The King's Own

by Frederick Marryat

Book Overview

After his father is hanged during the mutiny at the Nore (1797), William Seymour grows up on board a ship in the Royal Navy and later is impressed into the crew of a daring smuggler. This amusing and exciting novel blends in the classic true tale of an English captain who deliberately lost his frigate on a lee shore in order to wreck a French line-of-battle ship.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0935526560
• ISBN13: 9780935526561
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: McBooks Press
• Length: 398 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An engrossing tale with an extiting surprise ending

Marryat had a way with words (I found myself constantly looking them up in the dictionary). This is an engrossing tale of a young lad who's Father is hanged after the mutiny at Nore (where his mother also dies after the hanging). He is then adopted by the Navy and spends his life at sea. From ship's boy, to midshipman, to lieutenant, the tale encompasses engagements at sea with smugglers, pirates, and the French. The lad was also the grandson of an admiral, unbeknownst to him, and the heir to a vast estate. Thus part of the tale revolves around the inheritors of his estate, who believe him dead. Although this book is a great read, Marryat at times wanders far a field. And, at times departs completely from the story on some other tack. The ending of the book is exciting and surprising, and for Marryat, different from his other works. He apparently took a lot of flack from his readers at the time. There are some great characters introduced in the book, in particular some of the crew of the frigate that the hero (Willy Seymore) spends several years on (voyaging to the West and East Indies). The surgeon reminds me much of the good doctor in O'Brien's books. Many a good character passed before my eyes, but they were mere shadows of what could have been literary legends. In some respects, this book is disappointing; it could have been so much more. But all told mate, it is still a great read.