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Covenant with Death

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Covenant with Death

By: John Harris
Narrated by: Mike Rogers
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Summary

They joined for their country. They fought for each other.

When war breaks out in 1914, Mark Fenner and his Sheffield friends immediately flock to Kitchener's call. Amid waving flags and boozy celebration, the three men - Fen; his best friend, Locky; and self-assured Frank, rival for the woman Fen loves - enlist as volunteers to take on the Germans and win glory.

Through ramshackle training in sodden England and a stint in arid Egypt, rebellious but brave Fen proves himself to be a natural leader, only undermined by ongoing friction with Frank. Headed by terse, tough Sergeant Major Bold, this group of young men form steel-strong bonds, and yearn to face the great adventure of the Western Front.

Then, on one summer's day in 1916, Fen and his band of brothers are sent to the Somme, and this very ordinary hero discovers what it means to fight for your life.

Stirringly told from the down-to-earth view of everyday soldiers, Covenant with Death is acclaimed as one of the greatest novels about war ever written.

©1961 John Harris (P)2014 Hachette Audio Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Military War & Military War Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Africa
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I first read this book over thirty years ago and still have a copy. Also have it on e-reader and now on this format.
For my money it is the best war novel ever written and I would love to see it as a TV series as well.

Great story

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Covenant with Death is, in my opinion, one of the all-time classic War stories, up there with All Quiet on the Western Front in bringing the First World War down to a personal level. I have read John Harris' novel two or three times and this recording by Mike Rogers does it full justice.

Colleagues from a newspaper in a Yorkshire city (not named but clearly Sheffield) are imbued with patriotism at the outbreak of war. As they train, face the inevitability of fighting and then arrive, eventually, on the Western Front, the scales gradually clear from their eyes as they realise that the only way this war will be over by Christmas is for them personally, by bullet, shell or bayonet.

It is a story of comradeship, naivety, duty and, above all, courage. Two years in the making, ten minutes on the destroying. That was the history of the Pals Battalions on the first day on the Somme, encapsulated in this book. Mike Rogers' laconic delivery suits the character of the protagonist, Mark Fenner, to a tee.

It is an epic sorry with an emotionally charged finale. Listen and remember.

Classic War story

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I couldn’t stop listening to this. It’s such a well written book that you feel you are there. It articulates the experience of a soldier so well and iterates the experiences of life in the trenches as well as back home trying to adapt to normality. Recommend this to all who have an interest in this period of history

Incredibly moving

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This is a compulsive novel, not withstanding the graphic detail of a battalion's first, ill-fated action. It is so well written and so well performed that it deserves to be listened to or read by many, many more people, for it really is one of the best books on 20th Century warfare. It is the true story of the The 12th (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment, known as the Sheffield City Battalion or "Sheffield Pals". It is one where the focus is the soldiers not the politics. It is the better for it being based upon facts and the detailed testimony of those that survived the carnage of the battalion's first 10 minutes of the battle of the Somme in 1916. It is a novel with a searing inevitability. The novel introduces you to a group of men who enlist together in a 'Pals' battalion and you learn of them, get to know them as characters and in detail. before listening to this novel, I recently recently researched the battalion for a talk on the soldiers and their training camp that this wonderful fictionary novel is based upon. The novel is true to so many facts. In that research I discovered that film director Ridley Scott has loved this novel for some 50 years and is a film of the novel in development. What better recommendation. The audiobook is faithfully performed, managing exactly the right tone and delivery throughout.

Of All Books on Warfare Listen to This

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What made the experience of listening to Covenant with Death the most enjoyable?

The fact that although fiction it is based on truth. One can clearly picture the misguided enthusiasm of the Pals battalions as they rushed to their doom.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Covenant with Death?

Without doubt the morning they went over the top.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The pre enlistment medical, when men lied about their age, their occupations and their health, simply to make sure that they got into the war.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely.

Any additional comments?

Although written many years ago, it has lost none of its freshness. One to listen to again and again.

Factual entertainment

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