Fortune’s Heir: 2 (The Ballantyne Chronicles)
Second in a series, this novel continues the career of Nicholas Ballantyne, exile from Scotland, following his life in India. Jaded from experience of employment of the East India Company, he chose to settle with a wife and children and avoid the machinations of powerful European concerns within the continent. However, because of his love of the country and its people, he is drawn back into conflict, both physically and politically.
A personal story, this book is written well. Emotional challenges are understandable and heartfelt; conflicts of personality are realistic. The period—India in the 1770s—may be complex and volatile, but the concentration on the life of Ballantine, a likeable character, makes the turmoil, if not understandable, feel experienced. The history is accurate but, in a story so complex, with obligations and nuance hard to keep short, the book is hard reading. Don’t get me wrong; the book is well-written and involving, but the Company’s involvement in India is so encompassing that seeing it from one senior officer’s perspective is too simplistic, especially from a modern perspective.
