The Duel

When a chance encounter between two cavalry officers results in a duel in a garden, so begins a tale that spans the next 16 years and follows the campaigns of Bonaparte across Austria, Russia and beyond. Crossing swords again and again, these two officers, one a temperate and cool-headed strategist, the other a hot-blooded and intemperate gascon, become the talk of all the army until it's final conclusion.
A period classic amidst a time of european tumult by Joseph Conrad, narrated by Michael Ward.