Command a King's Ship

by Alexander Kent and Douglas Edward) Kent, Alexander (Pseudonym of Reeman

Book Overview

Spithead, 1784. His Majesty's Frigate Undine sets sail for India and the seas beyond. Europe may be at peace-but in colonial waters the promises of statesmen count for little and the bloody struggle for supremacy still goes on.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0935526501
• ISBN13: 9780935526509
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: McBooks Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Very good

Well, the American Revolution is over the French Revolutionary Wars have not begun yet, so, what to do with our hero? Well, send him off to the East Indies to protect the interests of the Honourable Company. Bolitho is in command of a ship on a 'secret' mission. On the way to the Indies, he has to stop off in Africa for water, where he naturally has it out with some natives. After a short stop in India, it's off to the Indies, where he battles the French and pirates. It's all a lot of fun. Great adventure and action. One problem, though; as another reviewer wrote "I had trouble visualizing the ship maneuvres relative to land. Action proceeds and suddenly there's land or a channel where I didn't expect it, or on the opposite side from where I imagined it." I had exactly the same problem. It was really hard to imagine the lay-out of the land. I had this problem no matter where Bolitho was--Africa or the Indies. So, it made following the story a bit difficult. One thing that I like about historical fiction is that it is a gateway to learning for me. For example, if Bolitho is assigned to the Indies, I pull out the map to track his routes; which countries control which islands? And so on. The topics are legion and a quick look in a dictionary or encyclopedia makes the story more enjoyable. The list of things I have learned by reading historical fiction is endless. This book opened up a new world for me, as I knew practically nothing about the East Indies at the end of the American Revolution.

A true hero

No one writes a better seafaring tale like Alexander Kent. Haveing read ALL of this series, I am breathlessly waiting for the next in the series. Richard and Adam Bolitho are very memorable characters that you wish you knew in real life. You'll never miss seeing a masted ship after reading any of Kent's books.

A gripping sea story

As I have noted before in other reviews, Kent is a great story teller. In this one, after the peace is signed at Versailles between France and England following the American Revolutionary War, the protagonist of the series (this is number five in the Bolitho series), Richard Bolitho, is given command of a 24 gun frigate, the Undine (a fifth rater), and ordered to India, where his task is to assist in taking over a Spanish post, which is to revert to the British flag. The post's governor is an admiral under whom he has previously served, and who is trying to restore his reputation after a bad command call in a previous sea battle..There is skullduggery almost immediately, including plots to sabotage the deal by the French, who are in league with local pirates, and a love affair with a British government officer's wife. Bolitho, it would seem, is naive about women and driven more by his glands than his brain (as are many young men).In any case, this is a whale of a story, and it will keep you reading far into the night--especially if you have reached the age when vicarious adventure is more appealing than the more dangerous kind, as have I.Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenanceand other books

Bolitho a role model

Years ago, when I served as a Chaplain for the 3rd Armored Division (Spearhead) in Frankfurt Germany, Dan, my Chaplain Assistant encouraged me to read the naval fiction of Alexander Kent. I had no interest in the British Navy, but Dan's enthusiasm, along with previous recommendations which had been on the mark, encouraged me to give Kent's books a try. I began to read about the remarkable life of Richard Bolitho, whose life spanned from 1756 to 1815. In the course of 22 books we see Bolitho from his days as a lowly Midshipman (at the age of twelve) to his death as a knighted Rear Admiral during battle. Kent has even continued past Bolitho's death with a novel focused his nephew Adam, captain of a frigate, who appears throughout the saga.I've since read C.S. Forester's books on Hornblower and have tried O'Brien's, but the lesser-known Kent outshines all in his fiction. He brings the hardships of the period to life, drawing the reader into the harsh world of the seaman, telling compelling, epic tales of courage.Throughout Kent's books one finds impressive lessons regarding leadership and commitment to country and one's shipmates. Along with the sea battles, we learn of the press gangs, the in-fighting politics of the Admiralty, ethical dilemmas, the uneasy alliances among nations, and especially the human reaction to an irresistible yet severe life. Bolitho earns the respect and devotion of his sailors and officers through his bravery, fairness, tactical brilliance, and because he chooses to become personally involved in their lives and takes care of his men. Bolitho is not a remote, aloof or harsh leader. He is stern, yet compassionate. He is charming and complicated. On every ship he immediately learns the names and backgrounds of his men, and they find out quickly that he is committed to them. He is also flawed; Kent does not make him out to be a cardboard hero.The many battle scenes are magnificent and horrible in their depiction of the tactics and awful bloodshed in close engagements. Heated shot, fire ships, risky maneuvering and grappling the sides of enemy ships for hand-to-hand combat mark this kind of war and determine the victor. Sometimes mutinous seaman, brutal weather, or cruel leaders become the enemy as well. Kent has exhaustively, in epic fashion, crafted the minute details of life at sea. In the process he tells compelling stories of the courage and cowardice. The brotherhood of seaman, "we happy few", as they quote the Bard, fight with and for each other. Kent even manages to get on land occasionally, and brings in some romance. But the bulk of the action involves the unique struggles of those in the warships.In the course of his writing, Kent allows us to also see the American Revolution from a British perspective. Bolitho's brother deserts to the colonists' cause, which brings grief and disgrace to Sir Richard. Kent treats the Revolution as unfortunate and inevitable.I

Sir Richard Bolitho sails once more

This tale is filled with crashing cannon fire, foaming waves, shattered hulls, storms at sea, great characters and dialog. Another book to join the others in this series, classics.