Kevin F. reviewed on 1/26/2015 + 211 more book reviews

Compelling story, old fashioned writing style. Read the Hornblower series or Bolitho series or Biddlecomb series first.

Im on pins and needles writing this review. I dont want to write a crappy review only to discover that the series gets better, but I also dont want to steer you wrong by saying this is a great book when its not. Many people who I respect a lot think that the sun rises and sets on this series, so I do want to read it and find out why. So far with book one, Im unenthusiastic.

Why didnt I like it? There are a lot of reasons. The style of writing makes it hard to read, and the immense level of detail makes it hard to keep reading. The book uses an old style of writing where paragraphs are haphazardly used and its very hard to find the lede. Couple this with technical jargon (about sailing ships and the navy) and historic accuracy, you get a book that is dangerously close to bringing death by boredom. Fortunately, its a compelling story, and I found myself wanting to continue reading, despite all the obstacles that the author put in the way.

So far I have only read this book, which is the first of around 20 in the series. People have asked how it compare to other books in the same time period like Horatio Hornblower (by C.S. Forester)or Richard and Adam Bolitho (by Alexander Kent) or Richard Delancey (by C. Northcote Parkinson) or Isaac Biddlecomb*** (by James L Nelson). I think its far closer to the Richard Delancey series in that it has gotten off to a rough start because its too technical and spends a lot of time on historical detail. As it turns out, the Richard Delancey series became much better with each book, and Im hoping that is the case for this series.
NOTE: all these characters are British with the exception of Biddlecomb who is an American.

I would urge you to start with the Hornblower or Bolitho or Biddlecomb series first as they are more readable.

Triggers: Its a book about naval warfare in the 18th century; the bodies stack up like cordwood. Its all violence, no sex. There is some off camera sex which results in the execution of one man and a goat and a separate act results in an STD to a main character. There is a reason people think that sailors and marines have colorful language, and in this book the language is colorful. (The author does tone some of the language down, its not the worst I have ever read.)

The story telling is good, the characters interesting and I did care about what happened. I just wish it was easier to read. Hopefully the series gets better.

EDIT: Book two is much better

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