Customer Reviews

H.M.S. Cockerel: An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure

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Landed for four years of peace-time, Alan Lewrie has been applying himself as gentleman-farmer, home-owner, father of three and loving husband with nary an adventure in sight and pure as a choir-boy. Can this idyllic state last long for ol' Ram-cat? Of course not. War is rumored and the Admiralty calls. Lewrie can refuse to go, after all, he was forced to sea at 17 and never wished for glory and death and deprivation, but... even with no irate husbands chasing him to sea this time, Lewrie can't resist going back to the one thing he knows he is good at (or, rather, one of the more admirable things he knows he's good at).

One of the fun elements in this series is that life doesn't run smoothly for Lewrie. His first assignment is hazardous, but not in the way he wished for, and when he finally gets a break to go as First in the H. M. S. Cockerel, things are less than ideal as well. At least the ship is a goer and there's the possibility of sea action. Lewrie has to negotiate more treacherous seas aboard ship than against the enemy as England gears up for war with Revolutionary France, but as with previous books, the pacing is steady and eventful, even during long cruises and being shifted to land action trying to keep a foothold in Toulon. And as before, war brings danger ashore for Lewrie in the form of bold and attractive women. Balancing these wild adventures are Lewrie's fears that he is a sham as a leader (flawed, he may be, but we know he is a more-than competent leader, which adds to the interest), and his amusing, somewhat feeble attempts to behave himself morally. He does mean well, though, so he remains an engaging hero both despite and because of his failures and triumphs.

I continue to be entertained and thrilled by these adventures. At this point, I am dedicated to the enjoyment to be found in reading every Lewrie book that has been and will be written, since I have not been disappointed in any way thus far. The depiction of life at sea, the battles, the sense of period, the politics, the danger, the adventure and the personalities of all involved are exquisitely laid out in a wonderful feast for any reader who wishes to essay it.

The series should be read in order if possible: 1. The King's Coat, 2. The French Admiral, 3. The King's Commission, 4. The King's Privateer, 5. The Gun Ketch, 6. H.M.S. Cockerel.

Lieutenant Alan Lewrie seems to be getting good at this navy thing. In this sixth in the series, it's January 1793 and four years have passed since Lewrie returned home to his wife and kiddies (three of them now); the matrimonial state, as well as playing the almost-squire, is beginning to wear on him just a bit. The French Revolution is under way, though, and renewed war with a very different sort of France is in the air. Lewrie is called up by the Admiralty (he debates whether to accept for, oh, . . . two minutes), but his enemies see to it that he gets shunted to the Impress Service. But that provides an opportunity to get his own back with his detestable half-brother, Gerald, so it's not all wasted time. Then he gets posted to COCKEREL, a 5th Rate frigate under the hard hand of Capt. Braxton, an ultra-nepotistical near-psychopath who is determined that this last opportunity in his career to make his mark will go absolutely perfectly -- even if he has to flog every member of the crew and bully every officer to do it. Lewrie is between the proverbial rock and hard place, between a micro-managing captain who is impossible to please but whose will he must enforce, and a crew nearing mutiny. But all that, while a very well painted portrait of a ship on its way to disaster, is still only the background for the set-piece of this book, which is the disastrous Allied capture and occupation of, and final rout from, the Royalist Mediterranean city of Toulon -- the victim of divisive party politics back in London. Of course, no matter how much Lewrie might truly love his wife, he still can't keep his breeches zipped. First, there's Lady Emma Hamilton in Naples (and he gets there before Nelson), and then there's the adorable little French whore, Zoe, whom he rescues from death at the hands of the Republicans. But Lewrie's big discovery is just how loud a bang a naval mortar can make. And there's also an encounter on the beach with an artillery colonel named Buonaparte, just to keep things interesting. And, by the end of the story, our lieutenant -- now over the hill (in his opinion) at age thirty -- makes his next jump up the ladder of success. An excellent episode in the series. (And Waterloo is still twenty-two years away!)

This is the first Alan Lewrie novel I've read, and though starting in the middle of a series might be off-putting, I was instantly hooked. There are some great character profiles here, particularly the weak and horrible Captain Braxton. Lewrie is a great mixture of the upright English imperial master of all he surveys while at sea, and on shore, a captive of the baser desires. The only shorcoming of this novel is the excessive use of outrageous Frrrench accents (to borrow from Monty Python) by some minor characters, that grated. Problem being, every French character seemed to 'ave exactement zee same amount of mal Ainglish at zer deesposal. Otherwise, a great read.

It is 1793, and promotions have been slow with the bulk of the British Navy laid up between the wars. Alan Lewrie is still a lieutenant and, without a naval commission, living the life of a country squire with his wife and children. But war breaks out with France, and Lewrie is called to arms, only to find himself with a thankless job in port until he wrangles a commission aboard a frigate with a less than competant captain. Naval service takes him to the British intervention in Toulon, and once again Lambdin carries out some excellent research and covers events not well covered by other writers of historical novels. This is a grand account of the events at Toulon, with a sidelight when the upstart Captain Bonaparte takes Lewrie's sword. Events put temptation into Lewrie's path as beautiful and poor Phoebe is thrown into his arms during the evacuation. Action against the enemy finally brings him promotion, but he must take a ship home for refitting, along with the ! young French refugee Sophie who knows all too much about Phoebe whom he has carefully left in Gibralter. Can he trust Sophie's discretion when he leaves her in the care of his wife? After all, she is French, and are they not more understanding about such matters?

This is in most respects the best Alan Lewrie adventure to date. Great sea adventure, great human adventure, great story. Dewey Lambdin has created a lovable, believable hero. One that is so human, he feels guilty about it. If you are a history buff, a Navy Sea Story buff, or just enjoy a good story that is peopled with real characters that behave like real people, then you will enjoy Dewey Lambdin's Alan Lewrie. Very Highly Recommended.

Our hero Lt. Alan Lewrie is called back to service in the
British Navy in the late 18 century as England finds itself
at war with France. Now the First Lieutenant of HMS Cockerel
Lewrie finds himself aboard a ship with a tyranical Capt.
and his family. Fate deals him a sudden twist and he winds
up in Italy meeting Lady Hamilton prior to her escapades with
Capt. Nelson. Then onto the battle of Toulon a little
known war of pre-Napoleonic France. Lambdin is growing with
his creation. Now melding fiction with factual history to
bring us a vivid portrayal of the British Navy at the turn
of the 18th century. If you like this gendre by all means
read this action packed book. Having read all the authors
in this period I welcome any questions on authors of the
Napoleonic, Revolutionary and War of 1812 fictional sea
stories.