Customer Reviews

Honour This Day

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When I was younger, I picked up "Sloop of War" after I had run out of Hornblower novels. With the death of Patrick O'Brian, I returned to the Kent novels which I had stopped reading at "Signal -- Close Action !"

Bolitho hasn't changed. Sentimental -- brave -- generous -- loyal -- self-critical -- larger than life. Whereas Gene Roddenberry pictured Kirk as a 23rd century Hornblower, reserved, self-doubting, internally tortured, brilliant, and brave despite himself, Kent writes Bolitho the way William Shatner played Kirk.

The results are usually entertaining, as here. Kent draws ship-to-ship, cutting-out, and fleet actions as expertly as anyone who writes in this genre, plus he slips in an amount of sentiment that would make O'Brian or Forrester cringe, but it works because we know what a softie Bolitho is underneath. Kent draws the relationship between Bolitho and his officers, especially his nephew Adam, his flag captain Keen, and his cox'n Allday, affectingly (although the conflict with his old friend Herrick, now also a flag officer, seems contrived). The return of Catherine Pareja is a great move, as it allows Kent to write himself out of the hole he got into when he killed off Cheney, Bolitho's great love, then brought back her shadow in the form of Belinda, her look-alike cousin. Catherine brings back a little danger and spunk in the female lead.

But Kent's problems show between battles. There are occasional non-sequiturs in the writing. The dialogue can be stiff. Characters can act inconsistently with the way they were originally drawn, when it serves the plot. The final plot twist this time is awkward and falls flat. Kent handles ships, lines and sails well, but his knowledge of the rest of the history of the period seems sketchy, and his research regarding the workings of the Royal Navy at the time is nowhere near the level of Forrester or O'Brian.

If you're interested in the period and great characters, start with those two. If you love action, start with Bernard Cornwell. If you've read all of those, despite the flaws, Kent is well worth reading -- but we miss ye, Jack and Stephen !

Unwilling to take a desk job at the Admiraltry in london,Vice Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho asks for sea duty,always a frigate captain at heart. He asks for the Hyperion, the first ship of line he had ever commanded. He is still having trouble with his eyes;he is partially blind in his left eye,blinded by sand from a bucket an enemy ball had blown apart. He has difficulty adjusting to staying aloof of the day-to-day running of his ship' He is estranged from his wife,Belinda. Arriving in Antigua in 1804 his orders are to capture a Spanish treasure ship. In Antigua he meets again Catherine Pareja,his love of seven years ago,now married to Viscount Somervell,Inspector General. They find their love has not diminished despite the years of separation. He leads his small fleet to LaGuaira where the Spanish treasure ship laden with gold and silver destined for Spain is harbored. His mission is to capture this prize which Britian sorely needs. After this mission he returns to London where he is ordered to th Mediterranean to intercept and destroy the Spanish fleet which is to join the French to invade England. the sea battles are extremey realistic.This reader had the sense of being there feeling the pain,the chaos,the tension, viewing the carnage.This book is an education of that period of history,the geography of the area involved,the social and political order of the day. It is a lesson in the intricacies of seamanship. It is a model for the management of men. The people are real with the relationsips between the officers and crew, with the ideals of honor, duty and loyalty. The regular characters have become friends to me. This is the 17th book depicting the life of Richard Bolitho. If you haven't read any others, don't miss the opportunity to do so.

Vice-Admiral of the Red Sir Richard Bolitho arrives at English Harbour on the island of Antigua in his flagship, the 32-year-old Hyperion, with a flag captain who baffles him and a new squadron to lead. It's 1804, and the long war in which England faces both France and Spain continues. Bolitho needs rest and medical care, especially for a damaged eye in which his sight sometimes fails. Both the state of his marriage and his real passion for his calling have him insisting, though, on this new command instead of the shore posting that he has earned and that his estranged wife would much prefer. In English Harbour he encounters an old love, and he soon finds himself once again personally leading men into battle.

That's the start of the seventeenth novel in Alexander Kent's fine series, which first captured my imagination many years ago when I was a young schoolteacher who loved European history. I still do, but it's been a long time since I picked up a Bolitho book. Somehow I lost track of the series, and encountering it again now has proved to be a great pleasure. I see the writing's flaws now, as I did not see them before; for one thing, the plotting doesn't always work. But Bolitho remains a sympathetic and mostly credible hero, and Kent can write a sea battle in the great age of sail with the very best of them.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of 2005 EPPIE winner "Regs"

I started reading Alexander Kent novels in 1971. I was then stationed in Vietnam and found his book in a box of donated paperbacks at our Enlisted men's club.
I was at a time and place in my life where pure escape was greatly appreciated.
That first book was Enemy In Sight.
Since then, I have read and re read every Alexander Kent novel 3 or more times.
I like to go back to the first book in chronological order and grow with Mad Dick Bolitho as he does. I have Joked that one could do worse than to use him as a role model in real life. Hmmm? What would Bolitho do in my position?
Sir Richard has taken command of a small squadron of ships and Heroically does what he does best. Assignments that are sure to ruin your career if you fail and bound to be credited to higher authority if you succeed are his life.
Seizing treasure ships on the Spanish Main or putting his ships and men in harms way against overwhelming odds are his duty. His heart seems always to belong to another mans wife or sweetheart. Yes this is standard fare for the Bolitho series. Kent doesn't bog his reader down with detail or plot. He wraps you in the cloak of Nelson and Collingwood. When you read the Biography of Lord Nelson, you will see how he and Bolitho are so much alike.
And that's no error.

I had not heard of Alexander Kent until I complained at a book store that they had no copies of Patrick O'Brian's books. The owner said, "Have you read any of Alexander Kent?" I had not, and that began a wonderful new adventure. Kent writes naval stories about the same historical time period as O'Brian, but Kent often has more action scenes, which I thoroughly enjoy. If you like O'Brian, you will love Kent.
Prentice Kinser III, D.Min., Author of:Limitless Living, A Guide to Unconventional Spiritual Exploration and Growth

Can you believe there are 29 books in this series? I am now on 19, and will finally be able to get some work done when I finish this adventure.
These books are exceptionally well written. Many characters and all tie together well. The stories are written so they are easy to understand and not too short or long (winded).
I would recommend these for anyone who has an interest in sea stories.
All the men in my family are reading these and truly enjoying them.