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E. Arthur Carkeek

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Honour Thy Family: Drummer Boy Book 1 Kindle Edition

by E. Arthur Carkeek (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 361 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Drummer Boy

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Thomas Marking has a tradition of family honor to keep. Almost twelve years of age, he volunteers for the King's service, in the struggle against Napoleon and to help his war wounded father survive. A tale of bravery, family honor and finding out just what you are made of.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07C35Q7MD
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 9, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1789 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #394,790 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,957 in Military Historical Fiction
- #2,702 in War Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #5,343 in War Fiction (Books)

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4.3 361 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

361 global ratings

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Wolflover

Welcome to the world of Thomas Marking

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2018

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I will start this review by letting you know that I have follwed this story online from its inception and love it. When I found out that Arthur had published it, I immediately puchased a copy. That being said onto the review.
Not a fan of historical fiction? This book will change your mind. Thomas is a gutter rat from the slums of London with no hope of a future. To help his family,he wants to volunteer to be a drummer boy-whose life expectency can be measured in days or months . His father was a veteran of the wars in India and had lost a leg in service. This is not what he wants for his only son but desperate times call for desperate measures and sometime sacrifices. The least he can do is have him join his old regiment- the 33rd. Thus begins a new life for Thomas, one in which he faces danger from the enemy ( the French) but must also deal with the workings of the 19th century British Army, which is convoluted at best.

Mr. Carkeek has done an amazing job of world building. You can feel the desolation of the Marking family, cringe at the punishment meeded out for offenders for minor infractions, flinch at the sound and feel of cannon shot and see the chaos of the battlefield. His research into the era, battle tactics,topography and politics of the day are spot on. He breathes life into his characters and they become real. You chuckle, laugh,cry, get pissed off at some of the stupidity and cheer for every success. The battle scenes are very well done and I must admit that I checked to verify the Order of Battle (I have a degree in Military History) and was very impressed with his ability to slide Thomas into the battles without changing the basic history of the events. You know the outcome of the battles, after all this is history, but you will find yourself on the edge of your seat waiting for the outcome.

This is one of my favorite books and I look forward to the publication of the other volumes.

7 people found this helpful

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C Woods

Loads of fun!

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019

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This early 19th century plot of an 11-year-old drummer boy in the English army during the war against Napoleon's French forces is very fast-paced and fun.

The drummer boy is more than he seems as he is sent to Portugal with his regiment.
The characters are all well described and the plot very engaging, especially on the battlefields.

This is an enjoyable story of a boy made good as his actions again and again surprise his adult superiors.

I didn't find a whole of historical accuracy, but the reading is worth it. I would recommend to other readers. Many funny moments and great characters.

One person found this helpful

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Nick Pusloskie

Great story

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2018

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I have read and reread this story at another site. I am glad to finally have it in book form. Now, of course, we have to wait for the other books to be published.

Someone in a review mentioned that some characters just disappear. Well, yes - having spent a considerable amount of time in the military, that happens. People get transferred, you get transferred, people get out, people just drift away. That is the way it is. I had a couple of questions about some of the characters - but Mr. Carteek keeps us focused on the main characters and what is going on around them. Someone also mentioned character development - inner voices, motivation and such. I didn't find that to be much of a problem as I was so focused on, again, the main characters. Through time, we found out what they were about. Given that, I, and others, am looking forward to the release of the rest of the story.

One thing, as mentioned by another reader, is the grammar and spelling errors. I believe most have been corrected in this volume - some did slip through. For me, it did not detract from the pleasure of reading the adventures of young Thomas, but they are there. In the big scheme of things, it is a small grievance.

I appreciate the research that went into presenting this story. The descriptions of the characters, tactics, uniforms and landscapes bring things to life. Keep up the good work.

One person found this helpful

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Paulo

Fun fast read...the rest will be out soon I've been told

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2018

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I've loved this story so much from the first time I came across it, that buying the book was a no brainer!! Very detailed, well written, fast paced, not trashy as most stories tend to be these days. Having read the story several times before, I was a little confused that the book version didn't seem complete....apparently there is a word count limit to these online books, so the rest of the original book 1 (as previous followers know it) will have to come out as a 2nd volume. No less enjoyable, and worth every cent

3 people found this helpful

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centurio2014

An interesting but (historically) not very credible story

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2018

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The storyline is original and interesting but how credible is it when a little boy, not yet 13 years old, rises quickly through the ranks to be promoted to captain at the end of this episode, commands a small army of his own, learns to speak Portugese and Spanish in mere months, communicates on a regular basis vis à vis with the commander in chief Wellington himself etc.etc. However, it still is a nice read when you ignore those flaws and I was left curious about the future adventures of El Toro in Spain.

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Doug5358

First of at least 4 books.

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018

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I had previously read this story online.This book is actually one half of the online story and Drummer Boy:After Talavera is the second part of the original Book One. The Original Book Two is supposed to be published as Books Three and Four. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are interested in Napoleanic history.

The only problem is the publisher did not do a good job editing and publishing the book.

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2020

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Unbelievable exploits of an eleven \twelve year old making decisions and actions most adults would find troubling, a staid military more so than even now, going against the maxim. A '"feel good" action and result for almost all situations. Yet I kept reading and will follow future books.

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2019

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I could not put this book down. Lots of action and a story line that while being a bit “out there” was really entertaining. Really very well written. Left me saying I want more!

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Sean L. Tobin

The making of a man

Reviewed in Canada on December 3, 2018

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Obviously, the Author has gone well into historical detail to produce a story of a boy, following in the footsteps of his father, being slowly forced into a Leadership role which, fortunately, comes natural to him. A marvelous read. It's a book that once you start, you will be very hesitant to put it down.

Mr. G. Denby

Athrilling, like-you-are-there tale of adventure in the lowest ranks

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2019

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A history lesson, most accessible. Learning about the trials of the wars on the Spanish peninsula, what it's like to be in the firing line AND survive as a drummer Boy. Arthur Carkeek starts a wonderous adventure of a young waif and stray - don't start unless you have the time to get to the end - it's a non-stop page turner. Enjoy!

Amazon Customer

Drummer Boy

Reviewed in Germany on June 19, 2019

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geschidenis spanning een goed verhaal dat zijn dingen waar ik van hou en dat vond ik in dit boek

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John Ban

Captivating

Reviewed in Australia on April 30, 2018

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I read this captivating story in one sitting. Vivid battle scenes, heroic characters and youthful adventure set during the Napoleonic Wars are used to great effect in detailing the transformation of an east london boy into a decorated soldier.

Kindle Customer

Great read

Reviewed in Canada on August 5, 2019

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Good story. Historically accurate battle seens and great details on the actual fighting. Mister Marking is a vary like able young man who does the best he can in world out to crush him.

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