I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of At Drake's Command: The Adventures of Peregrine James During the Second Circumnavigation of the World, by David Wesley Hill, which tells the story of a young cook who joins an expedition under Francis Drake.
The first third of the book is land based and does an excellent job of setting up the principal character, Peregrine James. The narrative quickly grabbed my attention and after that was hard to put down.
It then follows the fleet as it heads for, and passes down the coast of, Africa, interacting with the Moors of Barbary. England at the time was seeking to get a foothold in overseas trade which at the time had been granted by the Pope to Spain and Portugal and which they fiercely defended. Attitudes at the time were sharply focused and the views and language of the time are reflected in the text.
Books on Drake tend to focus on the Armada so it is good to see one that covers another period of his adventures. Having a cook as the principal character in an adventure novel is unusual but proved to be an excellent move. I won't spoil the plot by saying more but I soon got to like Peregrine.
The novels' subtitle includes 'Circumnavigation of the World' so as I devoured the plot and was still off Africa I was certainly starting to hope that this was to be the first in a series and would not just have an abrupt ending. So when it ended with a major cliff hanger I was certainly pleased to see a note from the author that there will be a sequel. I am sure this series will educate me on an event in history I know little about.
This book from Temurlone Press (where you can pre-order a copy autographed by the author) will be out in November 2012 and I highly recommend it.
Description of: At Drake's Command
Author: David Wesley Hill