This section contains reviews of books by David Hayes and members of the forum
Review: The Glorious First of June by Sam Willis
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- Created on Monday, 07 November 2011
- By David Hayes
When we look back at the Age of Sail our view is often overshadowed by Napoleon's control of continental land and Nelson's climactic battles at sea. Each in their own way built a legend of invincibility on land and sea respectively. This hindsight however pushes the early strugglesof the French revolution into the background and causes us to view earlier sea battles against Nelson's later success, often on the basis of the number of prizes taken.
In the early years of the French Revolutionary War things were far less clear cut and of course nobody knew they were embarking on almost two decades of conflict. On land France was going through the convulsions of the Terror under Robespierre and at sea the Royal Navy, which had suffered defeats during the American War of Independance, notably causing the surrender of Cornwallis at York Town, was still gathering it's forces.
It is against this background that the English and French met at the battle, lasting several days, which came to be known as the Glorious First of June. In his new book, Sam Willis, studies not just the battle, as you would expect, but also the political situation that led to it, expectations of the general public, how the news of the battle was received and its results.
Richard Spilman Review: Jack Tar: Life in Nelson's Navy by Roy & Lesley Adkins
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- Created on Tuesday, 25 October 2011
- By Richard Spilman
Originally published on the The Old Salt Blog
Over the next several weeks, we will be reviewing a series of books about what life was like in Nelson's navy. The first is Jack Tar: Life in Nelson's Navy by Roy & Leslie Adkins, subtitled "the extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen in Nelson's navy." A fascinating and well written book.
One of the criticism of many books addressing Nelson's time are that they either romanticize or are overly harsh is their descriptions of conditions aboard the ships of the Royal Navy. Jack Tar does neither. It provides a wealth of detail and description, which neither glorifies nor vilifies the complexity and contradiction of life aboard a man of war. The image that emerges is full and nuanced, sketching the mix of culture and rank in the teeming and cramped society that was a King's ship.
Alaric Bond Review: Acre by Tom Grundner
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- Created on Sunday, 28 August 2011
- By Alaric Bond
Grundner's fourth book in his Sir Sydney Smith's series starts after Nelson's victory at the Nile and describes the siege of Acre, using both historical fact and the fictional threads that have run throughout his series. It is not light reading: a story told about such a grisly event is hardly likely to be, and several of the key historical characters come out covered in anything other than glory. The pace is fast and captivating however, and some well placed humour and adroit focusing on the fictional element of the narrative make it an enjoyable and stimulating read. An unusually large proportion of the book is taken up by the author's notes, in which Grundner gives more detail about the events (and explains why a few had been placed out of context in the narrative).
Review: The Emperor's Gold by Robert Wilton
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- Created on Tuesday, 02 August 2011
- By David Hayes
Napoleon needs the English fleet gone so that he and his army can cross the channel. With Nelson chasing across the Atlantic the Admiralty must deploy their ships to prevent a convergence of the French fleet. Whilst governments plan the spies of both sides, English reformers and Irish rebels do all they can to further their own causes.
At the start of this book we are introduced to Tom Roscarrock but who is he working for, the French, the mysterious Comptrollerate-General for Scrutiny and Survey or an Englishman gone rogue?
There are many protagonists in this novel which leads to many twists and turns in the plot as the agencies scheme on both sides of the channel. if you are looking for blazing cannon you wont find them, but if you want to know what might have been going on behind the scenes in the build up to Trafalgar then this is for you.
Review: Heart of Oak by M. Kei
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- Created on Monday, 01 August 2011
- By David Hayes
As I have come to expect from this author we are soon in the thick of the action with this fast based book. We are treated to the faniliar mix of romance and swashbuckling fights with Peter Thornton getting into his regular scrapes.
Although the focus of the novel moves more towards Portuguese affairs, the Sallee Rovers and their xebec craft, which make this series so interesting, are still a strong influence.
Review: Cut and Run by Alaric Bond
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- Created on Sunday, 17 July 2011
- By David Hayes
This latest novel displays all the skill we have come to expect from Bond with the story, as usual, following members of the crew from various ranks, not just the officers.
The book has a fresh perspective in that we are soon aboard an 'Indiaman', a ship of the Honourable East India Company, and seeing life from the view of not just merchant seamen and officers but also passengers from various stations in life. The narrative follows the ship, Pevensey Castle, as it prepares for sea in the Thames, joins it's escort and then heads out into the Atlantic.
However that does not mean that we see any less action. Tom King and other familiar faces are soon in the thick of it and Bond's skill in describing life and action at sea is, as always, evident.