Customer Reviews

Uncommon Valour

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This is a very interesting Age of Sail story set in 1779 during the American struggle for independence. The two main characters are John Sinclair, Royal Navy Captain from a wealthy family in Britain, and William Mason, Royal Navy Commander and Loyalist American. William's part of the Mason family has been forced from their colonial homes to Halifax, Nova Scotia to escape the sometimes violent political schism between Loyalists and Rebels. This conflict is mirrored by the same division in his own extended family.

The two men are joined in a number of important ways, not the least of which is the relationship between Mason's sister and Sinclair. There is even a humorous connection using a pair of shipboard cats. There are some very strong women characters, some involved in a very dangerous game of espionage, which is not the norm for such novels. The sea action picks up quickly in the second half with Sinclair, now the Commodore of a squadron that is hunting a group of French and Rebel frigates preying on Loyalist shipping. The fact that Mason is a captain of one of Sinclair's squadron and one of the opposing frigates is commanded by his own Rebel cousin adds to the drama of the sea battles when they occur.

For a first time writer, John Stevens has created a believable set of characters with a rich and complex relationship between the two families and their friends as well as their numerous enemies. While there is a definite climax, both personal and naval, to this novel, readers can readily sense that there are a number of additional story lines just waiting to be explored.

One character that I'm looking forward to learning more about in any sequel is Sir David Rothburne. While guiding Sinclair's privateer fleet (very unusual for a RN Captain), Sir David assists the Admiralty's spymaster as a sort of early "Q" from the Bond novels. I am eager to see what future gadgets he "invents" for those in this deadly spy game (which appears frequently as a sub-theme).

One of the other unusual aspects of this book is that the author gives the back-story for the main characters in his introduction and the final fates of each at the end of the book. This created a continuity for me that is missing in many books.

This is a large novel (676 pages) so be prepared to track a large number of characters with their own histories. I made a chart for my own reference and I re-read the introduction several times during the course of reading the book to keep everything orderly in my mind.

Although I am not given to normally read historical fiction-based stories, I decided to read this one. The story concept intrigued me.

This was such an enjoyable read, and has got me wondering what I have been missing all these years. I had always heard of authors like C.S. Forester (author of the Horatio Hornblower series), Alexander Kent (whose real name is Douglas Reeman, and author of The Richard Bolitho series) and Patrick O'Brian (author of the Master & Commander series) I had seen motion pictures derived from their respective works... but had always been reluctant to read them.

Personally, I have always liked my historical reading to be, well... historical.

This two-in-one volume has gotten me to reconsider my thinking, and to look deeper into the realm of such works of historical fiction. It's a relaxing read, and a great escape from the worries of the day. This was such a pleasure to read, and a welcomed addition to my collection.