The Circassian Chief

A Romance of Russia

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About this book

Two young horsemen leave their college training behind and travel through Russia with very different ideas about military service. Thaddeus welcomes the prospect of battle, while Ivan fiercely objects to helping an empire bring an independent people under its rule. Their argument on the road towards Tver gives this historical adventure an immediate concern with liberty, loyalty and the uses of power.

William Henry Giles Kingston places that political dispute beside scenes of personal attachment in the Caucasus. Ina, a chieftain's daughter, sits in a room furnished with silks and embroidery; her father's arrival brings warmth into a life overshadowed by war. Descriptions of rough roads, military dress and household customs give the narrative much of its texture. Readers interested in older adventure fiction can follow its contrast between youthful enthusiasm for fighting and the moral doubts that imperial ambition raises.