by C. M. Harald
'Cat got your tongue?' Hudson teased, 'Nothing to say then?'
'Thank you, Sir.' Marsh managed to squeak, not sure if it was the strong spirits or the shock that had taken his voice.
ABOUT THE BOOK
As with the previous book in this series, there are several different influences on this book. These have been covered in the previous books, but are worth repeating due to their significance. The original idea for the story came in early 2015 when reading transcripts of spoken accounts by veterans of the trenches, published in the BBC History Magazine. Having always been interested in oral history, I was quickly working on several ideas.
I wanted a counterfactual history story, rather than a story set in our historic past. Quite a few works have proved an influence, such as 'The Third World War' by General Sir John Hackett; 'World War Z' by Max Brooks; 'The Great War' series by Harry Turtledove; and 'The Bloody Red Barron', part of the 'Anno Dracula' series by Kim Newman.
Writing about 1917 is fascinating as there were the glimmers of a successful war-winning strategy at the Battle of Arras. Within this context, our characters continue to develop their tactics. This story sees the antagonist causing more problems, to a degree, representing the view of many, that the British Army failed to adapt to the new realities of trench warfare. This is not a view that fits well with current historical thinking, and I have been careful to ensure that many key characters are learning the lessons that the British Army and General Staff were taking on board at the time. It was also an opportunity to flesh out the 'powers' of the main character while reducing his uniqueness by introducing an equal.
1917 also provides a variety of interesting backdrops that I have not yet been able to fully explore, such as the revolutionary upheavals in Russia, the exhaustion of the French Army, and the escalating situation in Ireland. These are themes I intend to return to as the series progresses and may give a clue to the direction that some of the stories and characters will be travelling.
First and foremost, this is a fictional story. Therefore any errors and deviations from the historical events are either deliberate or due to the failings of the author. Thank you to Helen for rooting out many errors. Even with the introduction of zombies, this story can not even begin to bring to light the horror of the trenches and there are a number of worthwhile eyewitness accounts that the reader may wish to pursue for a more accurate reading of the subject.
This book was written in British English.
C.M. Harald, July 2016. Deal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.M. Harald is an history teacher and writer living in an English coastal town within sight of France.
He has taught in a range of challenging schools, and is now returning to writing having spent many years concentrating on teaching.
COMING SOON
RZC – Tigers at Cambrai
www.cmharald.net
Also available
Blood, mud and corpses - RZC 1
Tigers on the Western Front - RZC 2
The Butcher's Funeral
Also available as individual episodes
The Butcher's Funeral
Episode 1
The Butcher's Funeral
Episode 2 - Hocking
The Butcher's Funeral
Episode 3 – The Butcher's Wife
The Butcher's Funeral
Episode 4 – The Wise Woman
The Butcher's Funeral
Episode 5 – The Carniter
The Butcher's Funeral
Episode 6 – The Thief
The Butcher's Funeral
Episode 7 – The Trial
www.cmharald.ne