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eBook A Breed of Heroes download

by Alan Judd

ISBN: 1847397727
Author: Alan Judd
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; UK ed. edition (January 5, 2012)
Language: English
ePub: 1295 kb
Fb2: 1452 kb
Rating: 4.2
Other formats: rtf lrf doc mbr
Category: Literature
Subcategory: Contemporary

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No reproduction without permission.

No reproduction without permission. Simon & Schuster UK Ltd. 1st floor.

A Breed of Heroes is a 1981 novel by Alan Judd. It narrates in third person the experiences of a young British Army officer as he is deployed on his first tour of duty, a four-month operation in Armagh and Belfast at the height of The Troubles. Set in the 1970s, ‘’A Breed of Heroes’’ follows the deployment of young British Army officer Charles Thoroughgood on a four-month emergency tour of Northern Ireland

lian clothes and soon slowed down the pace of operations to what seemed to them acceptable. There was talk of a fixture with the rugby club.

A Breed of Heroes book. Alan Judd is a pseudonym used by Alan Edwin Petty. Born in 1946, he graduated from Oxford University and served as a British Army officer in Northern Ireland during 'The Troubles', before later joining the Foreign Office; he currently works as a security analyst. He regularly contributes articles to a number of publications, including The Daily Telegraph, and The Spectator as its motoring Alan Judd is a pseudonym used by Alan Edwin Petty.

After university and Sandhurst, Charles Thoroughgood has now joined the Assault Commados and is on a four-month tour of duty in Armagh and Belfast. The thankless task facing him and his men - to patrol the tension-filled streets through weeks of boredom punctuated by bursts of horror - takes them through times of tragedy, madness, laughter and terror. Alan Judd tells Thoroughgood's tale with verve, compassion and humour. The result is an exceptionally fine novel which blends bitter human incident with army farce.

Breed of Heroes is an engaging book with hilarious insight into the ups and downs of Army hierarchy. The author succeeds in painting a rather gruesome picture of people at their worst

A Breed of Heroes - Alan Judd. You’ll have to start work now,’ continued the CO. ‘Earning your living.

0 5 Author: Alan Judd. After university and Sandhurst, Charles Thoroughgood has now joined the Assault Commandos and is on a four-month tour of duty in Armagh and Belfast

0 5 Author: Alan Judd. After university and Sandhurst, Charles Thoroughgood has now joined the Assault Commandos and is on a four-month tour of duty in Armagh and Belfast. The result is an exceptionally fine novel which blends bitter human incident.

urn:acs6:breedofheroes00judd:pdf:ceb-7411f04a7f8c urn:acs6:breedofheroes00judd:epub:385-1f631d3e611a urn:oclc:record:1028861409. Duke University Libraries.

Alan Judd tells Thoroughgood's tale with verve, compassion and humour. Quite simply one of the best novels of army life I've read' Jack Higgins. Entertaining and compulsively readable' Melvyn Bragg. Human, sympathetic and engrossing' Daily Mirror.

After university and Sandhurst, Charles Thoroughgood has now joined the Assault Commandos and is on a tour of duty in Armagh and Belfast at the height of The Troubles.

Comments: (3)

Shakataxe

Excellent portrayal of the banality of war.

Xava

Having previously read Uncommon Enemy by the same author, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I had to read another of his books. This one has the same principal character, Charles Thoroughgood, set in his earlier life as a junior officer in a crack army infantry unit on duty in Northern Ireland, during "the troubles".
Alan Judd has the gift of mixing the awfulness of the situation in Belfast, the hypocrisy (on both sides), and humour. Not belly laughs, but some of the ridiculous situations the unit he was in found themselves are so believable. His picture of most of the local inhabitants is both chilling and depressing of human nature. There is a certain futility in his (Charles) role in all that happens, and the local population.

He manages to paint a vivid picture of his characters which I find completely absorbs me into the book.

In summary, I really like Alan Judd's style of writing, and although only a recent reader of his books, they rate amongst the best of Alan Furst (whom I find irresistible) and Le Carre's better books.

Tamesya

Breed of Heroes is an engaging book with hilarious insight into the ups and downs of Army hierarchy. As I laughed at the follies of the officers, I was struck by the resemblance to the follies of any large organization. Judd has demonstrated a grasp of human group behaviour, presented through the prime example of the Army.
In the first chapter of Breed of Heroes, I was a bit concerned that this was an Army book written by an author who knows the army for people with a keen interest in all things military. To the uninitiated civilian the military abbreviations, ranks, titles and customs seem like a foreign language requiring at least a phrase book for navigation. I am glad I stumbled through the first chapter because there was no stopping after that. While I think the book is most likely to draw an audience interested in the Army or in the conflict in Northern Ireland, I believe that anyone who has ever been part of a large organization (almost everyone) will find it thoroughly enjoyable.
Platoon commander Charles Thoroughgood seems an unlikely person to find in the Army. He is a graduate of Oxford and seems to be an independent thinker of the sort that would avoid a large structured organization like the plague. Charles is inexperienced and unsure of his ability as a leader. His fears about himself seem to be confirmed in his first confrontation with a crowd in Belfast. Indecisive and lacking initiative he fails to properly control the mob of women. His commanding officer is forgiving and assures him that it is inexperience and he will do better next time. Throughout the story the reader watches Charles learn, face challenges, and grow beyond his normal boundaries. And it is through his outsider eyes that we see the Army. His position as platoon commander is well chosen as it gives us insight into both the life of the soldiers and the world of the officers.
The story also provides insight into the raw humanity of life in Northern Ireland. In general, it seems to avoid political discussion and instead shows telling glimpses of the people of Belfast. The author succeeds in painting a rather gruesome picture of people at their worst. In Breed of Heroes, Judd touches on many important issues but does not allow them to bog down the story. He has balanced insight into a desparate situation with a lighthearted look at humanity.

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