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HMS Seawolf by Michael Aye

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Set early in the Revolutionary War, HMS SeaWolf is the second installment in The Fighting Anthonys saga. It recounts a fictional version of the very real threat that American privateers posed, attacking merchant shipping to acquire much needed gunpowder and armament for General Washington’s Continental Army, but seen from the perspective of the men and officers of the Royal Navy.

Stationed in the north Atlantic, Admiral Lord Gil Anthony’s squadron must cruise from Nantucket to Sable Island, east of Nova Scotia. His orders are to protect merchant shipping convoys from privateers who consider these waters their personal raiding grounds. Although he misses his half brother, who is in the Caribbean, he also realizes that keeping him close hinders Gabe’s career.

Lieutenant Gabriel Anthony doesn’t necessarily agree with the war between the American colonies and the British, but that doesn’t keep him from doing his duty. His current assignment has taken him to Barbados to deliver dispatches, which is why the commander in the Caribbean slightly alters those orders. His Majesty’s troops stationed in Halifax have dire need of the convoy slated to deliver gunpowder and troops there. Under no circumstances can the Royal Navy afford to lose another cargo to the rebels, which is why Gabe finds himself inching his way northward playing nursemaid to the ships. HMS SeaWolf and her men prefer to run free, but can only go as fast as the slowest vessel under their protection.

One master, however, disregards Gabe’s commands and sets out ahead of the convoy. As all the vessels head toward Charleston, South Carolina, they encounter a storm that separates the ships where the enemy privateers are known to hunt. When all but Turtle are accounted for, Gabe suspects that her master may be in league with strange sails sighted by the lookout. As SeaWolf pursues, his suspicions are confirmed. During the offloading of this precious cargo by the enemy, Gabe attempts a daring plan to retake Turtle. An unexpected consequence results in an explosion that sends Gabe, the men who accompany him aboard the wayward vessel, and Turtle’s master to kingdom come.

Aboard SeaWolf everyone mourns Gabe’s loss, except for his uncle. Although chances of surviving the conflagration are slim, Dagan Dupree is certain his nephew yet lives, but he is unable to do anything about it. And it would be wrong for Lord Anthony to hear the news from anyone else’s lips. Reluctantly, Dagan sails north with the rest of the convoy, while at the same time vowing to return to find Gabe and bring him home.

A few early scenes are a bit disjointed; their purpose for inclusion is uncertain and they aren’t connected to the main plot. Nor are pronouns always clear as to who is who, as in the scene with a commodore before the convoy leaves Barbados. In the EPUB format that I read, there were several explanatory notes, but the numbers aren’t linked to the endnotes, requiring readers to manually go to the end of the book and then return to the story where they left off reading.

Aside from these minor issues, Aye weaves together the intriguing topics of gunpowder thefts, white slavery, sexual abuse, romance, and a planned invasion of Nova Scotia to craft a fast-paced novel that holds the reader’s attention from first page to last. Original poetry introduces each part of the story, and Aye also includes a glossary for those unfamiliar with nautical terminology. He further spices the tale with a strange alliance between enemies with Dagan on one side and Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, on the other. Equally satisfying are resolutions to several questions that Gil and Gabe were left to ponder when the first book in the series ended. Whether old fans or new, HMS SeaWolf is a delightful addition to the stories about the Anthony brothers and the men of the Royal Navy who served with them.




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