I received a publisher’s proof of S. Thomas Russell’s “Under Enemy Colors” in the mail last month. Some of you may know that I’m a huge fan of Patrick O’Brian‘s Aubrey/Maturin series – a twenty volume set of closely researched, hugely enjoyable books about an “age of sail” Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars. I’ve read many good books once and a few twice. I’ve read the entire O’Brian opus straight through four or five times. At least.
So when the publisher asked me to give “Enemy Colors” a look I eagerly agreed.
Mr. Russell’s has put together a jolly tale and I hope it finds commercial success. Although it took off a trifle slowly – I can blame my own distractions – the very little effort put forth up front paid dividends in time and I found the book a page turner after the first fifty pages.
I did have technical objections here and there. Russell tends to use the honorific “mister” when referring to the foremast hands, what we today would call enlisted sailors in the US Navy, and “ratings” in the Royal Navy. Both then and now it’s far more usual to simply use a sailor’s last name, “mister” being reserved for junior officers and warrant officers. Too, HMS Themis – the protagonist’s ship – manages to get underway against both wind and tide out of Portsmouth, losing ground on every board. Square rigged ships can’t sail much closer than 60 degrees or so to the wind, so to have lost ground on each of four tacks from anchorage against adverse winds and tides would presumable result with the ship aground in very short order. But these are merely quibbles.
The book is action packed – almost to a fault. Themis trains a cross-grained crew, puts a landing party ashore in France to wreak some havoc, engages in a multi-ship action, cuts a French frigate out of harbor, and endures both a mutiny and a court martial all in the space of some 500 pages.
For fans of period fiction the choices are to re-read the favorites or hope for something new. S. Thomas Russell’s “Under Enemy Colors” represents an exciting addition to the genre.
Recommended.
I’ll have to give it a shot although I must admit that I’ve been a fan of Captain Richard Bolitho since I was 13.
Seven years since his death, I’m still going through withdrawal from the loss of O’Brian. I’ll also give it a shot, though I know there is no real substitute.
Second Flatlander. I haven’t been able to piece together a full collection of the Aubrey/Maturin books, on account of my public library not having all of them (and the ones they have are out far too often). But someday, I’ll go and get the entire set in hardcover.
What year is this book set in?
That last paragraph of your review sounds like a great book-jacket blurb.
I thought the same thing Jeopardy.
Exactly how it was written.
Who knows? Maybe there’s a future in it?
Perhaps– contact newspapers in your area that have a book review section and offer to write it up. Worst the can say is no thanks, you never know. You’ve got the background.
Then once you get your book published you’ll start to become “happening” and then eventually others will seek you out to do jacket endorsements.
the complete series
for not all that much money, on amazon.
Lex, allow me to suggest Dewey Lambdin’s books. He’s doing a pretty fair job…not quite up to O’Brien’s elegant prose, but quite good.
Never could get into Patrick O’Brien. But I am re-reading my Richard Bolitho novels and would highly recommend Dudley Pope’s “Ramage” novels if you can find them.
The Ramage books are back in print by McBooks Press…try Amazon.com for them
I have the Bolitho novels, but never quite warmed to them. Bolitho is too much of a good thing.
I’ve read O’Briens Aubrey/Maturin series three times since ’04. From the public library. Stuff’s real good.
That first book can be sort of tedious the first time but things get better. Around book ten in my first go round I received one of those O’Brien gouge books as a present. They have maps and word gouge broken up by category etc. I highly recommend that any reader who wants to take on the series buy and keep on of these as a companion. The second-third time through you won’t need it!
I also recommend the O’Brien short stories and his other novels including “The Golden Ocean”. Did you know O’Briens wasn’t a real Irishman despite the name? An interesting character, himself.
Maybe I’ll read ‘em again….
b2