Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "napoleon-bonaparte"

The Admiral's Pursuit by Lyle Garford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Shortly after crowning himself emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte devises a plan. Not trusting his naval advisers to oversee its deployment, he sends orders to several of his admirals, telling each only what they need to know to carry out single stages of his strategy – a plan to which no one else is privy. He, the most powerful man in the world, is determined to finally bring about the demise of his nemesis, the British, and particularly the Royal Navy.

Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, who commands the British naval forces in the Mediterranean, is beyond frustrated. Two days ago, the French navy broke through the blockade of Toulon and vanished in foul weather. Determined to break them once and for all, he must pursue them, but where? The list of possibilities – Egypt, Portugal, the Caribbean, the English Channel – precludes venturing off in any direction without some clue as to their destination. Yet no one has seen even one of their ships.

Like his English counterpart, Rear Admiral Edouard Burguês le Comte de Missiessy is frustrated. He commands a French squadron of ships, but his orders are vague and the ultimate goal remains unknown. He receives three sealed envelopes containing his emperor’s commands, but he can only open each at a specific time and place. The first tells him to sail from Rochefort, France to Spain where he is to take aboard a large contingent of soldiers. No reason is given. Nor do the contents of the second envelope provide enlightenment. They simply provide him with his next destination and a warning not to open the third envelope until after he arrives there.

Admiral Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve is unhappy and troubled. His orders tell him to break through the British blockade, but the storm that permits him to accomplish this feat damages his ships so much that they must return to Toulon for repairs. Escaping the blockade a second time will not be so easy, but his emperor’s orders give him little choice in the matter. Unlike previous orders, these are strangely silent on why. Does this mean Napoleon no longer trusts him? Or is someone setting him up to fail? The answers are not forthcoming, and all he can do is obey.

Best friends and fellow spies, Captain Evan Ross and Commander James Wilton are desperate to capture Hubert Montdenoix, their archrival in the Caribbean, who time and again has been a thorn in their sides. They finally have that chance on St. Lucia, but the firing of a cannon alerts the French spy and he escapes, even though the lookout’s signal could not have been a warning about Evan and James’s carefully laid snare. Evan has the unsettling feeling that some other danger is afoot and it isn’t long before he discovers what it is. He is also certain that Montdenoix is behind the many rumors that keep him from pinpointing exactly where the danger lies. This makes it doubly important that he and James bring an end to this man’s interference as soon as possible.

This last entry in the Evan Ross series takes place between December 1804 and November 1805, and provides an account of the Royal Navy’s chase of the French fleet from Europe to the Caribbean. Garford does a commendable job showing the various commanders’ frustration at being hampered by orders and lack of knowledge, while making this sometimes muddy episode in naval warfare crystal clear. Evan and James meet new comrades in arms, such as Admiral Alexander Cochrane, and renew old acquaintances. Horatio Nelson devised the plan that allowed both Evan and James to remain and excel in the navy in spite of their disabilities. In addition to a tale of the chase that precedes the Battle of Trafalgar, it also recounts a little-known episode in naval history about HMS Diamond Rock, the only rock to be commissioned as a sloop of war in British naval history. The Admiral’s Pursuit is a fitting conclusion to this series, and while Evan and James will be missed, readers will find the ending satisfying, surprising, and emotional.




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Conquest by Julian Stockwin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Soon after the victory at Trafalgar and the death of Lord Horatio Nelson, the Russian tsar and the Austrians capitulate, leaving the Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte in ruins and Britain once again alone in her struggle against the French. Having escorted Nelson’s body home, Thomas Kydd and his men expect to join the nation in mourning their beloved hero. The Admiralty has other plans. L’Aurore is to rendezvous with Commodore Home Popham. No other information is provided; simply get to Madeira as quickly as possible.

Kydd dislikes being kept in the dark, but the need goes far beyond whatever he may imagine. Napolean began the race for empire, but now that Britain rules the seas, it is time for her to launch her own imperial expansion. The first objective is to take command of Cape Town in south Africa, settled by the Dutch who are now allied with the French.

To maintain secrecy, the fleet sails westward to Brazil, but all does not go as planned. Kydd’s frigate escorts the slower transport ships, while the rest of the fleet continues on as planned. In the dark of night, the dreaded call of “Breakers!” is heard. No sooner is that danger processed than Kydd realizes there is also land to their other side. Trapped with no idea as to where they are and how to extricate themselves from this dangerous situation, Kydd anchors and warns the rest of his flock to do the same. Dawn reveals that not all the ships in his care have weathered as well, so by the time they finally arrive in African waters, the army’s horses, men, and artillery are greatly depleted. Still, there is little else to do but carry on and Kydd is assigned as naval liaison, which means he must go ashore and witness the battle rather than being an active participant – a fact that greatly chafes.

Despite their small amphibious force, the British succeed, almost too easily. It doesn’t take long to discover why the town capitulates so easily – there is but a few days’ worth of food left and starvation threatens. With the help of Nicholas Renzi as Colonial Secretary, General Baird begins work as the new governor. The townsfolk must be won over and there is still the Dutch army who has retreated to a mountain stronghold to deal with. And any day now, French squadrons that patrol the waters around Africa and the Indian Ocean are certain to launch their own attack to reclaim Cape Town for their emperor.

On one coastal patrol, Kydd and his men happen upon a shipwreck with seemingly only one survivor. With the help of a translator, it is soon revealed that others set off on foot. Knowing the dangers these stalwart individuals face, Kydd is determined to find them before they all are lost. That kindness is later returned when information about an impending attack leads Renzi to trek into the wild bush in hopes of verifying the existence of this secret army, while Kydd risks a court-martial and the loss his men’s respect when he abandons a sea fight to discover the true reason for the enemy frigate’s dogged pursuit of them.

This twelfth installment in the Thomas Kydd series provides an exotic locale that is vividly recreated by Stockwin. The perils and beauty are keenly experienced, and the adventures, both at sea and on land, are riveting. There is the mysterious warning of the Ox-eye, a reunion with a circus strongman from Kydd’s past, a reclusive French woman, and a battle in which camels and a fog-horn play key roles. Treachery and intrigue abound, leaving Kydd and Renzi, as well as readers, wondering who to trust. Conquest is thrilling adventure with high stakes that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.


(This review was originally published at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Stockwin.h...)




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