He's no Frederick Townsend Ward

Rating: 10/10 (12 August 2008)

If you have waded through eighty-four pages of reviews to get this far, congratulations. I only got as far as page 13. "The Last Samurai" is a work of fiction set in Japan, but the story of Frederick Townsend Ward in China, is not. F.T.W was an American mercenary who trained and led Imperial troops during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860's and was killed while leading his "Ever Victorious Army" in battle. Had he survived to help bring the conflict to a successful conclusion, then retired and written his memoirs, he would be better known today. But, history is sometimes a messy thing even for the lead characters. A neater resolution is to be found in this entertaining tale of redeemed honor with a happily-ever-after ending.