The bestselling master storyteller of the British Raj recounts the real story of the first great encounter between Tibet and the West
In December 1903 a British army marched over the Himalayas to counter a non-existent Russian threat and was confronted by a medieval Tibetan army ordered to stop it by non-violent means. It was a clash between the mightiest political power in the world and the weakest.
Leading the mission was the charismatic Francis Younghusband. Commanding the army escort was an officer determined to do things by the book: General James Macdonald. The result was conflict at every level.
Drawing on diaries, letters and unpublished first-hand accounts, Charles Allen reveals not only the true character of one of Britain's great imperial heroes but also the calamitous outcome for the Tibetan people of Britain's last attempt at empire-building.
Elegantly written and rigorously researched, Duel in the Snows proves once again that Allen is a narrative historian without peer. - Saul David, Daily Telegraph
The story has a magnificent and romantic peroration which still sends shivers down the spine. - Matthew Leeming, The Literary Review
A swashbuckling adventure told by Allen with flair and fairness, as well as humour and subtle satire. - Geographical Magazine
This is a story that more than justifies this admirable retelling - John Ure, Times Literary Supplement
Charles Allen is a master of his genre. - Military Illustrated