Customer Reviews

Peter Raven Under Fire

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Thirteen-year-old midshipman Peter Raven is assigned to active duty aboard the HMS Torren. Boys became men early in England in 1800, and Great Britain is in her seventh year of struggle with France. The French Revolution is over, and Napoleon Bonaparte is in power. He needs money to defeat the English and exploit the Louisiana territory where he plans to install a "King of New Orleans" under French rule, and has chosen one of the privateers that are active in the Caribbean; a vile and quite mad pirate that has promised him the money he needs. These pirates attack any ships that cross their paths, murdering the crews and stealing the cargoes.

When the HMS Torren falls prey to the pirates, Peter and the charismatic Matthew Book manage to separately escape, but everyone else is murdered. Peter becomes apprenticed to a British Spy, and is reunited with Matthew. The three of them strive to outwit the pirates and French government and keep America out of their hands.

This lively book has a multi-level plot and exciting characters. I thought the size of the book might be a bit intimidating for reluctant readers, but it left me wanting more. The action goes from the English Channel to Paris to the Caribbean and back again. It's a seafaring adventure on a grand scale that is impossible to put down. Molloy promises a sequel, and I can't wait...Peter Raven is one of my favorite characters. There is even a bit of romance with the beautiful, rich young American girl, Lucy Cosgrove.

Reviewed by: Grandma Bev

Michael Molloy's Peter Raven Under Fire is set in 1800 and tells of Peter, the new officer on a Navy ship warring with the French forces of Napoleon. Can a 13-year-old bound to a British spy affect the outcome of a war? Political intrigue and social unrest permeate a plot strong in historical background and insights.

An amazingly written book! I loved reading every page of it! The characters were well developed and the story was well put together.

It's a fast read and I definately recommend it.

Michael Molloy's Peter Raven Under Fire is set in 1800 and tells of Peter, the new officer on a Navy ship warring with the French forces of Napoleon. Can a 13-year-old bound to a British spy affect the outcome of a war? Political intrigue and social unrest permeate a plot strong in historical background and insights.

I am an fan of historical fiction From the Hornblower saga to Kent to Dudly Pope to name a few. I think Molloy's "Peter Raven UNDER FIRE" was in bad need of an editor who knows the period of the Bonaparte and English war during the 1790's to 1805. The writter needs to know what makes a COMMODORORE in the British Navy of the period. The line of battle ship in the book was 110 guns. OOPS! The "HMS Torren" went to sea to the Caribbean with half a crew. OOPS! It would never have left England with 500 men. Three pirate schooners captured the first Rate Battle ship of the line "HMS Torren"--OOPS! DAH! The story line was ok and the cast of Characters got better after they are defined as the story progresses. I hope the follow on Peter Raven, Midshipman, gets better.

Michael Molloy is, apparently, an accomplished author of young adult fiction -- his "witch" books are very popular. With Peter Raven Under Fire, he turns his hand to historic naval fiction for young adults. Peter, the well-educated son of a clergyman is determined to go to sea and has prevailed on his father to find him a midshipman's berth. He is almost immediately swept into intrigue and espionage as he becomes the protégé of the mysterious Commodore Beaumont. Unfortunately, Molloy has not done his homework. Or rather, he has not done it well enough. The book is riddled with howlers and inaccuracies. He makes a muddle of naval vessels (100-gun frigates, indeed!), naval ranks and shipboard vocabulary. He makes no pretense at describing ship handling -- captains simply turn their ships. There are also language issues that a copy editor should have caught, like confusing "feint" and "feign". Molloy's conception of interactions among officers and men is based more on his imagination than on research. Still, this is fiction and written to engage young adults, so maybe that excuses some liberties. The same must be said for the preposterous plot in which Raven and Beaumont pit themselves against an evil villain who, like Dr. No, plots to rule the new world from his secret island fortress. For all that, Molloy is a skilled story teller and sweeps the reader into the action. For those willing to suspend disbelief and overlook historical inaccuracies (or, like many young readers, be unaware of them), this is an engaging story. I imagine a youngster would enjoy it, but if I were choosing historic naval fiction for a young friend I would probably start with Linda Collison or Paul Doswell.

I was actually very disapointed in this novel. I love historical fiction, especially plots surrounding the 1800's and seafaring in the British navy. However I was not duly impressed.

The characters were very bland, and very hollow. Without strong, charismatic characters the story remains an skeleton of an novel; something like reading a thick, dull history book in school.

I have to give Mr. Molloy one thing, he was very well researched and his plot was excellently devised; but I honestly did not enjoy it.

I really enjoy nautical fiction. C.S. Forester and Alexander Kent are some of my favorite authors. I was disappointed with this story because of the specific passage on page 180 where the Torren comes upon the Moon Star. The resulting episode of that meeting was totally disturbing and crazy. I found this whole section to be incredibly unrealistic. I know this is fiction, but really. I will refrain from spoiling the plot. I rarely put a book down but I did in this case. I am now reading an excellent book titled Sails on the Horizon by Jay Worrell. If you enjoy historical fiction and especially REALISTIC high seas adventure avoid Peter Raven Under Fire by Michael Molloy.