Horse and Pistol

 This novel by Griff Hosker was my outward-bound reading on my recent trip to Moldova. It is set in the reign of James I & VI, so it fits in well with my recent Tranter novels. It is the first in a new series titled "English Mercenary."

This is a period that is little covered, just at the outbreak of the Thirty Years War, rather than the later, better-known, Swedish phase. Our hero is James Bretherton, the son of a minor landowner, who squanders his Hugenot French wife's fortune, leaving James in need of a new career. He decides to join a mercenary band that is recruiting for the European wars. The king supported the Protestant cause but not to the extent of committing significant forces. 

Bretherton serves initially in the Netherlands under Prince Maurice. The band was sent on the ill-fated Bohemian campaign, being destroyed by Tilly at the Battle of White Mountain in November 1620.  Our hero and a friend manage to escape the battlefield. Frederick V of the Palatinate is James I's son-in-law, but that only brought limited support. His army was forced to abandon the Palatinate as well, fleeing to the Dutch.

Our hero acts as an envoy to the court of James, and there are various sub-plots involving Spanish espionage in London. He finally returns to England, somewhat richer, and no doubt ready for the next book in the series.

Griff Hosker has developed some strong characters for the series, and the book has a very Bernard Cornwell feel to it. Plenty of action on and off the battlefield as well as political intrigue. The fighting style of the pike and shot period is well-researched, and the mostly small-scale skirmishing offers Pikeman's Lament scenarios. I really enjoyed this and will undoubtedly read the next one. 

One of my 28mm foot units of the period.