When the Tide Rises (RCN) [Hardcover]

David Drake (Author)

Book Description

Series: RCN | Publication Date: March 4, 2008

When the Republic of Cinnabar doesn't have enough battleships to deal with all the crises in its war with the Alliance, it sends the next best thing: Commander Daniel Leary and his friend, the spy Adele Mundy. This time they're off to help the Bagarian cluster in its rebellion against the Alliance, but they'll quickly find that the worst threats to the rebels are the treacherous politicians leading them.

 

Leary and Mundy use electronic espionage, sub-machine guns, and shipkilling missiles to outwit political rivals, put down mutiny, and capture an Alliance fortress. When all else fails, they'll strike for the heart of the Alliance--and then throw their tiny corvette into a major fleet action.

 

A cascade of non-stop action as vivid as only David Drake can write it!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fast-paced sixth adventure of Republic of Cinnabar Space Navy officers Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy (after 2006's Some Golden Harbor) finds Leary in a precarious position. When his patron falls ill and is replaced as chief of the Navy Board by a hostile admiral, Leary expects to be placed on the inactive list despite the ongoing war between Cinnabar and the Alliance of Free Stars. Instead he finds himself assigned to shore up the navy of the Independent Republic of Bagaria, a frontier system that broke away from the Alliance and now looks to Cinnabar for aid. With no resources other than his own ship and crew, shackled with allies more dangerous than the enemy, Leary must find a way to relieve besieged Cinnabaran forces. Drake has always been known for his ultrarealistic depiction of combat and its aftermath, and he's at the top of his form. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

David Drake was attending Duke University Law School when he was drafted. He served the next two years in the Army, spending 1970 as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th armored Cavalry in Viet Nam and Cambodia. Upon return he completed his law degree at Duke and was for eight years Assistant Town Attorney for Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He has been a full-time freelance writer since 1981. Besides the bestselling Hammer’s Slammers series, his books for Baen include Ranks of Bronze, Starliner, All the Way to the Gallows, Redliners, and many more. His “Lord of the Isles” fantasy novels for Tor are genre best sellers. Some Golden Harbor is the fifth in the popular RCN series. The previous titles are With the Lightnings, Lt. Leary, Commanding, The Far Side of the Stars, The Way to Glory and Some Golden Harbor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Baen (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416555277
• ISBN-13: 978-1416555278
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #999,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The Army took David Drake from Duke Law School and sent him on a motorized tour of Viet Nam and Cambodia with the 11th Cav, the Blackhorse. He learned new skills, saw interesting sights, and met exotic people who hadn't run fast enough to get away.

Dave returned to become Chapel Hill's Assistant Town Attorney and to try to put his life back together through fiction making sense of his Army experiences.

Dave describes war from where he saw it: the loader's hatch of a tank in Cambodia. His military experience, combined with his formal education in history and Latin, has made him one of the foremost writers of realistic action SF and fantasy. His bestselling Hammer's Slammers series is credited with creating the genre of modern Military SF. He often wishes he had a less interesting background.

Dave lives with his family in rural North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Among the Revolutionaries, June 4, 2008

By 

Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Tide Rises (RCN) (Hardcover)

When the Tide Rises (2008) is the sixth SF novel in the Leary, RCN, series, following Some Golden Harbor. In the previous volume, Daniel Leary commanded the Bennarian destroyer Sibyl in combat with the Pellegrinian cruiser Caio Duilio and drove the enemy ship into the atmosphere of Dunbar's World. After the cruiser crashlanded, the winners gathered to dispose of the booty.

Daniel dictated the ownership of the various ships, weapon and materiel with very little opposition. Adele Mundy had waking nightmares after leading the attack on the missile control trailer, but Daniel calmed her down. Then they went off to listen to Elemere sing.

In this novel, Daniel receives orders to aid the Bagarian Republic in their revolution against the Alliance. Naturally, the mission has more to do with Cinnabar's interests than those of the Bagarian Republic. Just maybe Daniel can do enough to draw the attention of the Alliance Navy and relieve the pressures on Admiral James at Diamondia.

Adele has received a visitor from Bryce in the Alliance worlds. Rene Cazelet is the grandson of Madame Boileau, who had been training Adele as a librarian when Cinnabar killed off her family. Cazelet's parents have been arrested -- and probably executed -- on charges of treason against the Alliance.

Cazelet had only escaped capture because he was with his grandmother and is now fleeing agents of the Fifth Bureau. Madame Boileau asks Adele to take in Cazelet and mentor him as she had done for her. Adele quickly decides to adopt Cazelet, so to speak, and carries him along to the theater. There they see the popular show The Conquest of Dunbar's World, starring Michael Beasley as Lieutenant Daniel Leary, RCN.

In this story, the Princess Cecile first sails to Diamondia. With Daniel's permission, Adele includes Cazelet in the ship's company and bunks him in the midshipmen quarters. Adele starts training him as a signals officer during the voyage.

On Diamondia, Daniel has a private talk with Admiral James. Then the Princess Cecile sails on to Pelosi and the Bagarian Republic. The Bagarian president and ministers are so impressed by Daniel's reputation that they appoint him as the commanding admiral of the Bagarian Navy.

Of course, their navy doesn't amount to much. They do have a former RCN vessel captured from the Alliance -- the light cruiser Victoria Luise -- and offer to rename her Admiral Leary. But Daniel convinces them to name her Ladouceur, the original RCN name.

Daniel takes the Ladouceur and other vessels of the Bagarian Navy out on a training mission. Naturally, Daniel makes the mission as realistic as possible. So they raid Dodd's Throne and take two Pleasaunce registered ships as prizes.

Adele continues instructing Cazelet on ship identification and other techniques that she uses to do her job as signal officer. Cazelet catches on quickly and starts to become very effective in shipbourne communications. Of course, he has already received training from his grandmother almost as extensive as Adele's own education.

This tale takes Daniel through political and naval minefields in the Bagarian Republic and within the RCN. He gains the interest of Admiral James and his senior captains. When James finally ups ship to fight the Alliance fleet, Daniel and the Princess Cecelia are with him.

The story is loosely based on the memoirs of Lord Cochrane in service to the revolutionary governments of Chile and Brazil. One gets the distinct impression that these governments were trying to please the populace without angering Spain and Portugal. Obviously, Lord Cochrane had a difficult time performing his mission with the revolutionary councils working against him. But the author does make things somewhat easier for Daniel, since his own government is not actively baulking him.

As usual, the Princess Cecile succeeds despite the odds and produces the desired results. Both Daniel and Adele perform small wonders and lead the Sissies and other crewmembers to victory. But keep your eye on Cazelet; who knows what he is really trying to do.

Highly recommended for Drake fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of spatial combat, political chicanery and a touch of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Space Opera, March 4, 2008

By 

William Howe "wildwily" (Terrytown, LA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When the Tide Rises (RCN) (Hardcover)

I have enjoyed the Leary series from the first. The historical/futuristic blend of technologies is fascinating and allows for a depth of characters that is not normally seen in "outer space". The author plays off his character's weaknesses as well as strengths.

My only problem is a certain repetitiveness(?). The main charcters tend to think or say certain things every other chapter - particularly Mundy in reference to Tovera.

I reccomend this series to anyone who enjoys SF but doesn't want to get to involved in computers or "high" technology.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent outer space military science fiction, February 26, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Tide Rises (RCN) (Hardcover)

The war continues unabated between the Republic of Cinnabar and the Alliance of Free Stars. Although his side is short on battleships and experienced combat officers, Cinnabar Space Navy Officer Daniel Leary expects to be mothballed since his mentor on the Board was replaced by someone who detests the maverick as success does not matter; political connections do.

Instead he and his crew are assigned to help the fledgling navy of the Independent Republic of Bagaria, who seceded from the Alliance. Espionage agent Signal Officer Adele Mundy accompanies Daniel and his crew. Upon arrival at the frontier republic, they find the biggest problem is from within the divided Bagarian political leadership as treason seems to be the norm especially for those who lost power when Bagaria left the Alliance.

The latest Leary outer space military science fiction thriller (see SOME GOLDEN HARBOR, WITH THE LIGHTNINGS and THE WAY TO GLORY, etc.) is an excellent entry that has the author's trademark look at the brutality of war, but much more. The story line contains the usual Mr. Drake's deep look at the outcome of hostilities on civilian populations as well as the surviving military. However, the tale also provides a fascinating political twist that is mindful of Iraq and the Baath party. Those who were in power under the Alliance want back what they lost; while those who gained power refuse to share. WHEN THE TIDE RISES is a thought-provoking entertaining entry in the Cinnabar-Alliance war.

Harriet Klausner