Rating: 
Summary: 5 shark attacks for Bolitho series opener
Review: The death of C.S. Forester in the mid 60s and the end of new Hornblower novels left the door open to several Hornblower like series. Pope, Kent, O'Brian and Parkinson all published first novels of lengthy series between the mid 60s and early 70s. Undoubtedly, Pope's Ramage and Kent's Bolitho are the most popular. After reading Kent's first installment chronologically of the Bolitho saga, I can understand why. Bolitho is a hero of the old school and Kent is able to fashion a solid action yarn. This novel (and I suspect the entire series) is unpretentious. Kent is not Sartre, knows it and delivers what he knows best- sea stories full of action and suspense.Richard Bolitho- Midshipman was my first exposure to this series. I had previously read several of Douglas Reeman's WWII novels (Kent is Reeman's nom de plume for the Bolitho series) and this one is better than his Reeman efforts. Like Forester did with Hornblower, Kent established Bolitho as a mature figure and then wrote earlier novels to fill in the character. Unlike Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Kent's Bolitho has been at sea for some time. Like Pope's Ramage, Bolitho comes from a solid naval family. Unlike Ramage there is no disgrace hanging over his father's name. Bolitho must face both high expectations and resentment of the family name and stature. Kent avoided making Bolitho a contemporary of Hornblower and Ramage. He must have thought that the 1790s were rather crowded for a midshipman. Instead Bolitho is a generation older. Whereas Hornblower's birthday was July 5, 1776, studiously avoiding the American Revolution, Bolitho comes of age at that time. The up side of this placement is that Bolitho can participate in all the engagements from the start of the American Revolution until the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The down side is that Kent risks alienating the large American audience. Judging by the size and popularity of the series, he appears to have juggled successfully. In the first installment Bolitho must deal with pirates, a lieutenant who hates him yet takes credit for his ideas and his first command. Naturally he is successful on all fronts. During the voyage, there is some insight into the loneliness of command, the structure of the Royal Navy of the time, the necessity for firm and apparently heartless discipline, and that underneath an impassive mask a commanding officers may have a compassionate nature. Add to this mixture the thrill of the wind in the riggings, powerful broadsides and general derring-do; and Kent has written a winner. It's neither ambitious nor perfect but it is entertaining and a quick read. I did have a quibble with the book. Bolitho et al must risk shark-infested waters. The way sharks are described by Kent is inaccurate. Sharks don't attack everything that drops into the water. While a feeding frenzy or massed shark attack on wounded or dead sailors from a sinking ship is quite possible, having sharks between an island and mainland would not be a barrier to swimmers under most conditions. It's worth noting that Richard Bolitho- Midshipman was published in 1975 when Jaws was ruling the waves. Kent can be forgiven artistic license based on the market conditions of the time. Richard Bolitho- Midshipman is a winner for readers who enjoy stories from the days of wooden ships and iron men and an excellent entry for a very popular series.
Rating: 
Summary: Run out the guns, sometime if you please.
Review: The start of a large series of books following the career of richard bolitho from midshipman to captain of his own vessel. there are actually two stories in the first book. the first deals with a trip to africa the second deals with smugglers. i enjoyed the second part of the book far more. i think he was getting more of a feel for the character the more he wrote. the book is just a little slow for my tastes and there is for a large part not alot of action. however the characters are very likable and that goes a long way to keeping the interest. the world did seem full and interesting with great potenial. the situations were different and had a unique feel to them. the book does has it's problems. but it is the first in a long series and every first book has it's problems. but having said that if you like period naval stories then you could do alot worse than this one. i will be reading the second. give it a go, you may find it a pleasnt surprise.
Rating:
Summary: Run out the guns, sometime if you please.
Review: The start of a large series of books following the career of richard bolitho from midshipman to captain of his own vessel. there are actually two stories in the first book. the first deals with a trip to africa the second deals with smugglers. i enjoyed the second part of the book far more. i think he was getting more of a feel for the character the more he wrote. the book is just a little slow for my tastes and there is for a large part not alot of action. however the characters are very likable and that goes a long way to keeping the interest. the world did seem full and interesting with great potenial. the situations were different and had a unique feel to them. the book does has it's problems. but it is the first in a long series and every first book has it's problems. but having said that if you like period naval stories then you could do alot worse than this one. i will be reading the second. give it a go, you may find it a pleasnt surprise.
Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Bag
Review: This book actually contains two novels. The first one is quite good, but the second one, concerning smugglers, seems to have been written for children. In the second novel the characterizations are thin, and the events are at once incredible and predictable. I can see this as a Walt Disney movie. Even so, I was impressed enough with the first novel to try another book by Kent. I am currently reading Stand Into Danger, the second in the Bolitho series, and it convinces me to stay on board for the rest of the Bolitho novels. At this point I rank Kent below O'Brian, Forester and Woodman. But that's not too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Addicting!
Review: This book will whet your appetite for the entire series. It is fast moving and extreamly hard to put down. The writing is such that I was there, on deck, with young Richard. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Addicting!
Review: This book will whet your appetite for the entire series. It is fast moving and extreamly hard to put down. The writing is such that I was there, on deck, with young Richard. Great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as good as the competition
Review: This is not nearly as good as the competition. The grammar is poor. Sentence fragments abound.
The stories are ok, but there is no cleverness to the writing. For a more literary experience and better stories, in a seafaring vein, try 1) the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forrester
or
2) Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brien. These are both wonderful, prolific writers, who write on the same subject as Mr. Kent, with much more style and elegance.
Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as good as the competition
Review: This is not nearly as good as the competition. The grammar is poor. Sentence fragments abound.
The stories are ok, but there is no cleverness to the writing. For a more literary experience and better stories, in a seafaring vein, try 1) the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forrester
or
2) Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brien. These are both wonderful, prolific writers, who write on the same subject as Mr. Kent, with much more style and elegance.
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