Customer Reviews

Blackbirder (Brethren of the Coast 2)

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

 

 

Nelson is developing his talents as an author of historical fiction. It's good to see a writer who actually improves as he goes along.

Indicative of this improvement is the amount of historical detail given in this book, the second in the Brethren of the Coast series. Largely about the slave trade, The Blackbirder reveals the depth of the author's research into African cultures of the period.

Ex-pirate Marlowe should by rights be a fascinating character, but he lacks depth -- not merely because he's a rather shallow person, which he is, but because Nelson hasn't developed him sufficiently. He has a certain blank quality. James, the other main character here, is better drawn, but still not quite exemplary. Secondary characters, such as Marlowe's wife and her rakish ally Billy, aren't bad, but aren't fantastic either -- I'd say overall that characterization is a bit of a weakness here, though not disastrously so.

The plot, as one expects with Nelson, is an exciting one -- I don't find the themes here as interesting as his battles-at-sea books, but other readers may well prefer them. I did find my suspension of disbelief faltering at one point, when a psychotic racist tries to imprison Marlowe's freed workers: either they're free, and he would have to have a warrant, or they're slaves, and he's stealing property, and either way, that element didn't quite work for me. Overall, though, the story is fast-paced, enjoyable and holds the reader's attention well.

Like all of Nelson's books that I have read, this one is fast-moving and historically accurate, but for some reason the characters and the plot grabbed me even more this time. Maybe because of the many twists the plot takes, or the unusual situations, but I loved this book! Read The Guardship first, to know where the characters are coming from (you won't be dissapointed) and then read The Blackbirder.

As usual, James Nelson delivers. A worthy sequel to The Guardship, The Blackbirder takes the reader on an amazing journey, not only to historical Boston but to the shores of Africa. Nelson's imagery is as sharp and as beautiful as ever, and its impossible to put the book down. If you're a fan of Forester, O'Brien, or of Nelson's other novels, this is a must have.

The quality of Nelson's writing improves measurably with every book. Here he balances a complicated three part plot masterfully right up to the inexorable end. He obviously has done extensive research on the historical and geographic details. While dealing with some strong subject matter he yet maintains a level that would be fully acceptable to a bright junior high school reader and certainly anyone older. I have come to regard these later works as on a par with Patrick O'B!

James L. Nelson has a penchant for putting his characters in a pickle. This is the second book of the Brethren of the Coast Trilogy. We have advanced in time to June of 1702 and Thomas Marlowe and Elizabeth are married. Marlowe is about to observe the final fitting out of his new private man-of-war, the Elizabeth Galley and he is also about to receive a private letter of marque from the governor. War with Spain has erupted and a letter of marque gives the holder the right to sieze and take the ships of the enemy. It is legalized priacy and fits Thomas Marlowe, former pirate in another life to a tee.

In the previous book, Marlowe purchased the estate of James Tinling and after doing so, freed the slaves thereon, not so much out of ideology, but out of a realization that they would be more productive as paid laborers in harvesting his tobacco crop and less trouble. It was a decision which did not sit well with his neighbors. It particularly did not sit well with a new arrival to the area, one Fredrick Dunmore who has been agitating for laws to make the lives of freed slaves as miserable as possible.

Dunmore seems to be more of a nuisance than a threat until King James, one of Marlowe's freed slaves and commander of this sloop Northumberland, is sailing down the James River to Point Comfort with a load of building materials for the house he is about to have built for himself and his new wife. In doing so they encounter a ship in distress and on boarding it they discover that it is a slaveship, a "Blackbirder" which was attacked by pirates and left in woeful condition. King James recalls his time as a slave on such a ship and when he is met with hostility and aggression by the captain of the ship a fight breaks out and the captain and several of the crew are killed. James realizes that he cannot return and takes command of the ship, sending one of his crew back to tell Marlowe what has happened. When the door is opened and Sam is seen standing there, torn clothes, shirt smeared with blood and vomit and his eyes wild, Marlowe knows that his life has just changed, even before a word is uttered.

In a meeting with the governor, Marlowe is denied his letter of marque until he takes his ship and kills or captures King James. The governor takes the position that Marlowe has set the example of freeing the slaves and it puts them all in danger of their slaves rising up against them. The guns on Marlowe's ship were salvaged from the former Guardship commanded by Marlowe and the governor considers them the proprty of the colony and reasons that they need to be used to protect them from the dangers that Marlowe has exposed them to. Angry and resentful, Marlowe accepts the task as the only way to keep his ship and eventually be allowed to sail it as a privateer.

As Marlowe goes in search of James, Dunmore takes his absence as an opportunity to attempt to capture and imprison his freed slaves. Elizabeth takes up that challange with help from an old friend which leads them to Boston to discover the reasons for Dunmore's obsession with Negroes.

Meanwhile King James is dealing with a myriad of problems in the running of the former slave ship and there is treachery afoot there as well.

Marlowe continues his quest to kill or capture James and as I said at the beginning, Nelson does a wonderful job of putting his characters in a real pickle and how these issues are resolved makes for entertaining and sometimes agonizing reading as the story unfolds.

Nelson writes with gripping realisim, keeps his characters true to themselves and once again delivers a tale that will hold one's interest to the end. The third book awaits and I am looking forward to it.

Once again, James L. Nelson shows that he not only is a master of the English language, but in the tradition of the sea, this old salt knows how to spin a yarn. This story starts out running and almost immediately splits into three different but parallel stories. They are masterfully progressed until, just short of the last page, they all come together in an explosive climax. Don't start this book if you have chores waiting. You won't be able to put it down until it is finished. This book has more action per page than any in recent memory.

A premonition - and suddenly the comfortable world of Marlowe is turned on its head.
King James, the freed slave, slaughters the crew of a slave ship in a fit of passion, and to save face and reputation, Marlowe has to run him down and bring him to justice. Meanwhile, his sworn enemy is intent on destroying all that Marlowe holds dear ...

This sets the scene for another gripping tale in the same vein as 'The Guardship' - the same flowing prose and command of language endows this book with the mark of a master storyteller coming into his stride. Many threads, at sea and at home, combine to make this a thrilling, un-put-downable period story.
As the tale unfolds, we are taken into the minds of the protagonists, taking a glimpse behind the facade that each one has created, seeing the tale from several different perspectives, each with its own ideals and agenda, making us more and more involved in this wonderful complex story.

Even better than 'The Guardship' - and that's saying something. *****
Look out for 'The Pirate Round', book 3 in the series.

This book is the second in the "Brethtren of the coast" trilogy and it is best to read the first book "The Guardship" before tackling this title as several characters and their relationships were established in the earlier book .
It opens in Virginia in the year 1702 when it was a colony of England ,a nation then at war with Spain and France .Marlowe ,the protagonist of the series and a man of some substance in the Colony returns to the seafaring life as a privateer for the Crown ,He is overtaken by events when his vessel comes across a slave ship ,a "blackbirder" and his trusted lieutenant ,the freed slave King James kills the crew in a fit of rage and escapes .Marlowe must now direct his energies to hunting down his friend and ally ,who has his own problems in the form of the scheming Madshaka -a slave on the blackbirder- who is determined to resume his former position as a slave trader by returning to Africa and setting himself up in business again .James is an obstacle and must be removed.

The story frequently cuts back and forward between the high seas and Africa to events in Virginia where elements opposed to Marlowe's earlier to decision to free his slaves and make them employees clamp down hard and this results in a revolt against the white landowners ,despite the best endeavours of Marlowe's wife Elizabeth and her staunch ally Billy Bird.

The juggling of the plot strands is astute and deftly handled and the author has the courage to kill a major and sympathetic figure in the series .There is a lively pace to proceedings with vigorous battles by land and sea ,and the book is a good read for lovers of naval fiction and pre -Revolutionary era fiction .

(...). I have been reading the Horatio Hornblower Series and other books from this era. This book was different in that it dealt with other topics (i.e. slave trade, racism, sexism, etc.) in the context of the Napoleonic era. I thought that the characters were interesting, but I could not help thinking I would have enjoyed Blackbirder more had I read the first book in the series beforehand. Marlowe is a great character, but I think that the author did not spend enough time letting us get to know him in Blackbirder. The plot of this book was really interesting...I consider myself a "plot sniffer", but I did not have this one figured out until Nelson revealed it. Nice touch...now I wish I could find the first and third book of the series in the bargain area (doubtful).

I am very excited to find a good author in the genre. I would recommend to anyone reading O'Brien or Hornblower to check him out.

This is not nearly as tightly written as Nelson's previous books. It had the feel of Julian Stockwin's new release,interesting, but doesn't stay on subject. The slave issues, although interesting are overdone. Precognition, a multi-tongued, slave selling other slaves is just over the top. Hope Nelson returns to his established telling of wonderful sea stories in his next effort.