The Port-Wine Sea, A Parody [Paperback]

Susan Wenger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

The Port-Wine Sea is a rousing parody of the best historical fiction ever written. It is a story about a British naval captain during the Napoleonic War, and his friend, a naval physician/espionage agent. They set sail once again aboard "H.M.S. Aghast" during the War of 1812 to demonstrate to the upstart Colonies the errors of their ways.

The doctor/spy tries to establish liaison with the Creek Indians to create a diversion to the main British assault. Meanwhile the noble Captain is diverted by a teenaged Maryland vixen. Along the way, they encounter a skittish horse, a demure skunk, a whooping crane, and an escaped colony of termites aboard the ship.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Wenger is uniquely gifted to lovingly lampoon these sea-faring tales for the American audience. She is the Coordinator of Mensa's Patrick O'Brian Special Interest Group. She also teaches workshops at the Creative Problem-Solving Institute at State University of New York-Buffalo and at the Double Festival of Problem-Solving Methods and Enhanced Learning Techniques in Maryland.

Married to Win Wenger, himself an author ("The Einstein Factor" and "How to Increase Your Intelligence"), Ms. Wenger is the mother of two daughters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Publishamerica Inc; First Edition edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893162001
• ISBN-13: 978-1893162006
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,790,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should have been a short story, February 16, 2000

By 

Ross A. Brunetti "RB" (Santa Maria, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Port-Wine Sea, A Parody (Paperback)

"The Port Wine Sea" starts out well, with a laugh-per-paragraph for O'Brian fans (the first sentence is, as parody, dead-center perfect), but for me, the joke wears thin quickly. There's just not enough to fill out an entire book.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great fun if you have the background, November 9, 1999

By 

Joan Druett "Joan" (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Port-Wine Sea, A Parody (Paperback)

To enjoy this great little parody to the utmost, you need certain qualifications. One, you have to have read (and loved) the POB Aubrey/Maturin series. Secondly, you have to have a sense of fun. Thirdly, to have to enjoy someone having a real ball playing with words (and music). With those qualifications, you will have a wonderful time, for there is no joke like the "in-joke" -- and this is what this fun with "Captain Audibly" and "Stephen Natterling" (who needs his daily pint of opium to function on three cylinders) is all about (they even get to meet with Horatio Hornbearer, with predictably hilarious results. This is a great little book for a rainy day or a long, tedious flight -- except that it would be nice to have a like-minded friend beside you, so you could read out delicious tidbits every now and then. Brava, Susan Wenger!

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Parody for the unimaginative, June 30, 2000

By 

R. Schutte (Hilo, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Port-Wine Sea, A Parody (Paperback)

Obviously being a breast thumping member of MENSA does not automatically mean one posesses side splitting humor. This novel is nothing if it isn't less funny and less creative than the original novels.

Relying only on the most obvious gags, this novel makes "Three's Company" style humor out of an already humorous series. The only things missing here are canned laugh tracks and a sailor who yells, "DY NO MITE!"

I recommend reading the originals again for some real good laughs, and investing the money in something a bit more intelligent and a lot less self promoting.