Customer Reviews

At the Edge of Honor (The Honor Series)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are two things that I thoroughly enjoyed about this book. First, there just isn't enough written about not just the naval theater during the Civil War, but on routine daily life in the Navy. When we think of naval war, we often imagine life aboard the CSS Alabama or running the gauntlet at Mobile Bay as being the norm during this time frame. In fact, as Bob Macomber very ably demonstrates, many sailors served on smaller vessels, in remote areas, and performed relatively routine duties. In order to understand the Navy experience, it is crucial that we understand what sailors actually did, and Macomber explains this very well and, as a result, fills a niche that otherwise would remain vacant.

In addition, he also writes in a manner and format that is very appealling to many who otherwise would not even pay a second thought to the Civil War. Macomber effortlessly intertwines the fiction with the non-fiction so that the entire story flows seemlessly. In some circles, historical fiction is maligned as distorting the truth or not representing historical fact. However, Macomber demonstrates that you can predicate a fictional work on facts and documented history to produce a compelling, enjoyable, and highly educational work.

There's a lot to offer a variety of people here, and I would recommend this to both the casual reader as well as the avid Civil War enthusiast.

Naval historical novels are rare; those situted around Florida are rarer still. Few know that FL was a WBTS site of battles, etc. Macomber has brought to light the little known, and wrapped it in an appealing work of fiction, apparently one of a series. REAL naval knowledge is obvious -- almost too much so -- I read it with the dictionary beside me. Character development evolves well while scene descriptions evoke a "you are there" feeling. Will Peter Wake regain his Linda? Sure hope so! Want a romantic ending after a super first novel.

Kudoes, Sailor Macomber --keep it up. You have us in your preemptive thrall, make us beg for more and keep 'em coming. More dialogue would be nice, but the descriptive passages make up for it. As a friend said, a "Warm Ocean is sure better [and more readable] than a Cold Mountain..." You will have groupies galore, we predict. You make book signings real experiential, complete with "ships-ahoy" cookies to nibble. Throw out the anchor, we've got the lifeline well in hand. And so do you.

Martha and Don

This is not my usual genre. I bought it on advice. This book is a compelling read. Not being knowledgable with regard to Civil War era Naval warfare, Macomber pulled me in with his storytelling. His nautical experience is evident as he recreates strategies and battles, and his intimate knowledge of the Florida Keyes makes me believe it is one of the more beautiful places on earth. I like the development of the relationship between Wake and Linda, and the socio-policital plays this book sets up for future volumes. Mr. Macomber is onto a very good thing! I now buy this book as gifts!

Robert Macomber has woven a tapestry of thought provoking intrigue and verbally painted vivid images that bring the reader directly to the site of historically accurate action.

The novel is monumentally documented with meticulous on location personal maritime observations combined with scrutinizing personal profiles and a superb story telling technique.

This classic novel of history and intrigue of the sea whets my appetite for more.

Wonderful new CW novel depicting Florida in the Civil War, a seldom written about perspective of this horrific struggle. Master Peter Wake is all that is heroic, albeit seemingly sometimes to struggle as he learns his way about the US Navy having recently transferred from commercial sailing. The narrative is compelling, characters honest and convincing. The chapter "River of Peace" still has me riveted with the depiction of the river chase and afterwards battle scenes. I wish Master Wake would listen to his superior officer more about "dangerous shoals" when falling in love with Linda! ;-) I look forward to the next novel in the series. Well Done PHP!!

At The Edge of Honor is a great story about the East Gulf Blockading Squadron of the U.S. Navy, based to patrol Florida, Cuba, & the Bahamas during the civil war. The main character of this story is Peter Wake, U.S.N. who gets himself caught up in a pretty good fix; he's in a war on the Union side and is in love with a "Reb"; if the war wasn't trouble enough! Without giving away the story, this book is very well written and is easy to read. You do not need a nautical dictionary to help you read it; as was the case in Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander series. I found this nautical adventure story very interesting on two accounts. First, it is dealing with the U.S. and takes place in nearby US waters, Florida Keys area. Secondly, it is easy to read; nautical terms are very few when compared to other nautical fiction/historical books. I enjoyed this book alot. I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

Forget the air conditioning and the TV in the background. Sit on your back porch with a Florida sunset when you read this book. Macomber's characters join Rawlings' denizens of the scrub pines and Remington's cracker cowboys to remind us when Florida was America's frontier--a time not too distant past.

After spending 30 years in the US Navy and reading all about the US Navy during WWII and beyond and studying The US and British Navies prior to the War of 1812, I have finally found the Civil War Navy in Key West and the Caribbean. This is a novel that blends much non-fiction (truth/History) and anyone can tell that Bob Macomber has not just researched, but studied this subject. He seems to love what he writes and is able to get the reader involved in his story. When you sit down to read this book, be prepared to get lost in it.

you cannot help but become involved with the characters, both "good" and "bad", in this book. Some make brief appearances and others will carry on from book to book, but all seem to impact the reader in some way, just like in life. There is one Southern character that I have come to love to hate because of his impact on Peter Wake. He is a scoundrel who seems to be dedicated to his own cause as much as Peter is to his.

I do not do spoilers - so if you want to know more, read the book or look at spoiler reviews. I will just let you know that this book is worth the price you pay for it - new or used. If you want a copy signed by the author, you can get that through his website: http://www.robertmacomber.com/about.htm

Onward & Upward

I just recently became aware of this author and his "Honor" series about a US Navy Officer from the Civil War onward and thought I would give it a try, since I was a big fan of the Hornblower books in my youth and the Patrick O'Brien novels as an adult. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in a novel about a Civil War naval officer conducting the blockade of the South, but I found the book to be a very enjoyable read, and one that taught me a lot about an aspect of the Civil War that I had never really thought about - how the blockade was actually carried out. The book is not perfect - I thought the sailors' characters and that of Wade's love interest could have been developed a bit more, and I never quite understood the reason for the strange fate of the first bosun - but all in all the book is very engrossing and a very creditable first novel. I suppose my real rating for the book would be 4 1/2 stars, but you can't do that on amazon, and because I find myself eagerly looking forward to reading more books in this series, I have given it 5 stars. I am curious to see how the relationship between Wade and his second bosun develops and wonder if it will be a bit like Sharpe and Sergeant Harper in Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe's Rifles" series of Napoleonic Wars novels.

The Robert Macomber does a fine job of bringing us into a forgotten corner of a war that has been heavily covered in the eastern states. The limited resources,isolation, political as well as military challenges that faced Peter Wake create a fresh new view of the over-much romanticised American Civil War. Although I prefer 18th Century novels, I will make an exception for the works of Macomber and look forward to reading the series.