Book Review: Congo Cobalt by Colin Boxall-Hunt

Congo Cobalt
Colin Boxall-Hunt
lulu.com (July 30, 2010)
978-1409248453
184 pages


Journey to Central Africa for action, adventure, excitement, and romance in Congo Cobalt by Colin Boxall-Hunt.

Set in 1994, we meet Major Algernon Charles Nasty-Farting or “Warty.” Warty is a retired Royal Artillery and Infantry Officer with a plan; set up a Cobalt mining operation in the Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is no easy feat as the area is controlled by a number of heavily armed terrorist gangs. His first part of the plan is to put together a group of trusted military comrades and to set up financing and a means to sell their product. Along for the operation are experienced and mostly retired military men with nick-names like Bullet, The Black Dwarf, and Keith Monkey Lawrence.

Once in the Congo, the first order of business is setting up/fortifying a compound of living quarters and the mining and ore reduction plant. Local civilians are hired for labor and more than 60 are enlisted for a security force. The force is split into two full platoons and armed and trained in the highest British Military tradition. The security force will need to be at its best to protect the camp from terrorist gangs known for murder, torture, and cannibalism. A UN-backed medical team arrives to inoculate the villagers against measles, small pox and other diseases. The all female medical team quickly catch the eyes of several of the officers. With the operation in full production, it isn’t long before the gangs become interested and mount their first attack on the camp.

Author Colin Boxall-Hunt’s experience and knowledge of weapons and military operations is apparent on every page with detailed description giving this story a realistic feel. He keeps the tension up with the constant threat of the gangs and pirates who are ready to unleash bloody mayhem and/or steal the valuable cobalt. This is a quick read that will catch the interest of readers of action-adventure and combat fiction.

I felt that the author’s choice of the omniscient point of view kept me at a distance from the story. There is little or no character development, back story or description. There is a “List of Principal Characters,” however, the list mentions military backgrounds and doesn’t help create a clear picture of the cast. Instead the author refers readers to his prequel, Rhine Army Summer, for more details on Warty and the others. In fact, the prequel is mentioned no fewer than five times by page six. The story is set in the 1990s; however, the medical staff is stereotypical meek females. Their living quarters supplied with “girlie potions and lotions” and decorated with wild flowers suggests a setting in the 50’s or 60’s. The book could have used the services of a professional proofreader to catch the numerous typos and formatting issues that became distracting for me. Despite these problems, I would recommend Congo Cobalt to those who enjoy a fast-paced read in the action/adventure genre.

By William Potter

Available at Amazon.com