- Rathar is the Marshal of Unkerlant. He is analogous to Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov. Originally a peasant conscripted during King Swemmel's civil war with his twin brother Kyot (equivalent to the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922), he rose to supreme command solely through his merits (which would not have been possible in other Derlavian countries, but Swemmel has weakened and decimated the Unkerlanter hereditary aristocracy). He is loyal to King Swemmel and has no designs on the throne (though he is not sure the King understands that) and is fiercely devoted to Unkerlant, constantly worried that if Swemmel has him replaced on a whim, the war will be handed over to less-competent leaders. His meetings with the King are always tense, with the possibility ever-present that they will end with his being killed or tortured by the paranoid monarch. Rathar much prefers being in the field - and not only because there he is superior to eveybody else. Highly courageous, he often puts himself in personal danger in the front lines and lives simply and frugally, which makes him popular among soldiers (and civilians). He must always, however, keep down manifestations of such popularity for fear of arousing the King's suspicions. Rathar himself can be ruthless on occasion, as when ordering the summary execution of deserters, but never gratuitously. Up to the end of the book he manages to keep the delicate balance of successfully winning the war while keeping Swemmel from turning on him. The dialogues between Rathar and Swemmel have some resemblance to those between Vyacheslav Molotov and Joseph Stalin in Turtledove's worldwar series. There is also a moment when he joins the front lines in Zuwayza where he and the Unkerlanter soldier Leudast are taking cover behind the same rock.
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