Lords of the Ocean: Revolution at Sea Saga (Nelson, James L. Revolution at Sea Trilogy, Bk. 4.)

Rating:
Summary: Better than the author's previous books
Review: The author uses a writing style that winds parallel plots together. Therefore the story moves back and forth between individual players who, from time to time, come together. The story has a main plot about Captain Biddlecomb, United States Navy, who is on assignment during the early years of the American Revolution, this time to France with a chance to earn prize money as well as carrying an important passenger. Biddlecomb's commerce raiding matches what historically took place during that time period. A sub-plot concerns Captain Hynson, an American who sought his fortune spying for the British. A lesser sub-plot concerns the activities of Ben Franklin in his role as an American Commissioner to France. Overall, it is well written, and some events follow real history. However, the author tends to leave loose ends (what happened to the crew of the Swallow, and how was a captured Royal Navy brig sailed into a neutral French port? What happened to the money Biddlecomb personally received for the first two prizes?) and sometimes forgets details from one point to the next (a ship's name CARVED into a board, simply painted over to change the name). Some sections of plot seem to be a replay of ploys used by previous authors. The book also makes some presumption that the reader has read previous books in the series, but generally includes enough information to fill in necessary details. The book has an American bias.

Rating:
Summary: The Saga Continues.....
Review: The trilogy now becomes a "saga" with the fourth in the series of The Revolution at Sea as Nelson continues with his perspective on the American Revolution, mostly from the quarter deck of various ships. In this case it is, for the most part, the US Navy brig Charlemagne commanded by Capt. Isaac Biddlecomb. The choice of that name for a hero is of interest, as such a name sounds as though he might be happier laboring over ledgers in some accounting firm. However, Biddlecomb is a name known by many of the British officers who have crossed his path and all of whom would love to see him swinging from a yardarm or run through by their blade. Early in the book he helps General Washington out of a tough spot by providing sufficient boats (from the British Navy) to allow him to escape from a certain pounding on Long Island. It seems that Washington's bacon is often being saved by Biddlecomb in these stories. Following that, he receives an order to transport Dr. Benjamin Franklin to France. In order to do that, he must cross the ocean eluding the British Navy, following which he finds himself free to raise a bit of hell off the coast of England. The predicaments that he finds himself in are well wrapped in the historical context of the times. We all learn a bit more about Franklin's work to bring the French out of neutrality on the side of the United States and we also learn that while a cat may have nine lives, Biddlecomb has far surpassed that.

Nelson writes with a sure hand about the little things of sailing in those days as well as the grand sweep of history and the reader is carried along with an intriguing look at those very important times.