Inspired by the Indian Mutiny of 1857 The Siege of Krishnapur is set in the fictional town of that name where a British garrison withstands a four-month siege by mutineers Eventually rescued after undergoing terrible privations the leading characters all find their ideals tested & their smug assumptions of military & moral superiority severely shaken In Troubles Major Brendan Archer travels to Ireland in the aftermath of World War I in order to meet his fiancee Angela in a remote seaside hotel owned by her father Angela dies unexpectedly but Archer remains in Kilnalough captivated by the Majestic & its inhabitants & seemingly unaware of the approaching political storm as Ireland dissolves into revolt & civil war Both novels combine high comedy with vivid realism & reveal Farrell as 'one of the finest post-colonial novelists'
- John Sutherland