Brind and the Dogs of War

The eponymous Brind is the lowest form of human life in the household of Sir Edmund Dowe, a somewhat impoverished knight, whose great love is his pack of hounds which is famous throughout England. Brind is a foundling, reared by dogs and therefore in possession of an unusual control over Sir Edmund’s hounds. His life would be content if it wasn’t for the brutality of Tullo, the huntsman who is in charge of the kennels. Set in the reign of King Edward when lords departed at the monarch’s bidding to fight for control of English territories in France, Sir Edmund finds himself and a small retinue including Brind and Tullo and the hounds setting sail for France to win honour and glory, for in those days that was what a knight did.

Events across the channel include fighting at the battle of Crecy and the siege of Calais. Brind, separated from Sir Edmund, escapes the battle and meets up with a young French woman, Aurélie. Communication is not difficult, Brind speaks Norman French, and despite initial distrust of each other they set out, first to find the hound who leads the pack, and then to find Sir Edmund.

Their adventures are many and there are plenty of tense moments for the two escapees, especially when they find themselves stalked by the evil Tullo. Russell is a TV script writer and it shows. His pacing is excellent, as is his dialogue and attention to historical detail; never excessive, but giving a strong sense of place and time. Brind and the Dogs of War may well interest readers in a colourful period of English and French history, sometimes displayed as overly complicated and rather dull. It also serves as a reflection on the futility of the death and glory aspects of war: readers may feel nothing much has changed.