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|summary=The masterly pen of David Gilman thrusts us into the Irish experience of the Boer War, showing us entertainment, excitement and an unflinching view of some of history's darker days. David Gilman popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Last Horseman|talk to us]] about his novel ''The Last Horseman''.

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Joseph Radcliff and Benjamin Pearce have both had their fill of war and conflict during the American Indian and Civil wars. They now spend their time trying to preserve life as Joseph defends Irish republicans in 19th century Dublin. However , war hasn't finished with them. As the new century clicks over, the fight between a large chunk of Europe and the South African Boers intensifies and the Irish regiment they're attached to is mobilised. Joseph's young son Edward runs away to join the army he's grown up with, leaving the two veterans facing peril and horror they thought they'd never revisit but this time they do it to find Edward and bring him home.

Author and script writer scriptwriter [[:Category:David Gilman|David Gilman]] is no stranger to Bookbag adulation, having received it in droves for his superlative [[Master of War by David Gilman|14th -century trilogy]] set around the 100 years' war. Now, skipping a century or four, he renews that excitement with a stand-alone novel that takes us to a place and time into which he's built a clever twist.

The twist is that we see the Boer War through American eyes. So what's so clever about that? Once we begin to submerge and understand more about the Irish situation we see the similarities between that and the American Civil War. Having been there and done that, Ben and Joseph become perfect guides to an arena of conflict and combination of involved nations that's are rarely used in historical fiction.

As many will know, Ireland was split between those loyal to the British crown and the republican/Fenian supporters who wanted an independent country. The lesser -known fact is that this also polarised their loyalties in the Boer campaigns. The Fenians found resonance among the perceived underdog Boer farmer community while the loyalists, naturally enough, joined one of the Irish regiments. As in the American (or any) Civil War, this meant brother fighting brother and father fighting son.

Further Reading: If you enjoy superlative historical fiction from any era, we definitely recommend David's Master of War trilogy, starting with the eponymous [Master of War by David Gilman|Master of War]]. If you want to remain in 19th century South Africa and don't mind a bit of romance, we also highly recommend [[The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh]] or [[Canvas Under The Sky by Robin Binckes]].

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