It is June 1815 and an Anglo-led Allied army under the Duke of Wellington’s command and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher is set to face Napoleon Boneparte near Waterloo in present-day Belgium.

What happens next is well known to any student of history: the two armies of the Seventh Coalition defeated Bonaparte in a battle that resulted in the end of his reign and of the First French Empire.

But the outcome could have been very different, as Peter Tsouras demonstrates in this thought-provoking and highly readable alternate history of the fateful battle.

By introducing minor – but realistic – adjustments, Tsouras presents a scenario in which the course of the battle runs quite differently, which in turn sets in motion new and unexpected possibilities. Cleverly conceived and expertly executed, this is alternate history at its best.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Maps
• Introduction
• 1 ‘What a Canary!’, 26 February–31 March 1815
• 2 Forging the Sword, 1 April–29 May 1815
• 3 ‘Napoleon Has Humbugged Me, by God!’, 30 May–16 June 1815 47
• 4 ‘La Ball Commence’, 16 June 1815
• 5 Hougoumont, 12:15 a.m.–12:00 Noon, 17 June 1815
• 6 La Haye Sainte, 12:00 Noon–3:00 p.m., 17 June 1815
• 7 Pas de Charge!, 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., 17 June 1815
• 8 The Storm of Mont St Jean
• 9 Fin
• Notes
• Plate section