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If you loved Forester's "Hornblower" series, as I did, then you will also appreciate Alexander Kent's "Richard Bolitho" tales. You do not get the sense that they are derivative of Forester's work, for they stand on their own original merit. The action flows nonstop and logically with hardly a calm or doldrum. The author clearly understands the complexities of handling and fighting a ship under sail. He doesn't just use nautical terminology and commands as colorful filler- he uses them accurately as a fundamental part of the narrative. In fact, as a secondary feature, these books are a decent primer on 18th century seamanship.

As much as the author excels at technical accuracy, his character development and knowledge of human nature is even stronger. He shows that the politics, gameplaying, and back-stabbing aboard a warship can be every bit as complex as that in a Turkish harem. Yet, there is the underlying sense of the imperative of setting a positive example as an officer, of showing your people that you can truly LEAD as well as you can simply COMMAND their daily lives.

In this volume Bolitho has been promoted to Commodore and given command of a squadron (three seventy-fours, a thirty-two gun frigate, and a sloop of war.) He takes command with orders to find out what Napoleon is up to in the Mediterrean- and then to handle it as best he sees fit. As the majority of the British fleet is tied up on blockade duty in the Atlantic, he will be the sole projection of British naval might this side of Gibraltar. The details of commanding an entire task force instead of a single vessel, as in the earlier volumes, is fascinating in and of itself. Ultimately, Bolitho finds that he must place his command between the Nile and an entire French fleet....

I've yet to read a Richard Bolitho book that I did not thoroughly enjoy. This one is my favorite one so far. It's full of the attention to detail, superb phrasing, and outstanding character description and development that Kent/Reeman's readers have grown accustomed to.

This work is a glittering example of why Bolitho is one of the most well-crafted and developed characters I've read. He is truly a classic hero, and with it is truly human with no trace of the superman tendencies which a lesser writer would use with the resulting lack of believability. Bolitho's foibles and imperfections are used here to great advantage.

The result is that I look forward to setting sail again with Bolitho more than ever. Any admirer of good fiction should be greatly pleased that the entire series is being reprinted and being made available in U.S. editions.

It is with relief that admirers of Richard Bolitho learn that when Bonaparte launched his invasion of Egypt, the dashing sea-officer was not found wanting and was in the thick of efforts to frustrate the future Emperor's knavish tricks. As Mr.Kent tells the story in this splendid addition to the Bolitho Chronicles, the experience was however a far from pleasant one, and though Bolitho deservedly flies his flag at last, he must weather illness, conflict with his old friend Herrick , betrayal by an old colleague and a ferocious battle with a French squadron in the Corfu Channel before he can lay his ship alongside the enemy in the climactic Battle of the Nile. As always the historical and technical details add colour to the story and the faithful reader gets considerable satisfaction from following the fortunes and developing characters of the hero and his colleagues. Those who enjoy this book will also find satisfaction in Brian Lavery's excellent "Nelson and the Nile", which describes the entire 1798 Mediterranean Campaign from both the British and French viewpoints in lively and entertaining prose. One is only disappointed that t omits any mention of Bolitho's pivotal role. One wonders why!

It's 1798, and Richard Bolitho hoists a commodore's broad pendant on the Lysander. At first he finds it comforting to have his dearest friend, Thomas Herrick, as his flag captain. But as his squadron begins its work, the difficult job of finding out what Napolean's navy is up to in the Mediterranean, both Bolitho and Herrick realize that Herrick's most recent battle experiences have left him scarred in ways not physical. The squadron's other captains, all known to Bolitho from earlier assignments in his already long career, have strengths and weaknesses that he understands; but he learns as he commands them as commodore that he does not know everything about them that he ought. Nor does he understand why Herrick's first lieutenant, who stands high in the flag captain's regard, seems bent on driving a wedge between Herrick and Bolitho.

As with any other military fiction (including the military science fiction that is this genre's direct descendant), a good story's need to have its hero in the thick of the action sometimes requires the author to have that hero do things a real commodore, admiral, etc. would not be apt to do at all. Such as leading a small shore party in person...but Kent's writing of Richard Bolitho always makes these episodes seem plausible, and his flawed heroes are so much more interesting because of those flaws and their resulting struggles. For me this novel was a re-read after a good 30 years since the first time, and I enjoyed it from a different perspective. The action, the battles and the strategies behind them, still worked well; but the human interactions interested me even more. I definitely want to re-read the other early books from this series, as well as track down the later ones.

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

The book arrived promptly and in good condition. I am enjoying this series of books and will order more.

Although this book is not the first book of the "Bolitho" series, it is was my introduction to this author and this serial character. Since then, I have acumulated 23 of the 26 novels in this series.
The author's character takes part in many historical British naval battles. The author's description of ships, arms, and fortifications are very well researched and descriptive. I only wish that there were detailed maps with the books. I have had to get my own maps, and that's ok too.
I recommend this book to everyone and encourage everyone to collect the whole series.

In this, the twelfth book of the Richard Bolitho series, Bolitho has risen to the rank of Commodore and is dispatched to the Mediteranean to try and figure out what the French navy is up to. England's Admiralty is rivetted on this question as the deployment of the whole British Fleet depends on the answer to that question. So, who better to send than ... Nelson! Oh, but there is a problem you see. Nelson just lost his arm in an engagement and is still recovering. Hmmm... Who is the next most trustworthy commander on the seas ... Aha! Richard Bolitho!

Bolitho assumes command of a squadron that is surprisingly populated by most all of the characters that have survived the previous eleven novels. The Captains of the 74 gun ship of the line are Thomas Herrick (Bolitho's closes friend), Charles Farquhar (who was a Lieutenant under Bolitho), Charles Probyn (served as a Lieutenant senior to Bolitho), Inch (was a midshipman in one of Bolitho's ships), etc. In addition, Adam Pascoe, Bolitho's nephew is on the flagship serving as a Lieutenant. I suppose the British navy of that time was quite closely knit, and perhaps it was not surprising to have all the senior officers having served with one another in the past, but it seemed too convenient and pat to me.

Bolitho starts on his mission and almost immediately finds out that his real struggle will be the petty jealousies and serious disruptions caused by the relationships of his subordinates to each other. As the book narrative continues, most of the senior commanders make decisions that affect the outcomes of complete naval battles based purely on how they view their colleagues and what possibilities for advancement these actions might have on their careers. This is quite different than Richard Bolitho's own experiences as a Captain of his ship and he is quite taken back by it. In addition, some of these officers have reached the end of their abilities and may even be cracking under the strains of command - even some who are quite close to Bolitho which makes it trebly difficult for the Commodore.

As far as naval action goes, there is something going on non-stop. From cutting out expeditions, to shore attacks, to handling storms, to pitched battles among large ships, they are all there. Bolitho is not handling the individual ship but is trying to focus on the strategic direction he's been given as well as rule his unruly crew and that provides its own set of challenges to our hero. He comes through it with flying colors even though he tries to do a bit too much fighting in the front lines to what one would expect of senior officers. Of course, this is noted across the squadron and appreciated by the typical seaman who responds by putting out much more than is expected of them including doing some very outrageous actions which change the course of battles. (The subtheme of having the officers treat the men decently so they do better is a general one in this whole series)

As Bolitho figures out what the French intentions are, he immediately moves to counter them. So, one of the subplots in this story is how Bolitho's actions changed the course of history. As the book progresses, you read about what he is doing and at the end realize that one reason why Nelson was able to win the decisive Battle of the Nile and thereby change the course of world history was because Bolitho and his small squadron took risks and gave their blood and lives for England.

With so much going on and so much happening in the book, it was also nice to see how well written the book is. Although there is much technical jargon associated with the art of sailing ships in the late 18th century, that same jargon is a key element of the story and adds, rather than distracts, from the pleasure of it. the characters that are regulars in these books continue to develop - sometimes in surprising ways. Since this book is happening almost completely at sea with the British Navy, it is not surprising that there are not many elements of sexual relationships (with the exception of Bolitho's recent escapades in London) or romantic involvement. Therefore it is kind of jarring when the author introduces a woman to Herrick who falls in love with Herrick after speaking with him for one hour (ONE hour!). This has been a significant failing of many of these books in that the man - woman relationships are being portrayed in a completely unrealistic manner. But, never mind, these are minor matters for this kind of book.

A further disappointment for me was that Bolitho and Nelson manage to be at the same place and time for only the second time in this series in this book. According to the Epilogue, Bolitho and his squadron fought in the Battle of the Nile. That is glossed over in a few paragraphs and then Bolitho is sent back to Gibraltar and England. Since the last two books were all gearing up to this point in history, it was kind of deflating to not have at least a complete chapter devoted to that famous battle. I suppose that since Bolitho and his mates are all fictional, it was kind of difficult to place him in any kind of context that made sense in a famous battle like this one. It also brings to mind a question: How will Bolitho participate in the Battle of Trafalgar?

In this Bolitho adventure, Post Captain Richard Bolitho is made a Commodore and given a small squadron consisting of three 74-gun ships-of-the-line and a couple of smaller vessels and ordered to the Mediterannean to discover the French Fleet's intentions.

Eventually he is instrumental in getting rear admiral Horatio Nelson's attention, and bringing a full-fledged British Fleet into the Med, leading to the Battle of the Nile.

This story has the usual hard fought sea battles, as well as cutting out action and other forays onto foreign soil, with only minimal love interest this time.

Bolitho is faced with a couple of subordinate captains' jealousy, and in one case hatred, but manages to pull it off anyway.

Alexander Kent has written another winner, and provided us with another great vicarious adventure.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

This is one of the most heart-wrenching books in the series, no longer just action stories but studies in personality. It is intensely personal amidst the usual carnage. It's fascinating to watch Bolitho struggle with his promotion to Commodore and his new, enforced aloofness from shipboard affairs and his officers. Bolitho's typical concern for his crew is now extended to an entire squadron of some 2000 men, their faces no longer known but their fates wracking poor Bolitho. Particularly affecting is his struggle to contend with the failing nerve of his closest friend and protegé, flag captain Herrick, who has been with him from early days. The waters of personality move into the deeps as Bolitho rises in rank and others reach their limits. Bolitho suffers a relapse of the malarial fever at a critical junction in the cruise from Gibralter to Egypt, and rivalries among his subordinates come to the fore. Just another source of the immense tension Kent builds in this novel of the desperate British attempt to fathom Napoleon's intent for his vast Mediterranean fleet buildup. Kent again avoids including Bolitho in one of the great historical fleet actions, this time at Aboukir Bay. While he does give Bolitho a role in directing the French into a weaker position, and does explain the battle's great importance, that climactic battle passes much too remotely and quickly to satisfy.

The suspense in this series is partly the eventual goal and task set to Bolitho and mostly how Bolitho is ever going to solve impossible tactical situations at sea. The usual solution he proposes is a surprise maneuver, but what form will it take this time? Like many of Kent's book titles, "Signal - Close Action!" is a stirring phrase but barely hints at the situations and solutions to be found within. Conversely, his chapter titles too often prefigure the event. As usual it's easy to spot who will be "good" officers and who "bad," so thorough are the differences, but Kent does provide one surprising development. As always, it is absolutely vital to pay closest attention to the sailing directions (wind, tack, etc.) if you want to visualize the sea maneuvers, because Kent won't tell us in lubber's terms. The cover bears an excellent wrap-around picture, "ripped from the living text."

The series continues with plenty of action and suspense. The Bolitho novels have given me an insight into Enlish as well as nautical history that I never learned in school.