A kind of sequel to Beau Geste which features several characters from that film: Major Beaujolais, the French officer who discovered Fort Zinderneuf, plus Buddy and Hank, the two Americans who fell in with the Geste brothers, and the trouble maker Restignac. The first half concentrates on the adventures of Beaujolias, from enlistment in the French foreign legion, to becoming a legend (he constantly refers to other exciting adventures he's had but skips over them), to going on a top secret mission with two women in hand.
The second half has a great twist - two Arabs are revealed to be Buddy and Hank, who have gotten well off the beaten track since Beau Geste. That's a fun concept for a book but Wren isn't that good creating male characters - Buddy and Hank are hard to tell apart, Beaujolias is a bore. The two females are much more interesting - Mary, the vivacious, spirited American, who has excellent urst with Beaujolias, and Maudie, her made.
There's plenty of action and seemingly authentic details about Foreign Legion training and Arab trials plus an awful lot of song/poem lyrics, and coincidences in the plot. It reminded me of the Flashman novels in some way - a hero, some outlandish twists, period detail, action in the desert, some haughty women - though it lacked Flashy's humour and verve.
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