Shadow Flies

The title of the original, British release of this novel was They Were Defeated, referring, among other matters, to the English Civil War, 1642 to 1651. Since the main action covers the build-up toward this event and climaxes in 1641, the title implies that defeat had been inevitable for both sides even before the war began. The American title, The Shadow Flies, comes from a poem on the vanity of human wishes. Yet, for all that, the story is full of life and yearning, of effort and fun, of asser