There are better and there are worse tales in the genre of men's fiction. This is better than average and worth a read for those interested in a backdrop of the Blenheim campaign. I have encountered relatively few fictional accounts of this, and while the main part of the book is not concerned with the battle, and when not concerned the elements that comprise History are thin, it does come through in the end to meet and complete our knowledge of the famous battle

In some places the hero is made to be as Cornwell's Sharpe, some would have it, but I don't think so. Though from a class that might never find a commission in the Guards purchased for him, as the author makes out, once he is an officer, in the most prestigious regiment, then many others would accept him as such. Unlike Sharpe, he never had served as one of the men, though before donning the uniform he would have been.

However our hero learns his trade well. Learned to command, and that separates the men from the boys as it were, and the officers from the rank and file. Given a mission that is rather nebulous, a plot device I think that could have been stronger, or ignored completely, the middle of the tale, of traveling about the countryside further firms up our understanding of our hero and his capabilities, but occasionally elements are inserted into the story that are tangent to the tale, trying to infuse the idea that conflict is drama, forgetting that this is a tale centered around war and that is more than enough conflict to create drama.

The series, in my estimation after the first book, is that it should be read and i have ordered the 2nd book. Should it be reread, I am not sure. It does not captivate me like a Hornblower and demand I read and reread it. But it was interesting. After all, what else is available fictionally about Marlborough? ( )

Quite good first entry for a new series. Good choice of a battle rich era, generally overshadowed by the Napoleonic Wars,in British History. Integrates carefully chosen historical events into an interesting narrative, Excellent choice of characters; up from the country officer, sturdy sergeant, well placed spymaster and an intriguing commander in chief in John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, that should serve their nation well for the remaining 8 years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The evolution of the "grenadier" as shock troops in the nascent British Army parallels the development of the "rifles" in the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. If you are going to use a model, why not use one of the best? Or, even two of the best, C.S. Forester would likely be delighted with the roots and fruits that have been inspired by "Rifleman Dodd". ( )