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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Action ashore and afloat in a desperate strategic situation!,
This review is from: Form Line of Battle (Richard Bolitho Novels) (Hardcover)
Napoleon's star is starting to rise from the chaos of Revolutionary France as Richard Bolitho, with his first ship-of-the-line command, joins the Royal Navy force off Toulon. He finds himself once more dogged by unimaginative and flawed superiors, but nevertheless is successful in capturing an island base, and of establishing a foothold on the French Mediterranean coast with the help of French loyalist sympathisers. Bolitho acquits himself admirably throughout, rising to the challenges of higher command, but the overall strategic situation is running very strongly against the British. The story culminates in a major fleet action which is splendidly described, the sheer horror and terror of close action on wooden ships coming across very strongly. The political context, particularly the plight of civilians caught in what amounts to a civil war between the Revolutionary Government and the Royalists and their foreign allies, provides an interesting backdrop to much of the action. Characters from earlier stories play a significant (and in one case, wholly unexpected) part in the story, and Bolitho finds true love with a new one. In summary, another excellent entertainment in the best Alexander Kent tradition.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Title Tells It All!,
By Bill Mac "hmcs_kenogami" (windsor, ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Form Line of Battle! (The Bolitho Novels) (Volume 9) (Paperback)
The title really tells it all in this one. Kent is at his best delivering naval action after naval action. It's all here; cutting out actions, land assaults, night actions, fire ships, nasty sword play and ships of the line delivering thundering broadsides. Nobody delivers the action like Kent did at his peak. Form Line of Battle is one of the best of the first 9 (in chronological order) if not the best.Form Line of Battle was the second Bolitho novel published following To Glory We Steer. Kent put 10 years between the 2 novels and then filled in the gaps over the next 2 decades with novels of varying quality. Not surprisingly Form Line of Battle flows relatively seamlessly from the earlier novel and is consistent with the stories in between. None of the action from its immediate predecessor, With All Despatch, is even hinted at. That's just as well as With All Despatch is one of the weaker between the wars novels. The Richard Bolitho of Form Line of Battle is a much less tragic figure than the one in With All Despatch.. While Form Line of Battle is a classic action romance, Kent does include the realism one would expect from a World War II veteran writing at the height of the Vietnam War. The battle scenes are exciting but violent and realistic. Men die horribly or are mutilated painfully and Kent doesn't hide it. He does not glorify the war or its deeds. The story itself is set against the backdrop of an invasion of Toulon which the reader knows is going to fail. The futility of this invasion and the diversion that Bolitho leads must have struck cords with Vietnam era readers. Other Vietnam era references are apparent such as "peace with honour" although In Gallant Company had more obvious allegories. Kent is not great at characterization or dialogue. If you want them in the Napoleonic era then you have to steer to O'Brian. However, he does manage to provide a thoroughly unlikable commanding officer with some depth and some sympathy. But primarily Kent is read for the action at sea in a bygone era and in Form Line of Battle he delivers in spades.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Form Line of Battle! (Bolitho Novels),
This review is from: Form Line of Battle! (The Bolitho Novels) (Volume 9) (Paperback)
As is the case with all of the Bolitho novels Mr. Kent has written another outstanding tale. This may be my favorite (so far) in this series and I highly recommend this and the other novels for anyone who enjoys books of this type.
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