Just before Christmas, the latest addition to Antoine Vanner's DAWLISH CHRONICLES was published and I was able to read it during our recent cruise.
The latest book deals with the end of the so-called Maximilian Adventure, when the French Empire under Napoleon III sought to make Emperor Maximilian I (the former Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Josef Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen, the younger brother of Franz Josef I) as ruler of Mexico against the wishes of the majority of the population who support the democratically-elected former President of Mexico, Benito Juarez.
Sub Lieutenant Dawlish is serving as the junior officer aboard the Royal Navy gunvessel HMS Sprightly, which is part of the British Pacific Station based at Esquimalt in Canada. During the story the ship is patrolling the Pacific coast of Mexico and is charged with looking after British interests in the area ... which include a railway and a silver mine.
The Imperial Mexican Navy has an ironclad (the French-built Quetzel) operating in the same area, and the story deals with the collapse of Imperial Mexican power on Mexico's Pacific coastline and the Royal Navy's role in protecting British interests without sparking off a war with either side in the Mexican internal conflict. There's lots of shenanigans involving ex-Confederate mercenaries, the Belgian Volunteer Legion, the French Imperial Army, the Mexican Imperial Army and Navy, Mexican bandits, the Juaristas, a former sweetheart, corruption, and silver!
The thing that marks out Antoine Vanner's work is the level of background research he does into the history, politics, and technological developments of the era, and his books are worth reading for that alone.
The twelve books in the series that have been published to date are (in chronological order):
- BRITANNIA’S INNOCENT: THE DALISH CHRONICLES: FEBRUARY 1864 – MAY 1864
- BRITANNIA’S INTERESTS: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: JULY 1866 – NOVEMBER 1866
- BRITANNIA’S GUILE: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: JANUARY 1877 – AUGUST 1877
- BRITANNIA'S WOLF: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: SEPTEMBER 1877 – FEBRUARY 1878
- BRITANNIA'S REACH: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: NOVEMBER 1879 – APRIL 1880
- BRITANNIA'S SHARK: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: APRIL 1881 – SEPTEMBER 1881
- BRITANNIA'S SPARTAN: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: JUNE 1859 AND APRIL 1882 – AUGUST 1882
- BRITANNIA'S AMAZON: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: APRIL 1882 – AUGUST 1882
- BRITANNIA'S MISSION: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: AUGUST 1883 – FEBRUARY 1884
- BRITANNIA'S GAMBLE: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: MARCH 1884 – FEBRUARY 1885
- BRITANNIA’S MORASS: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: SEPTEMBER 1884 – DECEMBER 1884
- BRITANNIA’S RULE: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: SEPTEMBER 1886 – APRIL 1888
BRITANNIA’S INTERESTS: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: JULY 1866 – NOVEMBER 1866 was written by Antoine Vanner and published in 2023 by Old Salt Press (ISBN 978 1 9434 0447 6) and can be purchased via Amazon.
The book sounds fascinating Bob. The Maximilian Adventure is absolutely ripe for this sort of thing (so unusual and off-the-beaten-track with plenty of odd characters and troops).
ReplyDeleteBy coincidence my 2mm armies for the Maximilian Adventure are due back from my painter later this month. I can’t wait…
Cheers,
Geoff
Elliesdad (Geoff),
DeleteThe whole series is worth reading, and the stories reflect the fact that many of the Royal Navy’s operations post Trafalgar took place close to - or even on - land.
All the best,
Bob