Red Eve is a historical novel with fantasy elements, by British writer H. Rider Haggard, set in the reign of Edward III. Red Eve depicts the Battle of Crécy and the Black Death, and also features a supernatural personification of Death called Murgh.Myron J. Smith, War story guide: an annotated bibliography of military fiction. Scarecrow Press, 1980. (p. 17).
Reception Discussing Red Eve, E. F. Bleiler stated "While the personalities are still stereotyped, the tendency to be sententious is not as obtrusive as usual, and the narrative is relatively brisk. The introduction of Murgh as a symbol is successful."E. F. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction. Kent, Ohio : Kent State University Press, 1983. (pgs. 218-219). Pamela Cleaver called Red Eve a "stirring tale" and said "the incidents...keep one reading until the end". However, Cleaver criticised the novel's characterisation, saying that the book's principal figures were "all stock characters."Cleaver, Pamela. "Haggard, H(enry) Rider". In Henderson, Lesley, and Kirkpatrick, Daniel Lane, Twentieth-century Romance and Historical Writers. Chicago : St James Press, 1990. (pg. 298) Darrell Schweitzer described Red Eve as "a later novel of particular interest", saying it began as a "costume romance", but became a weird fiction novel with the "introduction of the character Murgh, a personification of the Black Death."Schweiter, Darrell. "Haggard, Rider", in Cardin, Matt, Horror Literature through History: An Encyclopedia of the Stories that Speak to Our Deepest Fears Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood, 2017. (pgs. 407-408) John Scarborough included Red Eve on a list of what he regarded as Haggard's best novels, along with King Solomon's Mines, She, Cleopatra, Eric Brighteyes, and Nada the Lily.Scarborough, John. "H. Rider Haggard". In Bleiler, Richard, Science Fiction Writers : critical studies of the major authors from the early nineteenth century to the present day. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. (pg. 323-329)
References
External links Complete book at Project Gutenberg