Customer Reviews

The Time of Terror: A Novel (The Nathan Peake Novels)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Blood, gore, and a little more blood for good measure - that's how I once heard the Terror of the French Revolution described. This book is no disappointment for one looking for an interesting nautical adventure intermixed with the horrors of the French Revolution.

Nathaniel Peake (or should I say Turner, which is the alias he uses during most of the story) is an intriguing sea captain who opts to accept a special assignment that lands him right in the midst of Revolutionary France.

Hunter takes liberties with some of the characters, but that's what good historical fiction is all about - take someone real and make them even more sinister or more lovable. I enjoyed how he played up Robspierre, and his treatment of Thomas Paine was utterly fascinating.

The love story was a bit too much for me - I think the book probably would have been better had Hunter focused on the swashbuckling adventures and hijinks of Peake instead. Having said that, the little bit of romance that was present made for an underlying current that added a bit, and probably set the tone for another book in the series.

Can't say that I loved it, but it's worth reading. The fact that the author is British, as is the hero, makes the book intriguing and fun.

Nathan Peake is a dashing British naval officer who's called on for a secret mission that on the surface appears to be a mere bit of smuggling, but he turns out to be a pawn in a plot to destabilize the economy of France, now that it's under a potentially unfriendly new government. However...there's all the turmoil of the Revolution and the Reign of Terror going on...

At a glance, the title might have one thinking this is a horror novel, and the cover painting alone would hint that this is one of the countless Patrick O'Brian ripoffs that overpopulated bookshelves for a while (and would have the reading public believing that the Napoleonic wars were primarily naval). However, this carves out its own niche and balances seagoing action with land-based intrigue.

Some of the naval terminology went over my head, but having lately read a few books about the French Revolution and its aftermath, I could see that Hunter did his research. The book is full of real-life characters, including Robespierre, Thomas Paine, Mary Wollstonecraft, and even a brief appearance by Marie Grosholtz, aka Madame Tussaud. And there's lots of action, including naval battles, races through the streets of Paris, and Hunter even throws in a Satanic chapel in the catacombs under Les Invalides.

My biggest problem is that the narrative sometimes got choppy, with Peake in the middle of Paris in one scene and suddenly at sea in the British Channel in the next, with little explanation as to what happened in between. And the setup for a sequel is a bit too obvious; I would have preferred a more self-contained story.

Still, it's an enjoyable read, a decent example of the historical swashbuckler, with a few flaws, but forgivable ones. It doesn't set out to be great art, but is a decent example of good craftsmanship.

"Peake is entrusted with a mission to wreck the French economy by smuggling fake currency into Paris." (from the back cover)

Who wrote the teaser for this book? I ask because the involvement of Lt. Nathan Peake, British naval officer, in a secret operation to wreck the French economy isn't revealed until the 365th page of a 434-page novel. It is, in fact, quite a shock to Peake, who thought all along he was smuggling tobacco. So thanks, anonymous copywriter, for spoiling the surprise.

That little hitch aside, "The Time of Terror" is an exciting beginning to a series by Seth Hunter (a.k.a. Paul Bryers, a somewhat prolific British author) that takes place during the bloody first days of the French Revolution, shortly after the execution of France's king and queen.

It seems at first glance to be a nautical yarn in the tradition of Forester and O'Brian, but relatively little of the action takes place at sea. Peake begins the book chasing smugglers off the British coast and, when he follows a fleeing lugger all the way to France, is party to one of the first shots of the latest French and English war. Soon, Peake, posing as an American merchant captain, is given command of an American barque transporting tobacco (OK, it's really counterfeit currency) and finds himself shoulder-deep in French political mayhem.

Most of the action takes place in France. There, Peake interacts with some historical movers and shakers of the day, from global revolutionist Thomas Paine to English feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. There's also Sara Seton, the beautiful young widow of a French aristocrat and subject of a romantic subplot that offers quite a few twists along the way.

Hunter's novel does an excellent job evoking the street-level terror that accompanied the French Revolution -- the mob violence, the volatile leadership and the steady chop of the guillotine -- and his land-based scenes are far more richly painted than the naval action. Peake himself is a little unusual as an action hero: his plans don't always come to fruition, and he's often simply swept along in the course of events around him. Still, he usually manages to land on his feet, and I believe the conclusion of this novel sets the stage for an exciting sequel featuring a wiser, more mature protagonist.

by Tom Knapp, the Rambles.(net) guy

In 1793, Nathan Peake is a young commander in the British Navy, seeking out smugglers in brig sloop. But because of his background (his mother is American and half-French, a dubious connection for a man hoping to have a Naval career, particularly as she doesn't scruple to hold salons with the likes of Mary Wollstonecraft, Thomas Paine and Tallyrand), he is tapped as the right man for a secret mission. He is told (by the First Lord of the Admiralty, no less) to pose as an American captain on an American ship and to deliver a mysterious shipment to Le Havre. Thus begins a series of trips not just to France, but to Paris where the Terror rages, the mob rules and people are hauled to the Guillotine by the tumbrel-full.

The undercover missions on land are full of threatening situations, fascinating (often noted historical) characters, and action. There are interludes back in the safety of England that stand in stark contrast, and also a few major (and historical) sea battles for those who like their Naval commanders on shipboard. Personally, I had grown a bit jaded when reading novels about the Terror, but this one does manage to mix it up a bit by including the elements listed above.

Nathan is far from perfect, which is reasonable enough for a young officer who is basically a small cog in the workings of the various governments involved, but is about as fearless, canny and able as any action hero. All this makes for an exciting and suspenseful read, with not a little swashbuckling adventure, along with more dramatic and darker elements against the background of war and rebellion.

I found this to be enjoyable historical fiction. The Reign of Terror, 40,000 people killed in about a year by the Committee of Public Safety, is certainly not one of the nicer moments in history and certainly was a far cry from the ideals of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the early intent of the revolution. I thought the author did a good job creating the scene and using it as a great backdrop to the story. I liked that the main character was not a cardboard superman type cutout, I liked that the book did not sugarcoat the revolution, and though some reviewers complained, I think the fact that a good part of the story was on land helped the novel. A good read, good book, look forward to the next part.

A wonderful historical novel. Seth Hunters' marvelous prose makes you taste the sea air on the English Channel and feel the chilling terror of the French Revolution. His story is anchored excellently in historical fact with documented notes at the end of the book detailing his deviations. The characters (specifically main character Peake) grow in there development as the the plot moves along. The story does start slowly but builds with suspense and excitement to a satisfying ending. Enjoyed it much and I'm looking forward to other novels in the series. Strongly recommended.

This is a good read, but is not what it appears to be. The cover and blurb would lead one to believe that this is a nautical adventure, when it is in fact a tale of the French Revolution with some nautical aspects. In fact, the nautical elements are the weakest parts of the book, with a description of the "Glorious First of June" that is inaccurate and shallow. Marines didn't serve on sloop-rigged brigs like the Nereus, and you don't have remove the wadding on a carronade after it fires, not to mention the idea of a commander taking over a division of guns on a "first rate". Compare this awful description with Cornwell's superb description of Trafalgar in "Sharpe's Trafalgar".
The book is at its best describing Paris in the Terror, the horror of the mob, and the political characters are well-drawn and come alive. The author has a gift for changing gears in his writing style as he moves from Paris (spy novel), London (satire) and the sea(nautical). The central character, Nathan Peake is sympathetic and well drawn. Although he is certainly not an O'Brian or a Forester, I look forward to his next work.

Time of Terror is a great read. Commander Nathan Peake is not Horatio Hornblower or Jack Aubrey. He is refreshingly different from both. And Seth Hunter spins a lively yarn which puts Peake in among some very interesting historical characters, who aren't always what they seem. He manages to be in the salons of London with his very liberal mother, in the Admiralty with some very stuffy politicians playing sailor, at sea with his salty crew, and in Revolutionary Paris during the terror that is the setting of this novel.

Hunter does a fine job of creating not only characters but realistic settings in which to employ them, and compelling events to surround and affect them. The prose is easy to follow and it's the sort of book that's fun to curl up with before bed, though difficult to put down when it's time to put out the lights. The nautical terms did not weigh the story down and the language used gives the feel of the 18th century without making it difficult to follow, a feat similar to that pulled off by David Liss in his historical novels.

I don't want to provide any spoilers for this story so I shan't. Suffice it to say you'll be hooked by the first page. Peake's adventures are well written in an internally consistent world. His troubles, when they arise, do not seem contrived or artificial and Hunter does not make his hero play dumb to heighten the tension. You can do everything right and still have things not turn out as planned.

I look forward to further adventures and I can't wait to see where Peake's orders put him next. The French Revolution is not over, and the Napoleonic Wars beckon.

It's fasincating that while the French Revolution is one of the bloodiest events of world history and it took place so close to the American Revolution, it does not loom large in the American consciousness. Other than a vague sense of the guillotine and Marie Antoinette's notorious "let them eat cake," many Americans do not place the French Revolution in the pantheon of transformative world events (such as the assassination of Julius Caesar).

Seth Hunter (pseudonym) tries to change all that with "The Time of Terror," a grim novel that throws the reader inside those terrible days where Parisians murdered each other by the wagonload in an insane game of politics and revenge. Ostensibly, the novel is about British attempts to destabilize France during these crucial days by flooding the French economy with counterfeit bills. The novel shifts from smuggling and cannonfire on the high seas to the streets of Paris as our heroes and villains - including real-life figures such as Robespierre and his enemies - grow less and less concerned with economics and the price of bread and more focused on whose head will leave which shoulders on a given day.

This is a dark, grim book. Sure, there's plenty of adventure and derring-do, along with quite a bit of humor (our hero may be a capable guy, but he's far from a nineteenth-century superhero). But Hunter's book really takes off when he throws the reader into the madness that was The Terror. The book's most compelling pages focus on the madness and inhumanity of the Revolution's bloodiest days. And while the book ends on a somewhat hopeful note, the scars of the Revolution are deeply set in both the survivors and the reader.

All in all, an excellent book and a reminder that even the most enlightened people, in times of high passion and paranoia, can be murderous, treacherous, and evil.

To begin with I would say one of the best points about "The Time of Terror" is that author Seth Hunter has definitely done his research in writing the book. Taking place in the late 1700's the story revolves around the events of the French revolution and all the political intrigue that era could muster. The main character, Nathan Peake, is a fictional British Naval Officer who interacts with many historical figures, such as Thomas Payne, Georges Danton, and Gilbert Imlay, to name a few. It is hard to fault the author when he goes to this extreme to make sure the story is relatively accurate in the historical sense.

Unfortunately, that is about the only truly positive thing I can say about the book. First off, Peake is just not that interesting of a character and written way beyond his young years, therefore ending up rather unbelievable. Second, the plot jumps all over the place. The reader gets to see Peake in so many different but equally dangerous scenarios, such as in a sea battle with a French Frigate, almost being lynched by a French mob, trolling through the catacombs of Paris, back to sea for a pitched battle with the French fleet, thrown into a French prison, and so on and so on. One especially annoying feature is that Peake seems to just pop up in many places without much of an explanation of how he got there.

But honestly the thing I hated the most was the fate of one main character at the very end of the book. The resolution of this person was rather shocking and in my opinion must have been inserted for shock value, for I can see no other real purpose, no advancement of the plot. I guess the reason for such a fate may become apparent in subsequent volumes of what appears to be a series in the making but it shall always remain a mystery to me. I have no plans to ever pick up a Nathan Peake book again. The Peake character just was not interesting enough for me to overcome the many problems the story has. And that is a shame because I do love a good British Naval yarn.