Book
The Lotus and the Wind
First published 1953
Afghanistan, 1879. Lieutenant Robin Savage is serving during the Second Anglo-Afghan War when an accusation of cowardice threatens his career. A dying Afghan’s cryptic reference to “Atlar” draws him into intelligence work at the point where the military campaign meets the wider Anglo-Russian contest for influence in Central Asia.
Accompanied by a loyal Gurkha orderly, Robin travels across the frontier in pursuit of a conspiracy whose significance reaches beyond one battlefield. Espionage, disguise and political calculation carry him through the landscape of the Great Game, while the pressure to prove himself forces him to decide what courage and loyalty mean when imperial strategy depends upon secrecy.
Historical Periods
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about Second Anglo-Afghan War
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More by the author
Other books by John Masters
Discover more
Authors similar to John Masters
Recommended from shared genres and periods.
M. M. Kaye
9 books
Malcolm Archibald
54 books
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
24 books
Jacqueline Winspear
20 books
Edward Marston
88 books