false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226442104m/2338878.jpg 2338878 2 <B>This is history, not fiction; but the story is pure Patrick O'Brian, with special effects out of <I>The Perfect Storm</I>.</B><BR><BR>The Indian Ocean was the final battleground for Nelson's navy and France. At stake was Britain's commercial lifeline to India&#151;and its strategic capacity to wage war in Europe.<BR><BR>In one fatal season, the natural order of maritime power since Trafalgar was destroyed. In bringing home Bengali saltpeter for the Peninsular campaign with military and civilian passengers, Britain lost fourteen of her great Indiamen, either sunk or taken by enemy frigates. Many hundreds of lives were lost, and the East India Company was shaken to its foundations. The focus of these disasters, military and meteorological, was a tiny French outpost in mid-ocean&#151;the island known as Mauritius.<BR><BR>This is the story of that season. It brings together the terrifying ordeal of men, women, and children caught at sea in hurricanes, and those who survived to take up the battle to drive the French from the Eastern seas. Mauritius must be taken at any cost. 8 pages of color, 8 pages of black-and-white illustrations; 4 maps. 2345562 28 1 2008 Storm and Conquest: The Clash of Empires in the Eastern Seas, 1809 total:6|5:1|4:4|3:1| 6 24 8 4 4 0 false false Fri Mar 06 06:07:27 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 31 03:02:37 -0700 2009 ever. Best read with Linkin Park on stereo and a glass of port at hand.

Neglects a little bit the French side of things, but on the other hand it devotes a lot of time to the experience of sailing in an Indiaman, which is a rather negle...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 15:17:28 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 28 22:42:04 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Nov 19 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jun 13 11:20:07 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 19 05:01:41 -0800 2008 1
Actually, I should probably add I am actually reading it alongside the O'Brian novel that was based on the Mauritius Campaign. As if I needed any more hatred for a flogger. *slaps Corbet around a...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 10:15:19 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 18:57:19 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Dec 08 12:15:36 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 08 12:17:24 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Wed Aug 27 09:23:33 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 27 09:23:33 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Thu Jun 19 07:46:01 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 14 08:13:32 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 19 07:46:01 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Apr 19 04:58:53 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 19 04:58:57 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2338878