Special offer for Xmas - 'Merdeka' eBook price cut

'Merdeka' is on a reduced price Kindle countdown deal until 30th December on Amazon's UK and US sites. Visit the Malaysian jungle for just £0.99 or $1.55 - for more details see:

Amazon UK         Amazon US

The eBook was first published in November 2011 and the print book in January 2012.  Since then thousands of copies have been sold or downloaded (many thanks to all readers!).

Work on the next book is progressing, although it is not yet possible to give a publication date - I am hoping to get it finished and ready before next Christmas.

Best wishes to all readers for a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

A great story, evocative of a forgotten era

Another great customer review for 'Merdeka' on Amazon.com.  All reviews are really appreciated and extracts can be seen on the Review Page of this blog. Many thanks to Leslie Jones for the following:

A great story, and very well written with good pace and a believable narrative. I particularly liked the balance of descriptive narrative, which brought the story alive with its evocation of a forgotten era, and the face-paced action and story development. Great stuff Lachlan - when's the next novel coming out?

How to get the book.

Read the latest review of 'Merdeka'

Another great customer review for 'Merdeka' on Amazon's UK site.  All reviews are really appreciated and extracts can be seen on the Review Page of this blog. Many thanks to "action man" for the following:

As someone who was in Malaya at the time about which this book was written it is a very good story and describes the situation well. I liked the way each side's actions were described as the plot unfolded. A good read.

How to get the book.

Remembrance Poems from FEPOWs and their families

As Remembrance Sunday draws close, the suffering of those who went through the Second World War in the Far East is being increasingly recognised.  The Far East Prisoners of War (FEPOWs) must not be be forgotten.

Keeping up the memory of their suffering alive has been helped by Eric Lomax through his poignant book 'The Railway Man', and the subsequent film of the same name released last year.  

The FEPOW Day website has a collection of poems written by former FEPOWs and their families.  Take a few minutes to read them.......

The most thought provoking book I have read this year!

Another great customer review for 'Merdeka' on Amazon's UK site.  All reviews are really appreciated and extracts can be seen on the Review Page of this blog. Many thanks to "Hisboss" for the following:

I chose this book because I had spent two years living in Brunei and had had the opportunity of travelling around Malaysia and loved the experience.

Lachlan Gunn has written this story beautifully. I was a bit slow in getting into the plot but once I did I was totally captivated. I imagined myself in the jungle getting nowhere fast. Again, something I have done. The way the author describes the noise , the heat and the leeches, and the cat and mouse situations of the hunters and hunted.

Looking for a summer read?

Why not try 'Merdeka'?  When 'Merdeka' (the Kindle eBook) was put on free promotion for just 5 days last week, over 600 copies were downloaded and the book hit the number one spot on several of the Amazon categories on both the .com and .co.uk websites:

#1 in Best Sellers in Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction

#1 in Best Sellers in Historical Literary Fiction

Copies of the book have now been downloaded in the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, India, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil and Japan.

Want to find out more?  Check out the reviews.  How to get the book.

Should women fight in combat?

In 'Merdeka', one of the main protagonists is a woman who does just that.  The British Army is now about to (again) review female close combat roles. Details of this can be found on the BBC website.

UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond says "I think that at a time when the Americans, the Australians, the Canadians, even the French - the Israelis of course for years - have women in their combat arms, this is something we have to look at again...." 

Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, told the BBC that women should not be in the combat arms as "a matter of principle".  He may have a point.  While there is no question at all that women can act as effectively as men in combat roles (provided they meet the required standards) the reality of battle means that the inclusion of women in close quarter battle units may have two unintended consequences:

'Merdeka' gets another 5 Star review

Many thanks to J S V B Harrison for a 5 Star review on the Amazon.co.uk site.  To read all Merdeka's customer and professional reviews visit the Reviews Page on this blog.

Work on the next novel is progressing with over 25,000 words penned to date.

'Merdeka' Kindle edition discounted on Amazon UK from 27 Feb to 6 Mar 2014

Not got 'Merdeka' for your Kindle or Kindle App yet? Then get it a discounted price (UK readers).

Following the success of the Kindle Countdown Deal promotion on Amazon.com at the beginning of February, a similar promotion is running on Amazon.co.uk from 27th February to 6th March 2014.

UK readers get Merdeka for £0.99 until 6th March.

Not got a Kindle? Click here for information on Kindle Apps.

Special price for 'Merdeka' eBook on Amazon.com (US and rest of world readers)

'Merdeka' (for Kindle) is discounted on Amazon.com from now until 5th February 2014.  It has been enrolled in what Amazon call a 'Kindle Countdown Deal' with a starting price of US$0.99

I can't see the discount, but that could be because I am in the UK and the discount doe not apply to Amazon.co.uk  Why not check the link http://www.amazon.com/Merdeka-Lachlan-Gunn-ebook/dp/B006FMFCHI to see if you can get the discount?

Bribery used to weaken the Communist Terrorists

During the Malayan Emergency Government Forces air-dropped propaganda leaflets into the jungle  to encourage the Communist Terrorists (CTs) to leave the jungle and give up their weapons and/or their comrades. This one was dropped in 1953 and the Chinese text reads:

"If any member of the Malayan Communist Party is able to leave the jungle and bring out a Bren gun, or able to lead the Peace Keeping Forces to unearth a hidden Bren gun that he or she knows about, he will be eligible for a $1,000 reward. Receive a $1,000 reward to start a new life!"

In an earlier post on this blog I covered Psychological Warfare of the Malayan Emergency.  It worked and played a significant part in weakening the CTs.  As the Emergency dragged on, every weapon lost to them was hard to replace as their was no way for the CTs to engage with sympathetic governments (such as the People's Republic of China) outside Malaya - a major difference to the situations in Vietnam and Korea at the time.  Government forces had a stranglehold on the CT supply lines and used  leaflets such as this to attack them from within.

.