H.M.S. Cockerel (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures) [Mass Market Paperback]

Dewey Lambdin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures | Publication Date: January 29, 1997

"You could get addicted to this series. Easily."

*The New York Times Book Review





1793 *In the seas of revolution . . .



A farmer, a bloody farmer! Knee-deep in dung and fathoms from the nearest port, Alan Lewrie, swashbuckling naval warrior turned family man, longs for battle. And when it comes, a battle royal it is! Called to the H.M.S. Cockerel, a sleek frigate captained by a malaria-stricken tyrant, First Officer Lewrie soon vaults to command, taking Cockerel from the lush pleasures of the Kingdom of Naples to a smoking cauldron called Toulon. There, an outnumbered coalition of former enemies is being drawn into a terrible land-sea battle against the revolutionary French *in a siege of blood and terror that will send shock waves around the world. . . .



He's fought and loved on land and bounding sea from America to the East Indies. Alan Lewrie is the unforgettable hero-rogue of the age of wooden-walled, spray-lashed fighting ships.



"THIS IS LAMBDIN'S USUAL SATISFYING BREW. . . . A fast-moving yarn loaded with action, colorful characters, and marvelous period detail."                                         *Publishers Weekly



"GREAT FUN . . . Lambdin continues to plunk Alan Lewrie down in the midst of interesting times with humor and plenty of authentic detail."                                                 *Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"You could get addicted to this series. Easily."

*The New York Times Book Review





1793 *In the seas of revolution . . .



A farmer, a bloody farmer! Knee-deep in dung and fathoms from the nearest port, Alan Lewrie, swashbuckling naval warrior turned family man, longs for battle. And when it comes, a battle royal it is! Called to the H.M.S. Cockerel, a sleek frigate captained by a malaria-stricken tyrant, First Officer Lewrie soon vaults to command, taking Cockerel from the lush pleasures of the Kingdom of Naples to a smoking cauldron called Toulon. There, an outnumbered coalition of former enemies is being drawn into a terrible land-sea battle against the revolutionary French *in a siege of blood and terror that will send shock waves around the world. . . .



He's fought and loved on land and bounding sea from America to the East Indies. Alan Lewrie is the unforgettable hero-rogue of the age of wooden-walled, spray-lashed fighting ships.



"THIS IS LAMBDIN'S USUAL SATISFYING BREW. . . . A fast-moving yarn loaded with action, colorful characters, and marvelous period detail."                                         *Publishers Weekly



"GREAT FUN . . . Lambdin continues to plunk Alan Lewrie down in the midst of interesting times with humor and plenty of authentic detail."                                                 *Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett Crest (January 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449224481
• ISBN-13: 978-0449224489
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best naval historical fiction series to date., December 25, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: H.M.S. Cockerel (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dewey Lambdin does an excellent job portraying the image of living and working a wooden sailing vessel as well as give a feeling for what it was like in the British navy of the late 1700s. Unlike other authors who use the British navy as a setting for a plot, the author evokes the feeling that you are part of the character and the story is happening to you. The protaganist is a normal young man who was kicked out of the house for being to hard a child to handle (supposedly). Part of the assocoation with the protaganist comes from the down to earth situations he gets himself into. Like any other young 'buck' in his late teens, early twenties, he doesn't always think with his head on his shoulders when he is looking for a good time. This is definately the series for you if you want an honest look at life in the King's navy with the attending comradere, boredom and technical details. It is not for those who feel that thinking/acting like a sex a sex starved young man is unacceptable. I suggest you start reading as early in the series as you can. Start with 'The King's Coat' (if available, it might be out of print), move on through 'The French Admiral', 'The King's Commission', 'The King's Privateer', 'The Gun Ketch' and 'HMS Cockrel'. 'For King and Country' is a trilogy that begins where the protaganist begins to settle down and contains 'The King's Commission', The King's Privateer' and 'The Gun Ketch'. It will be interesting to see how the author handles the young man coming of age. That telling of that kind of transition is what will really determine if the author is as good as he appears to be.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Up to Snuff, April 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: H.M.S. Cockerel (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read all the books in the series up to this one, and liked most very much. However, this one is disappointing. The author attempts to avoid most of the major battles that have so often been the background for other fictional British naval heroes, and instead place Lewery in little known clashes. This is to be commended. However, H.M.S. Cockerel suffers from a lack of action and in fact, struck me as rather boring. While I read the previous episodes cover-to-cover, I had no problem putting this one down. I would suggest the reader who is not following the antics of Lewery in episodic order revert to another title.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of the Series-BUT..., April 29, 1999

By 

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This review is from: H.M.S. Cockerel (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

This books follows in the foosteps of previous installments of the series. The character development is believable and well thought out. However, trying to depict the French attempting to speak English was really frustrating for this reader. I did not mourn the passing of characters that I otherwise liked, because I was too relieved to not have to decipher their speech.