By The Mast Divided [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

David Donachie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2008

London 1793: Young firebrand John Pearce is illegally pressganged from the refuge of the Pelican tavern to a brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on its way to war. In the first few days Pearce discovers the Navy is a world in which he can prosper. But he is not alone; he is drawn to a group of men - fly Charlie Taverner; quiet Ben Walker; tired old Abel Scrivens; the bairn of the group, Rufus Dommet; the droll, tough Irish laborer, Michael O'Hagan; and the bumptious Gherson - pressed men like him, who eventually form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans, with Pearce their elected leader. During an action-packed two weeks, as HMS Brilliant chases a French privateer across the English Channel, this disparate group of men form friendships that will last a lifetime. David Donachie cleverly weaves these fictional characters into true historical situations to produce a compelling and utterly absorbing introductory novel.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'High adventure and detection; cunningly spliced battle scenes which reek of blood and brine, and excitements on terra firma to match' --The Literary Review

'A must for armchair mariners . . . It's superb stuff' --Manchester Evening Review

'A must for armchair mariners . . . It's superb stuff' --Manchester Evening Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

David Donachie was born in Edinburgh in 1944 and has had a variety of jobs, including selling everything from business machines to soap. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The author of a number of bestselling books, he know lives in Deal with his wife, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook and their two children. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Soundings Ltd; Unabridged edition (June 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1407900285
• ISBN-13: 978-1407900285
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Start of a New Series, September 27, 2007

By 

Donald R. Campbell "wearship" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By the Mast Divided (John Pearce 1) (Paperback)

David Donachie has begun a new series with this book. It continues with #2 "A Shot Rolling Ship" and #3 "An Awkward Commission" with possibly others to follow. "By the Mast Divided" sets up the characters and begins dual story lines following the lives of John Pearce and Ralph Barclay (Pearce's enemy). This book and the second end in cliff-hangers, so be prepared to read further. Once the series begins, the action is fast and well paced. Donachie has written other Age of Sail series that I enjoyed, notably the Privateerman Mystery (Harry Ludlow) series of 6 books and the fictional history of Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton. Worth a read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start to a new series, September 6, 2009

By 

P. Johnson "Duck fan" (Oregon, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By the Mast Divided (John Pearce 1) (Paperback)

I enjoyed Donachie's "Privateersman" series, and the new "John Pearce" series does not dissapoint. There are a lot of characters and backstories, amd the books tend to end with cliffhangers, but the story is interesting and different enough from many of the other nautical fiction books I have read. A good start to a new series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great sea story !, March 7, 2011

By 

Old Sarge - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: By the Mast Divided (John Pearce 1) (Paperback)

At first I only ordered volume one of this series,to test the "waters" so to speak, but about a third of the way through the first story I ordered the remaining books. The author is adept at story telling and can make you believe you are in the same time era and situations as the main characters. I only hope there are more stories yet to come, I am hooked !