Seventeen thousand French troops leave Toulon harbour in May 1798 unaware of their ultimate destination. Barely three months after taking Rome, Napoleon Bonaparte has rewarded his finest regiments with a place among the Army of the Orient, bound for Egypt.
Alain Lausard, along with his cavalry unit are on board the frigate L'Esperance. Their first battle is merely to survive the degradation that is life at sea. By the time they stagger, starved and exhausted, upon the shores of Egypt, Lausard's dragoons have more than glory to fight for.
As his beleaguered soldiers march into the desert, Bonaparte watches his tactical gamble collapse. Even when the Mameluke army is defeated beneath the pyramids, Nelson's destruction of the French fleet and Bonaparte's obsessive war-mongering convince Lausard that he will never see Paris again...
The second blood-soaked instalment of the Alain Lausard Adventures is perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow, Julian Stockwin and Adrian Goldsworthy.
'Lovers of historical fiction won't be able to wait to get their teeth into this one' Newcastle Upon Tyne Evening Chronicle
'A realistic look at the brutality of Napoleonic warfare. An enjoyable read' Historical Novel Review
'Howard writes with authority about life in the French army under Napoleon' Cork Examiner