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“The First Casualty” (TFC) is the tenth novel by British comedian, playwright, and author Ben Elton.
Like all of Elton’s books there is a clear message and point that he makes. TFC is quite clearly a discussion of and on the Great War, specifically about the barbarity and pointless slaughter on the Western Front and the Battle of Passchendaele (the third battle of Ypres), all under the guise of a murder mystery whodunnit.
With all the usual dry wit you come to expect Elton puts forward a logical basis for his lead character’s anti war stance at home while still showing the moral and logical dilemmas and ambiguity of the battlefield.
TFC is a work of historical fiction (while the battle is based on actual events) of which the narrative will not only engage the reader from the outset but also (like many of Elton’s novels) make the reader think.
TFC gets 4 chaotic artillery barrages out of 5.
Like all of Elton’s books there is a clear message and point that he makes. TFC is quite clearly a discussion of and on the Great War, specifically about the barbarity and pointless slaughter on the Western Front and the Battle of Passchendaele (the third battle of Ypres), all under the guise of a murder mystery whodunnit.
With all the usual dry wit you come to expect Elton puts forward a logical basis for his lead character’s anti war stance at home while still showing the moral and logical dilemmas and ambiguity of the battlefield.
TFC is a work of historical fiction (while the battle is based on actual events) of which the narrative will not only engage the reader from the outset but also (like many of Elton’s novels) make the reader think.
TFC gets 4 chaotic artillery barrages out of 5.
