Soldiers of Misfortune

by P. C. Wren Book 1 in the Otho Belleme series.

First published 1929

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2.5(5)

Otho Belleme’s life is overturned by a combination of personal failure, suspicion and divided loyalty that separates him from the future he expected. Seeking anonymity and a form of punishment, he enters the French Foreign Legion, where men with concealed pasts are reduced to the same uniform, drill and danger. His attempt to escape one identity brings him into relationships that make moral withdrawal impossible.

Wren uses the Legion as both refuge and tribunal. Otho’s military ordeals matter because they force him to decide whether misfortune excuses wrongdoing or creates a greater obligation to act honourably. The novel begins a two-book story of disgrace and recovery, mixing mystery and romance with the routines and violence of colonial service.