Description
Book SynopsisIt is the summer of 1964 during the Far Eastern war euphemistically called Confrontation'. A British Royal Marine patrol has orders to penetrate Indonesian Borneo to locate a river thought by Allied intelligence to be being used by the Indonesians to build up supplies before launching a major attack on Sarawak. Charged with this mission, Lieutenant Charles Kirton makes a most extraordinary discovery amid the dense mangrove swamps bordering a river in Borneo. Not only does this discovery enable Kirton to fulfill his mission but it is quite coincidentally intensely personal and unpleasantly macabre. From this highly-charged opening sequence, the story flashes back a century to 1867, revealing the truth behind this strange event, when young Henry Kirton, Second Officer of the auxiliary steamship River Tay, is dumped ashore in Singapore, badly injured by a fall from the rigging of his ship. Woodman's compelling tale has echoes of Joseph Conrad.
Trade ReviewNetGalley Review: 5 stars
Last updated on 14 Sep 2021
"I have read quite a few Richard Woodman books, both fiction, including his fourteen Nathaniel Drinkwater books, and non-fiction, including The Sea Warriors. A River in Borneo betrays his experience as a novelist, his knowledge as a master mariner, and the research of a historian. It is a curiously old fashioned book with more than a hint of Joseph Conrad, tracing the path of a young British merchant officer from a crippling accident to a hopeful respite to inevitable doom. The language is elegant and the book is highly readable. I did not find the framing scenes, set in the 1960s and later, addictive and somewhat unlikely and melodramatic. That said, the book is well worth reading. Recommended. Thanks to NatGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review." —Evan Ladoucer, consumer reviewer
NetGalley Review: 5 stars
Last updated on 17 Oct 2021
"This was a unique read in historical fiction, it was a unique time period used and the characters were really well done. I liked that the author worked with ships; it added to the book." —Kay McLeer, consumer reviewer
A Wonderful Novel: 5 Stars
A River in Borneo is a magnificent achievement from a consistently superb author. I have to admit that I’ve been a proselytizing Richard Woodman fan for at least 22 years, particularly in regard to his “Nathaniel Drinkwater” series set in the Wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Now I’m happy to report that with this latest, superb work the master shows he’s still the master of historical fiction, intriguing plotting, smooth storytelling, nautical detail, and strong characterization.
His Singapore (circa 1870) and its associated territories, waterways, and general environs of Maritime Southeast Asia and the East Indies are painted with great depth and vibrant color. Captain Woodman’s main characters live and appeal to (at times even repel) the reader as real people struggling in challenging and harsh times.
While reading I couldn’t help comparing the issues and textures of the characters’ lives to those of the dry American West (where I currently live) of the same time period. In particular I marveled in regard to the great opportunities as well as the great perils constantly at hand. Woodman’s central character, Henry Kirton, wonderfully embodies this issue—in addition to being both a complex, charismatic and contradictory figure. I also enjoyed the movement between the three distinct time periods Captain Woodman weaves into his story: the main part in the East Indies around 1870; a prologue and epilogue taking place in the same area but in 1964; and an afterword in 2018.
Another thing that I particularly admire in this novel, as well as all of Woodman’s historical fiction, is the way (unlike a goodly number of other authors) he inserts his fabulous fictional stories and characters into real historical settings without making them intrusive.
A River in Borneo is a brilliant and wonderful novel. I give it the highest recommendation possible and I hope that it receives the wide readership it deserves."
-- Dr. Maturin
