eBook by James Lovegrove
Cover by Jim & Ruth Keegan
Illustrations by Patrick Zircher
From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures
Spoilers! Spoilers!
Pamir Mountains (Tajikistan, Central Asia).
The Texan adventurer, gunslinger know as El Borak ("The Swift") aka Francis Xavier Gordon saves an English rug merchant and his guide, Aarav Choudhury (a Pundit explorer) from carnivorous snow leopards.
The soldier of fortune from El Paso, knows that they are actually Crown servants... clearly British military spies.
British Lieutenant John Stock comes clean that they are on an intelligence mission.
Stock, just like Gordon, wants to know more about the ruler of the remote city of Lamakan who stands against the Russian invaders... Queen Zohra.
Gordon, a self-appointed "keeper of the peace", feeds the starving Stock and Choudhury.
Major Andrei Razin (not the singer, not the hockey coach) and a military unit have been sent by Tsar Nicholas II to stamp out Zohra's rebellion and to bring her in chains to Saint Petersburg.
Our three heroes arrive at the walled stronghold of Lamakan... five days too late, the Major and his small army are already assailing the city. Half of Lamakan's defenders have already been killed.
During the night, Gordon and Stock sidestep the Russian encampment and climb over the scarcely repaired defensive wall of the city (that was breached during a previous bombardment).
Gordon explains to the Lamakanis in Pashto (Eastern Iranian language) that the Lieutenant is also a friend.
Gordon meets with the drop-dead gorgeous Queen Zohra and he shares his plan on how to wipe out the trespassing troopers.
At dawn, almost all of the citizens of Lamakan attack the sleeping Russians.
With twelve sticks of dynamite, Gordon and Stock trigger a devastating avalanche.
The Russian regiment and half of the Lamakani attackers get buried under the snow.
Eleven Russians survive, nine are picked off by Gordon and Choudhury, the remaining two (Major Razin and his adjutant, Morozov) surrender.
Razin desires to duel with Gordon, Gordon agrees and wins the sword fight in a flash. Morozov is allowed to leave with Gordon's message to the Emperor of Russia, that Lamakan is now under his protection.
Francis X. Gordon, John Stock & Aarav Choudhury refuse any kind of reward from Queen Zohra.
What I did like:
El Borak is the first character Robert E. Howard ever created.
A certain Biskaine-el-Borak appears in The Sea-Hawk by Rafael Sabatini.
George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905) mentioned.
Whitehall (the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom) mentioned.
The 1st Regiment of Punjab (India) Infantry was raised by Captain John Coke.
Coke (Coca-Cola Consolidated) is a STOCK symbol. Lovegrove writes for The Financial Times.
Boudica, British national warrior-queen mentioned.
The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India project mentioned.
Kilim is a flat tapestry-woven carpet.
Roof of the World refers to the Pamirs and the book by Thomas Edward Gordon.
The Great Game (the Russian Empire and the UK fighting over Central Asia) mentioned.
British intelligence officer Captain Arthur Conolly mentioned.
Jezail matchlock + Martini–Enfield rifle + Lancaster (2-barrel) pistol + Spencer repeating carbine mentioned.
British Raj (1858 to 1947) mentioned.
Talwar (Indian curved sabre) mentioned.
"Shooting Leave" refers to Spying Out Central Asia in the Great Game by Sir John Ure.
Hardtack crackers and Pemmican balls mentioned.
Tatars and Genghis Khan mentioned.
Lilliput from Gulliver's Travels and Atlantis mentioned.
Queen Victoria mentioned.
Borscht sour soup mentioned.
Morozov means frost.
Mercury (Roman god of speed) mentioned.
The khanates of the Caucasus mentioned.
Charlton Heston played C. G. Gordon in Khartoum (1966). Heston's real name was John Carter. Robert E. Howard was a huge fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
What I did not like:
No mention of al-Buraq / the Buraq (the lightning fast supernatural creature).
No mention of Richard Francis Burton, St. Francis Xavier or Charles George Gordon.
Another hidden/lost city.
The paranormal does not appear.
No Kirby O’Donnell.
No Ivan Kurovitch (Swords of Shahrazar aka The Treasure of Shaibar Khan).
No Vladimir Jakrovitch (The Country of the Knife aka Sons of the Hawk).
Needed more Zohra.
I give it a 9.5/10. The name is Borak (not Borat, not Bond). El Borak. A thrilling, top-notch, superbly researched story! Fans of Indiana Jones and/or the tales of Talbot Mundy will not be disappointed.