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Rating: 
Summary: an intersting but somewhat biased view
Review: As a fan of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, I was interested to learn more of the history and times depicted in the novels. After reading the Sea Warriors, I found out where O'Brian got his material from!
The bold and skillful frigate and Line of Battle ship captains of the Royal Navy were able to maintain superiority at sea against the French and bring about Napoleons downfall, but I found it hard to believe that the French were that inept.....after all, it took the British 14 years to defeat the French Navy. One would think the British should have done it sooner!!! The book has a definite British slant to it. I was wanting after reading this book to find out more about the French commanders, but almost nothing is given.
Also, justice is not given the American naval effort, although a number of pages are devoted to Porter and the Essex cruise. I found this to be the most interesting part of the book. I wish the author would have included more.
The book does not flow well, and I found it took me weeks to finish this work. The author tends to skip from topic to topic without logical progression.
However, the book does have a large number of good points to it. The Appendix includes a great chronology of the conflict between France and Britain, a great sailing terminology and glossary at the end. A number of fine illustrations grace the pages as well as a number of detailed maps. No doubt the work was painstakingly and thoroughly researched. I would have given it 5 stars if more information was included on French and American naval commanders and actions.
Still it is recommended for fighting sail buffs and O'Brian fans as it will make one appreciate the British Naval effort more.
Rating:
Summary: History of George III's Navy.
Review: Considering the scope of its content, this book is remarkably compact; if any accusation can be made, it's that there is too much information ... Mr.Woodman manages to squeeze in details of almost every naval commander (including many rarely-seen portraits) and their exploits without repeating himself or losing one's interest. The downside is that his usually fluid literary style is curtailed somewhat, and the barrage of different names can be a little confusing at times. However, by giving us a comprehensive history of Britain's finest (and a few non-British), we see exactly where O'Brian, Lunn, Lambdin, Forester et al (incl. Woodman!) got their material and inspiration from ... recognising most of the actions, with names changed, in many of their books.
Nor is the action much diminished by reasons of space; the thrill of the chase and the bloody battles are all there, one following hard on the heels of the last, complete with the political and logistical rationale driving the events at sea and on land. One fact stands out from the rest:- the huge disparity in the numbers of killed and injured between the British and European forces, French losses often 5 times or more than the British, doubtless due to the French predilection for firing high, more than the British rate of fire.
This superb book illustrates exactly how and why Britain's Navy became master of the oceans - what a reference book!
This is history the way it should be told.
Rating:
Summary: Good, and Should Have Been Great
Review: I purchased this book with the appetite of a shark after a seal. It is a very good book, but it has a couple of things that could have improved it beyound measure. 1. There are so many remarkable men in all navies and battles that the reader needs something to distinquish them after the years of war. 2. I wanted more details on the battles, perhaps some diagrams. 3. I would have liked to have known more about what happened to these men after the wars. Cochrane, as an example, died the year the american civil war started. But not to quibble, this is a good book that puts it all together. You just stay hungry.
Rating:
Summary: Good, and Should Have Been Great
Review: I purchased this book with the appetite of a shark after a seal. It is a very good book, but it has a couple of things that could have improved it beyound measure. 1. There are so many remarkable men in all navies and battles that the reader needs something to distinquish them after the years of war. 2. I wanted more details on the battles, perhaps some diagrams. 3. I would have liked to have known more about what happened to these men after the wars. Cochrane, as an example, died the year the american civil war started. But not to quibble, this is a good book that puts it all together. You just stay hungry.
Rating:
Summary: Stand by to Repel Boarders
Review: The book is more or less a recounting of the successes of British naval captains of the late 1700s and early 1800s. A period when Britain and France polarized Europe in war. While the ultimate outcome of the conflict bears out the fact that Britain's naval forces were superior, it is hard to believe that there were as few French naval successes as Woodman relates.But that's a small complaint when taken in context with the overall quality of the content in the book. Woodman's descriptive talent focuses on the telling of the smaller battles. There are ample books relating the events of Trefalgar, this is not one of them, Woodman's narratives are of the frigate battles and smaller ship of the line battles, the cutting outs and ship to ship running fights. The tales of Captains Pellew, Cochrane, Willoughby and such. Stories no less entertaining than those of Forester's Horatio Hornblower. His terminology is accurate, and his research is excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been a winner.
Review: With this work Woodman is trying to fill the gap in history on the various British naval officers whose courage and ingenuity and seamanship were all that held revolutionary France at bay for years until the British army got its act together. It's not only a valiant effort, it is -- as Woodman points out -- long overdue. I'm not sure if the chronological aspect of the telling doesn't do the stories an injustice. It lends a hit-skip atmosphere to the book, as we read about the heroics of one captain, only to find more about him several chapters down the line. After finishing the book I went to the index and collected all the pages on various captains and went back and read them together and I truly think most of the information about their battles would have been better grouped together. Two HUGE problems with this book from my point of view though. One, the index needs some work. I hate being referred to pages where there is absolutely no mention of the topic/ship/person I am seeking. And two -- who the devil proofed this book? Because I don't think it was anyone accustomed to reading English! The typos and grammatical errors are overwhelming in number. I found this a serious distraction, and frankly, it is inexcusable. Woodman's work deserves better, because even though I would never count this book as one of the great histories of the Age of Sail, it is rather a one-of-a-kind book. As for the detail content of the book, I've long wanted to read more details of some of the famous sea battles, detail such as how the ships were maneuvered in some of those one-on-one battles, and Woodman does supply this. I still want more, but I confess to some greed on my part there. Oh, one other thing, the author does need to provide a bit more argument on some of the characterizations he draws of these captains. For example, he repeatedly refers to Edward Pellew's cupidity, but except for one incident committed by Pellew's son, Woodman never gives any examples where Pellew allowed this attribute to interfere with his duty. Sir Sidney Smith is drawn as boastful and vainglorious -- which he WAS -- but no real argument is made as to how Woodman arrived at this conclusion; a couple of brief examples would have helped make some of his statements look more fact than opinion. I'll keep this book on my shelf, and will hope Woodman may someday consider a revised edition.
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