THE FIRST TO LAND

Blackwood has been posted to the Far East. The VC-decorated hero, chagrined by what he assumes to be a quiet assignment, is further annoyed by his father's orders to watch over his sulky, snobbish Cousin Ralph. But China, it seems, is anything but quiet. The Victorian Empire is beginning to crumble with the Boxer Rebellion; Blackwood finds his Marines facing challenges almost beyond hope. Jeffrey Rintoul's impassioned reading draws out every breathless moment of the action and the determined personalities of the Royal Marines. We are hurtled into fear, weariness, and anger. Trumpet-like, Reeman's testimonial to this corps resounds in Rintoul's fine performance. S.B.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]