The Lotus and the Wind
Encyclopedia
The Lotus and the Wind is a spy novel
by John Masters
. It continues his saga of the Savage family, who are part of the British Raj
in India
, and is set against the backdrop of the Great Game, the period of tension between Britain and Russia
in Central Asia
during the late nineteenth century.
are engaged in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
.
Anne Hildreth and Robin Savage have met and become attracted to each other before the narrative starts. Anne is the daughter of a Commissariat
officer and is travelling with her parents to the military post at Peshawar
in the North-West Frontier Province
of India. En route, she witnesses the murder of an Afghan stranger.
Meanwhile, Robin is part of a military column in Afghanistan. He is the son of a distinguished soldier and has almost been forced to follow in his father's footsteps, but has no taste for action. As the result of an accident, and a superior officer's bungling, he is accused of cowardice, and is also sent to Peshawar to await a Military Court of Inquiry.
Life threatens to be awkward, but an acquaintance, Major Hayling, connects a souvenir collected by Robin in Afghanistan with the murder witnessed by Anne. Realising that Robin's true passion is for solitude and empty spaces, he recruits him into the Secret Service and sends him in disguise into Central Asia. Accompanied by a faithful Gurkha
orderly, Robin sets out to discover the motive behind the murder and determine whether it is connected with the ambitions of Tsarist Russia.
. Robin is around two years old when the Sepoy Mutiny occurs and his mother is murdered. Robin's son is Peter Savage, who features in Far, Far the Mountain Peak.
Spy fiction
Spy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...
by John Masters
John Masters
Lieutenant Colonel John Masters, DSO was an English officer in the British Indian Army and novelist. His works are noted for their treatment of the British Empire in India.-Life:...
. It continues his saga of the Savage family, who are part of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and is set against the backdrop of the Great Game, the period of tension between Britain and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
during the late nineteenth century.
Plot summary
The story is told through the viewpoint of Lieutenant Robin Savage and the innocent but determined Anne Hildreth, although Savage's viewpoint predominates later in the novel. It begins in 1879, when Britain and AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
are engaged in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
.
Anne Hildreth and Robin Savage have met and become attracted to each other before the narrative starts. Anne is the daughter of a Commissariat
Commissariat
A commissariat is the department of an army charged with the provision of supplies, both food and forage, for the troops. The supply of military stores such as ammunition is not included in the duties of a commissariat. In almost every army the duties of transport and supply are performed by the...
officer and is travelling with her parents to the military post at Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
in the North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
of India. En route, she witnesses the murder of an Afghan stranger.
Meanwhile, Robin is part of a military column in Afghanistan. He is the son of a distinguished soldier and has almost been forced to follow in his father's footsteps, but has no taste for action. As the result of an accident, and a superior officer's bungling, he is accused of cowardice, and is also sent to Peshawar to await a Military Court of Inquiry.
Life threatens to be awkward, but an acquaintance, Major Hayling, connects a souvenir collected by Robin in Afghanistan with the murder witnessed by Anne. Realising that Robin's true passion is for solitude and empty spaces, he recruits him into the Secret Service and sends him in disguise into Central Asia. Accompanied by a faithful Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
orderly, Robin sets out to discover the motive behind the murder and determine whether it is connected with the ambitions of Tsarist Russia.
Relations to other books in the series
Robin is the son of Rodney Savage, the protagonist of Nightrunners of BengalNightrunners of Bengal
Nightrunners of Bengal is the title of the first novel by John Masters. It was published in the United States in January 1951 by the Viking Press, New York, and at first attracted severe criticism from some reviewers who objected to what they regarded as its imperialist viewpoint and graphic...
. Robin is around two years old when the Sepoy Mutiny occurs and his mother is murdered. Robin's son is Peter Savage, who features in Far, Far the Mountain Peak.