Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "alexander-clay"

The Captain's Nephew by Philip K Allan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


During the Royal Navy’s assault on Ostend, First Lieutenant Alexander Clay is tasked with leading a shore mission to prevent the garrison of French troops at Nieuwpoort from reinforcing Ostend. The straightforward plan is to land, blow up a bridge, and wait for HM Frigate Agrius to return to retrieve them, but the plan goes awry almost from the start. Not only must he play nursemaid to his captain’s inexperienced nephew, but getting to their objective is fraught with complications no one expects, their arrival is noticed, and the uncooperative weather and water conditions prevent an easy recovery. Clay’s ingenious idea for getting his men back to their ship saves them from capture and they return to England to await their next assignment.

Captain Percy Follet’s report of the incident, which soon finds its way into the newspaper, gives credit for the incident not to Clay, but to his nephew, Lieutenant Windham. Lacking an influential mentor and not coming from a wealthy family, Clay fumes at the injustice done him. His only hope of advancement and gaining his own command is through his initiative and accomplishments. It grates that the undeserving-of-his-rank second lieutenant should garner the accolades that rightfully belong to him. When he questions Captain Follet about this injustice, a rift develops between the two men.

The Agrius’s next assignment is to escort a convoy of East Indiamen part of the way to India. The commander of the merchant ships invites all the navy officers aboard his vessel for a formal dinner, much to the chagrin of Clay. He much prefers the regimented wooden world in which he lives and he never knows what to say to women. He is pleasantly surprised to find that one of the ladies, Lydia Browning, is a friend of his sister and, by evening’s end, he’s captivated by Lydia. In the days that follow they become closer, but on the night he decides to declare his intentions, Captain Follet orders him to remain on Agrius. A marriage between Clay and Miss Browning would be totally unsuitable, and her uncle has asked the captain to intervene. Thus the rift between Clay and his commanding officer widens, and soon the crew becomes aware of it. The majority support Clay.

Once the Agrius bids farewell to the merchant convoy, she heads west to take up her new station in the West Indies. She is also tasked with finding and destroying a larger, more powerful French frigate bound for the island of St. Lucia and carrying much-needed stores and troops. In spite of his anger, Clay efficiently carries out his duties, but Follet’s resentment of his first officer leads to complications that endanger the ship and their mission.

The Captain’s Nephew opens with a mesmerizing and vivid portrayal of a man drowning and then regresses six months to show the events that culminate in this tragic incident. From first page to last, Allan bewitches and transports readers back to 1796 to walk the decks of a wooden ship and engage the enemy all the while experiencing what the characters endure. Equally compelling is that this is not just a tale of the officers of the Royal Navy. Interludes are woven into the story to personalize and recreate life on the lower decks, as well as to provide glimpses of what it was like for loved ones left behind. This first book in the Alexander Clay series offers a satisfying resolution of who dies, while only hinting at how it happens – an intriguing and perfect enticement for readers who will eagerly await the next chapter in Clay’s pursuit of his naval career and the woman he loves.




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Larcum Mudge by Philip K. Allan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


HM Sloop Peregrine is an unhappy vessel. Her captain brooks not the slightest infraction, and punishment almost always involves the cat. The discontent on the lower deck foments into mutiny and once in control, the mutineers and ship vanish in the Caribbean, with no one wise to the brutal and bloody slaughter because they assume the ship went down during a hurricane.

With repairs to HM Frigate Griffin almost complete, Captain Alexander Clay attends to the task of recruiting for his undermanned ship. A short time after a printer informs him that some mutineers have been captured, a visit with the First Lord of the Admiralty reveals that the mutineers delivered Peregrine to the French. Clay is ordered to sail to the Caribbean, find the ship, and recapture her. If that’s not possible, she must be destroyed. There is no other way to erase the stain on the Royal Navy’s honor. To assist him in this task is a boatswain’s mate who once served aboard the Peregrine before the mutiny.

In Plymouth, a man encounters mates from the Griffin talking outside a tavern where an officer is signing on new recruits. Larcum Mudge likes what he hears and decides to join the navy. Yet his familiarity with life aboard a king’s ship causes them to wonder why someone who has spent so much time on a whaling vessel never claims to have served aboard a warship before. Then, during an encounter with a French privateer, Mudge slays one of the captives after he surrenders. It looks like a righteous kill, especially when a tattoo on the dead man identifies him as a deserter from the Royal Navy.

With rumors of peace abounding, the Griffin sails for the Caribbean. Upon arrival there, Clay has a brief reunion with his brother-in-law, who warns him about the mercurial temperament of the captain who blockades Guadeloupe where Clay hopes to find Peregrine. Once arriving on station, he discovers there is also a French warship in the harbor – one that the blockading captain has no knowledge of. Since the fortifications and natural layout of the harbor make it impossible to extract Peregrine, Clay devises an ingenious, yet risky, strategy to succeed in his mission. That entails a series of orders, one of which upsets the blockading captain. During his absence, Clay discovers the reason for the outburst and, in the process, captures one of the mutineers. In the meantime, Mudge and his messmates are among the men tasked with implementing Clay’s plan. When one of them does so with a tad more zeal than necessary, they become trapped. Only Mudge can lead them to safety. In doing so, he reveals knowledge that he shouldn’t have.

This eighth book in the Alexander Clay series takes place prior to the Peace of Amiens in 1802. It also represents Allen’s first venture into self-publishing. While Clay plays an important part in this story – one that involves a puzzle that could reopen wounds of a past scandal – it is predominantly a tale of the lower decks. Allen’s artful recreation of the past is second only to his skillful creation of Larcum Mudge. The name alone sparks interest, but readers soon come to care about this man and what happens to him. Larcum Mudge is by far the best book in the series and an adventure that fans old and new will enjoy.




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Upon the Malabar Coast by Philip K. Allan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In February 1803, the world is at peace and a French lieutenant has only information to settle a debt. The information he divulges wends its way back to England, where it comes to the attention of Nicholas Vansittart. The diplomat extraordinaire understands the import of what this means. Whatever is planned most likely concerns the East India trade, which is worth millions to England. To thwart France’s plans, Vansittart requires a fast ship with a captain who thinks outside of the box and he knows just who will serve.

Elsewhere in England, Captain Alexander Clay is enjoying his retirement, although a part of him still wishes he sailed upon the sea. HMS Griffin, his former ship, is in ordinary and his men are scattered. Living in Polwith, Adam Trevan and Able Sedgewick own a fishing boat. Adam spends his free time with his family, while Cupid’s arrow strikes Able. Vansittart intrudes into these idyllic vignettes and, on his wedding night, Able must tell his bride that he and the other Griffins are rejoining the navy. Together with Clay and Vansittart, they are bound for the Malabar Coast.

Clay knows only too well that nothing is ever as it seems and always more complicated than first imagined. Napoleon and peace make strange bedfellows, which means the French admiral’s true mission differs from what the informant divulged. But danger abounds throughout the journey. Able disappears. The Griffins must rescue men from a ship on the brink of sinking. Miscommunication brings aboard a new pet, whose special talents will prove most favorable to Clay. Malay pirates attack Griffin. An alliance between an English ally and the French endangers Clay and his ship. Once dealt with, he must find two needles in a haystack and hope that he and his men are not too late.

With this ninth book in the Alexander Clay series, Allan comes into his own. The depth and intricacy of both the story and the characters are exquisitely interwoven and elicit a variety of emotions in the reader. Some scenes, such as Clay’s conversation with a clergyman or the arrival of Able’s mates on his wedding day, are both amusing and revealing. Others – the night Able reveals his departure to his wife or when he’s imprisoned in a ship’s hold – are vividly poignant. There are also riveting battle scenes and intriguing presentations of extricating themselves from sticky wickets. Upon the Malabar Coast is a welcome return for fans old and new and well worth all the tea in China.




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Clay and the River of Silver by Philip K. Allan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Following the Battle of Trafalgar, Britain rules the seas and the Admiralty believes the time has come to take the war to the enemy. Captain Sir Alexander Clay suggests taking the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch, but his plan requires an amphibious attack with the army taking the lead. The squadron commander for this worthy idea will be Captain Home Riggs Popham. Normally, he would be given the honorary rank of commodore, but the Admiralty refuses to do so. They’re wary of Popham and his penchant for recklessness and self-aggrandizing. Clay is to serve as his deputy to rein in those proclivities.

Before leaving England, Popham and Nicholas Vansittart, a diplomat, meet with a gentleman from South America. He represents a group of patriots within the Viceroyalty de la Plata who seek assistance in their bid for freedom from Spain. He tempts the two Englishmen with a large quantity of silver currently awaiting shipment to Spain. The venture entices both men for different reasons, but the cabinet never promises to support the rebels. Still, Popham is not opposed to exploring the venture after the Cape of Good Hope is under British rule. Vansittart’s only reservations involve the diplomatic angles such intrusion may impose and he doubts Clay will be amenable to the whole affair.

Nor does Popham take the Admiralty’s neglect in elevating him to commodore well. It causes friction between him and Clay, and he’s jealous of Clay’s successes and close connections with the First Lord. Still, they must work together, first in southern Africa and then in Argentina. Eventually, Popham’s objectives diverge from everyone else’s and Clay and his men, as well as the army, pay the dearest prices.

Some readers may find this ninth offering in the Alexander Clay series less interesting than previous naval episodes in the Napoleonic Wars. I fall into this category, and this is not the first historical novel I’ve read that portrays these incidents. What intrigues me is the contrast between Allan’s portrayal with his series’ characters and Julian Stockwin’s with his in Betrayal. Thomas Kydd plays a more central role throughout and has a personal stake in his relationship with Popham. Alexander Clay stays mostly on the periphery, and Allan is clearer in how the different events unfold. He also provides more from the army’s perspective than the navy. Having read both versions, I find that the two combined give a unique and greater understanding of why and how these historic events unfolded. When Clay and his men are front and center, the scenes are riveting. Episodes within Clay and the River of Silver have parallels relevant to situations in today’s world.

(Review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Allan.html...)



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