A Fine Boy for Killing (The Sea Officer William Bentley Novels) (Paperback)

by Jan Needle (Author)
Key Phrases: dark musician, other midshipmen, twelve sheep, Jesse Broad, Thomas Fox, William Bentley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A promising first installment in a series of historical sea adventures by British writer Needle introduces readers to 14-year-old officer William Bentley and life aboard the ill-fated frigate Welfare during the Napoleonic Wars. The ship is helmed by Daniel Swift, a notoriously ruthless captain who instructs young BentleyDhis nephew and favoriteDin the best ways to fill the ship's complement of sailors. Forced pressing into service is illegal, but in an attempt to please his uncle, Bentley adds two crewmen through trickery and kidnapping; a young farm boy named Thomas Fox and a smuggler named Jesse Broad. Broad and Fox form a relationship that parallels Swift and Bentley's as Broad assumes a quiet role of leadership among the increasingly unhappy crew. The abusive atmosphere aboard the Welfare is thick and immediate, as is the struggle for power over the ship. Swift exerts his power strategically and sadistically, while Bentley, whose youth makes his attempts at discipline ineffectual, tries to justify his uncle's increasingly cruel actions. Floggings occur daily for the slightest offenses, and living quarters are squalid. When the inevitable mutiny occurs, it is a spontaneous eruption, liberating the crew from royal command but leaving them vulnerable to anarchic elements within their ranks. Bentley, the only officer left on board, bears witness to the mutiny's aftermath, completing a personal transformation that makes the book a bildungsroman as well as a sea story. Such tales can easily fall prey to convention, but in Needle's hands the Welfare comes alive with rich, compelling characters and vivid imagery. There are no white knights here and no one-dimensional villains; as much as one hates Swift, he is a refreshingly unpredictable character in an invigorating story. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
". . . A supperbly written and engaging nautical adventure tale." -- Midwest Book Review

"...A powerful story of lost humanity, its violent emotions and unremitting bleakness are shattering." -- Guardian

"...His portrayal of the Age of Fighting Sail is gritty, realistic and thoroughly entertaining..." -- James L. Nelson Author of The Brethren of the Coast Trilogy

"An amazing talent . . . I unreservedly commend Jan Needle's work." -- The Oldie

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: McBooks Press (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935526862
• ISBN-13: 978-0935526868
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #597,808 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Boy for Killing, March 13, 2002

By	K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I could not put this book down.

I had been looking, as I usually am, for grim, gritty realism. This book was almost *too* intense for me -- and I mean that as a compliment. It's the story of an unhappy ship, a psychotic captain (I kept seeing Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh, reading Swift's scenes), and the inevitable results. Characters die -- *major* characters die. Don't read this if you lack a strong stomach.

Needle's writing is a blunt, brutally wielded instrument, but gets the job done. The choreography of action scenes can sometimes be a little too static; overall setting and description, though, stand out. His dialogue sometimes rings false, but works adequately. Characterization is strong overall, though with some events (Allgood's collapse; Bentley's change of heart) never quite ringing true. The plot never stops moving from the first page to the last; I was never bored, and I bore easily.

Of interest to me is Needle's purpose in writing this book, apparently the first in the series. The title character, Bentley, is not an admirable figure here. But presumably he is going to be the protagonist of books to come. Many authors give their characters dark pasts, but reveal them only in snatches of backstory; Needle here has written that dark past out in all its sordid glory. I am certainly looking forward to seeing what the author does next.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This isn't Hornblower, February 19, 2002

By	Elaine Kelly "kell972" (Girardville, PA USA) - See all my reviews

After viewing A&E's Hornblower series, I began devouring books on the Napoleonic wars. After the Hornblower books, the Aubrey/Maturin series and finally the Ramage series, Needles characters are a breath of fresh air. Not to take anything away from the previous authors, I feel Needles gritty realism is something sorely missing in the genre (especially in the Lord Ramage series). I look forward to see the development of Midshipman Bentley for the very reason that he is so flawed. Lets hope that someday Bentley becomes a fine and noble officer, but not too soon. I have just ordered #2 in the series and can't wait to see where young Mr.Bentley ends up next. Keep up the good work Mr.Needles!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Savage, bloody, and great!, December 24, 2002

By	A. J. Watson "Bones" (Newcastle-on-Tyne, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Younq William Bentley, a midshipman on a RN frigate in dock waiting for orders, is gulled by his vicious uncle, Capt.Swift, into a false sense of ideals, command, and justice. Swift's iron-fisted reputation precedes him and the few hands that man the boat are supplemented by the dregs of the gaols and hospitals, plus whatever he can drum up. William has to do some of the drumming-up and he tricks a young farm-hand and his sheep into the service of HM the King. A smuggling cutter provides a few real seamen, gaining Bentley extra kudos and inflating his already swollen ego, simultaneously earning him enemies in the crew. Young, gullible William is so impressed with uncle's regime that he is in danger of becoming a carbon-copy (which is exactly what his uncle wants). His uncle's charisma blinds the young man to the real dangers of the rule of the lash and starter, and also to the Captain's gradual spiral into madness. However, some of the crew are not blind to this and are planning mutiny, fuelled by the daily bloody punishment, the vile food, incessant meaningless sail evolutions and the prospect of a trip round the Horn at the worst possible season.
Around the same time, Will's bubble of confidence and superiority is pricked by a humiliating staged fight, and more leaks out as he realises the mutinous results of Swift's despotic reign could have been prevented by a different form of man-management; young Will suffers a horrendous coming-of -age in the last few pages.
Rich characterisations, attention to detail and a well-paced plot make this a great, if at times stomach-turning, read - this is realism, so don't expect a happy ending.