you what eventually happened to historical characters, converts currency in to modern equivalent and sometimes editorialises about events:

In truth, and it is bootless for either side to disagree, both sides in the Mutiny behaved appallingly. The scars, the anger and the guilt remain to this day and vitiate all but a novelist’s attempts to portray the truth.

It took me a little while to get used to this feature of his writing, which can sometimes feel a little bit jarring – but once I did, I came to appreciate Rathbone’s opinion and his willingness to flesh out the story to provide a greater depth of knowledge to his readers. I can highly recommend The Mutiny, which has confirmed my belief that I need to improve my knowledge of the history of India.

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