Showing results by author "Malcolm Archibald" in All Categories

Major Jack Windrush of the 113th Foot is given a mission to convince Batoor Khan to support the new Amir. However, when a rival to the Afghan throne, Ayub Khan, appears to threaten a British garrison, Jack joins the army sent to restore order. From that point, Jack’s time in Afghanistan descends into chaos. From major battles, savage skirmishes, family feuds, an enigmatic woman, and a mysterious Timuri, Jack finds that Afghanistan continues to be a dangerous place.

Captain Jack Windrush and the the infamous 113th Foot are assigned to India, just before the Indian Mutiny breaks out. Returning from a five-day march with his company, Jack finds that the sepoys have rebelled and massacred their officers, and most of the other company of the 113th. Gathering together a number of survivors, Jack and his company fight their way out of the cantonment and escape. After Jack learns that the British are besieged by a large rebel army, he takes his men to Allahabad to relieve Cawnpore, and meet with General Havelock.

This thematic audiobook introduces the history of the Firth of Forth, the gateway to the east of Scotland and Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city. There are whaling ships and fishing boats, great tea clippers with a Forth connection and the Leith built Sirius that was the first ship to cross the Atlantic under steam power alone. The historical background to each of the Forth islands is covered, with tales of shipwreck and holy men, pirates and lighthouses, plague victims, grim prisons and a Jacobite fortress that held out against the Scottish Navy.

Shipwrecked on the African coast, Major Jack Windrush and his wife Mary find themselves embroiled in a war, as the Ashantis attack the British colony of the Gold Coast. While Jack leads a company of the West India Regiment, Mary tries to help the refugees in Cape Coast Castle. Soon, they both find themselves deeply involved in the war, and will need to make sacrifices they could have never anticipated.

Dance If Ye Can is an introduction to the huge variety of battles fought in Scotland, or fought by the Scots in the nearly 900 years when they were an independent nation. The first part of the audiobook serves as an introduction to Scottish history, while the second section portrays the Scottish soldier throughout history. Part three gives an alphabetical guide and brief notes of the many hundred battles, skirmishes, and sieges that pepper the history of Scotland.

It is the year 1915, and the British and Ottoman Empires clash in a deadly struggle in the Middle East. Tasked with keeping the Ottomans out of Suez Canal, Major Andrew Selkirk discovers that his real assignment is to retrieve a Bengali spy working for those who vow to see British rule out of India. After landing on the west coast of Palestine, Selkirk discovers the Ottomans have taken the spy captive. Even more troubling are the plans by Ottomans and Germans to draw Afghanistan and Persia into the war against Great Britain.

The Moray Firth of Scotland has a fine maritime history. This audiobook introduces the nearly forgotten sealing and whaling industry of the 19th century. It includes ships, masters, men, and anecdotes from Fraserburgh and Banff, with a year-by-year breakdown of the industry. A recognized expert on the Scottish whaling industry, Malcolm Archibald has authored a number of books on the subject, including Whalehunters (Mercat Press, 2004), Ancestors in the Arctic (Black and White, 2013), and The Dundee Whaling Fleet (Dundee University Press, 2013).

In this audiobook, Sergeant Watters finds himself overwhelmed with three simultaneous cases. With a case of poisoning, a series of child kidnappings, and somebody with a seeming dislike of clocks and watches, Watters and his team are stretched thin. Things become even more complicated when a circus comes to Dundee, and Watters has to help raid an illegal gambling den. Fortunately, Dr. Beaton is there to help. But who is the mysterious man who crosses his path in Dundee, and why would anyone wish to kidnap boys from impoverished backgrounds?

Scotland, 1388. After Fergus Scott of Eildon travels north to investigate reports of a malevolent presence, he encounters the ferocious Alistair Mor. Drawn into battle against enchantment and death, Fergus is aided by the lovely but quick-tempered Seonaid. Meanwhile, Donald of the Isles and his army march to confront Alistair, and trouble is brewing as the witches of Scotland gather to recreate the Book of Black Earth.

Melcorka thought she was an ordinary young woman from the Isles. But when her homeland of Alba is attacked by an invading horde, Melcorka abandons her life of luxury and chooses the path of a warrior. With a ragtag band of companions, she heads south to unite the clans and free the land from the Norsemen's scourge and claim her destiny.

In Sergeant George Watters' next case, the Dundee policeman finds himself dealing with local susceptibilities and international intrigue.

Sailing west across the Atlantic, Melcorka and Bradan encounter a strange woman entombed within an iceberg. On her is a headband decorated with the symbol of a falcon. Soon after, they meet a fleet of Norse ships and set sail with them towards the New World. Fighting their way through skraeling hordes and facing the mysterious Ice Giant, they find the ancient pyramid city of Cahokia. But what is the secret of the strange falcon artifact?

After the campaign against the Norse, Melcorka the Swordswoman is unsettled. She wishes revenge on Egil the Norseman, yet knows that Defender - her magic sword - cannot kill without cause. After a visit to the seer Fitheach, Melcorka receives a dire warning. They head toward the Western Isles in search of knowledge, facing many dangers on their path. With the help of pirate leader Osprey and Hector, leader of the Ulvust, they forge on toward the Standing Stones of Callanish to face the most fearsome foe of all: The Shining One.

After her adventures around the world, Melcorka the Swordswoman has returned to her homeland of Alba. Facing war on two fronts, the High King of Alba orders Melcorka to hunt down and defeat the Butcher - a savage who wields Loki's sword. Fighting through a variety of increasingly dangerous enemies, she and Bradan make their way towards their formidable, final foe. But is there something more to the Butcher than meets the eye - and what is the secret of Loki's sword?

Scotland has always given generously of her people to the world. This book tells the story of some of the many hundreds of thousands of Scots who have contributed to the fabric of modern world. In here are explorers and entrepreneurs, settlers and soldiers, politicians and missionaries, traders and police officers. They are a diverse lot with only two things in common: they made their home in a foreign land, and they hailed from Scotland. The world is all the richer for the part they played.