Customer Reviews

The Evening Gun (War of 1812 Trilogy, Volume 3)

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

 

 

This book is a disappointment not because it is poorly written but because it does not show the same improvement that the second showed over the first. In fact, I think it is at about the same level of the first, A PRESS OF CANVAS. What suffered in that one and this is not the actual writing, it is the story telling. It seems to wander along without much excitement and without getting much done. That is disappointing in that the second volume of the trilogy, A FINE TOPS'L BREEZE, did do a better job of story telling.

Even so, there is material of interest to be had here. Nautical fiction, especially of a naval bent, takes an American point of view all too rarely. Material concerning the War of 1812 is even more scarce. This book covers both of those issues from the point of view of Isaac Biggs, an American sailor pressed into the Royal Navy. He makes his escape in the first book, serves as a privateer on a rescue mission in the second and acts as the captain of a gunboat in a flotilla of such operating in the Chesapeake Bay during the closing days of the war in this one.

The descriptions of small boat operations has some interest as does the inclusion of such events as the burning of Washington and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. The interest, however, does not translate into any drama.

This is a fair book for aficionados of the genre but is nothing special.

This third book of the trilogy could possibly be read as a stand alone novel, although it does make some references to incidents and people in the previous books. The story is set in 1814 in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. It is a good description of the conflicts between the British and Americans in that setting including the burning of Washington and the attack on Baltimore, although it seems to omit the British attack on Havre de Grace. Like some previous authors, this author has included helpful maps of the scenes of action.

The description of the small boat operations using sloops and gunboats is very detailed. The author notes in his own "Author's Note" that he changed some locations, etc., from the real ones, although it is not clear why he did that. Most locations are accurate, as are the real people who were involved and the major incidents.

The War of 1812 was a peculiar war that started because of slow communications, had various raids or other actions that served no military purpose, and neither side gained anything of substance except a mountain of debt to pay for the costs of the war. The Peace Treaty was signed in December 1814, but the last military action was on 30 June 1815, again because of slow communications. See "The Lost Ships of the Royal Navy" for details of British ships captured by the Americans in 1815 after the war had ended.

Superb - I may have liked it better than the other two in the series. The big dog and Isaac's love interest added greatly to my enjoyment. The parts about the buring of our capital and the bombardment of Baltimore were particularly timely in light of the September 11th attack on our country. Most people, me included, have little understanding of these events and White's book - and the others in this series - have brought them to life. A really easy way to learn some history about our great country. I even checked a few of the details for historic accuracy and they were right on. I hope there will be more of these historically accurate stories from this writer.

I had been reading almost all of Patrick O'Brian's and Alexander Kent's historical naval novels, which are written from the English Navy's perspective. It was such a treat to discover William White's War of 1812 Trilogy, which is from the early American Navy's perspective. I am not a very critical reader ... having tried my hand at a few novels, I know how difficult the process is. I just enjoy the stories and allow myself to get caught up in the adventure. William White's 1812 Trilogy is a great adventure. I really liked each of these books!
Prentice Kinser III, D.Min. Author of: Limitless Living, A Guide to Unconventional Spiritual Exploration and Growth