Darkening Sea [Mass Market Paperback]

Alexander Kent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1994

In this 21st Richard Bolitho novel, Kent's popular naval hero returns to England after the capture of Martinique and finds a brief respite in the arms of his mistress, Lady Catherine Somervell. But a new conflict looms, as France forges an alliance with America, threatening British trade routes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of our foremost writers of naval fiction.”
–Sunday Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Douglas Reeman (Alexander Kent) did convoy duty in the Atlantic, the Arctic and the North Sea. He has written over thirty novels under his own name and more than twenty bestselling historical novels featuring Richard Bolitho under the pseudonym Alexander Kent. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Britnell Books (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330329170
• ISBN-13: 978-0330329170
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,116,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A solid entry in Kent's Richard Bolitho series, September 2, 2010

By 

Michael Denney - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Darkening Sea (The Bolitho Novels) (Volume 20) (Paperback)

Alexander Kent's continuing Richard Bolitho series sails squarely in the long tradition of English historical fiction celebrating the defeat of Napoleon. Like Forester's Hornblower and O'Brian's Aubrey, Bolitho is a creature of the sea, and is as uncomfortable on land as both of those worthies. Like Bolitho himself, Kent would have preferred to have his character remain in a command of frigates, the fast, glamorous ships known as fifth-rates that were a captain's best chance for prize money. By 1809, however, in which The Darkening Sea is set, Bolitho is a vice-admiral. Kent's preference for the freedom of frigates is as obvious as Bolitho's.

The shipboard scenes are capably written, particularly once battle is joined, and are marred only by Bolitho's insistence that England had no true appreciation of the sacrifice made by those brave tars who were snatched from their pastoral lives by the dreaded press-gang. The point is a good one, but does not need to be made in every novel. The book is worth the read, however, particularly because of Kent's expert portrayal of Lady Catherine Somervell. Catherine is a fascinating character, especially in this genre -- a woman whose relationship with Bolitho mirrors the real-life scandal of Emma Hamilton. Kent's willingness to show Catherine apart from Bolitho, particularly in a dramatic scene set in the lower-class London of Catherine's youth, is a refreshing complement to the guns-and-grapnels narrative that appearsin all of the fiction set in this era.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The series is evolving, January 22, 2009

By 

Naor Wallach (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Darkening Sea (The Bolitho Novels) (Volume 20) (Paperback)

This is the 20th volume in the Richard Bolitho series and it has spanned some 30 years of warfare. This time we follow Sir Richard over the span of a bit less than a year and a half as several plot lines unfurl.

What I found good and interesting about this book is that there were multiple plot lines that were all moved forward. Early on in the series, we follow Bolitho on a single ship and a single action and that is the focus of the whole book. That was appropriate and very well done as Bolitho moved from Midshipman to officer ranks. What I like in this book is that Sir Richard is now a Vice-Admiral and his concerns are much more global - so having several plot lines at once is highly appropriate and even entertaining.

Secondly, Sir Richard has always been portrayed as human, but in this book the depictions of those situations is much more true to life. This is a testament to the author's growth in his trade! This also translates into Sir Richard's relationship with the love of his life - Lady Catherine. The scenes describing their life together - both on and off the water - ring true.

Some of the other threads that are addressed here are that Sir Richard is dispatched to handle a vague threat to a maritime expedition in the Indian Ocean. He is sent with a flottila. Of course, it is only two or three frigates with a couple of brigs to help out, but at least it is not a single ship under a Vice Admiral as we've seen in other recent books. Of course, you could quibble that the size of the force was more appropriate for a Commodore - but never mind that.

Other threads that carry forward are the relationship between Sir Richard and Thomas Herrick - this was getting very negative and dark in the last few books and is moved forward in this book; Also the history of Lady Catherine is brought to the foreground. There is a pretty remarkable set of chapters in which she reveals (through her actions) what her early life was like and we are also provided with the answer of why she cannot bear children. It is actually a sentimental and poignant scene! Lady Catherine also resolves her situation vis a vis the mysterious Sillitoe (where did he come up with THAT name?)

On the negative side, this book is so packed with threads of plot that we see almost nothing of Adam Bolitho and his relationship with Zenoria is really suspended (oh, there are many words written about it but nothing is resolved or changed). Some major changes in characters occur with very little convincing explanations (the First Sea Lord is replaced between the last volume and this one) and Sir Richard has access to two new officers who are mere caricatures: The harsh Trevenen and the enigmatic Avery. Flag Lieutenant Avery becomes 'one of the gang' and Captain Trevenen? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out.

The most major personal development is that Allday gets married. This was a thread that started in the last book and reaches a climax in this one. One wonders if he will now retire from the service and spend the rest of his days running the Inn with his new wife - Not likely!

So, on balance, I really enjoyed this book regardless of its flaws and am looking forward to the next one.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid entry, but riddled with historical inaccuracies, October 17, 2005

By 

Jean M. Johnson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Darkening Sea (The Bolitho Novels) (Volume 20) (Paperback)

Unlike some reviewers, the more we get of personality development in the Bolitho series, the more I have come to enjoy it. There's definitely less sea action, but I don't miss it when I'm dished up such interesting characters. The only problem I had reading this entry in the series was the numerous egregious historical inaccuracies. I've been annoyed by many small errors in previous Bolitho books, but this time I was stunned by Kent's disregard for well-known facts, particularly with respect to the Peninsular War which is going on simultaneous to the action of this book. I suppose many readers neither know nor care about such things, but I am always dismayed at being jolted out of an otherwise coherent and fascinating fictional world by simply stupid errors like we see here. (These errors carry over into subsequent books of the series.)