Radetskys Marches by Mike Embree

The cover of Mike Embree's new book, Radetsky's Marches

Gentlemen, you'll find above a picture of Mike's new book, which will be due out in the near future. It's published byHelion and you can pre-order it from amazon.co.uk here.

The publishers bumpf is here, but essentially the book tells the story of Field Marshall Joseph Radetsky von Radetz, a kindly octengenarian who led the Austrian army to victory at Custozza in 1848 and Novara in 1849.

Radetsky is interesting for several reasons -

...firstly, he was eighty two when he fought and won the two battles mentioned...

...his coat of arms features for no discernable reason, aspade...

...and lastly, he was a superhero whose sheer power possessed Johann Strauss Sr and enabled him to write a piece of music that allowed horses to dance.

There is a story, probably aprocyphal, that General U.S. Grant used to keep a particular private, known for his simplicity, at his headquarters, this man's job was to read General Grants orders before they were sent on the basis that what this man could comprehend, no other could misunderstand.

I've served as that private soldier for Mike on a couple of occasions and if the rest of the book is anything like the sections that I've read, we're in for a treat.