Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "redoubtable"

Clay and the Immortal Memory by Philip K. Allan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Invasion. This single word sums up Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s most ardent wish: to claim England as his own. But the British Royal Navy blockades France’s ports and while he has enough barges to carry his troops across the Channel, he lacks enough ships of the line to go up against this irritating foe. During 1804, his shipwrights build new ships as fast as they can. He has also reached a secret accord with Spain that will soon allow him to sufficiently increase his naval forces. What he does not have and what he has no control over are two elements that his admirals deem essential: calm waters and no enemy ships. He is certain, however, that 1805 will resolve these issues and he will have the victory he desires.

Francois Brissot is excited to join the crew of the 74-gun Redoubtable at Toulon. He only hopes she will not be relegated to sitting in the harbor as happened to his previous ship because of the British blockade. Once aboard, he finds that many of the men are new to the sea, but he has a way of leading and training them that strikes a jealous chord with the first lieutenant, Camille Dupotet. The rivalry deepens after Redoubtable fails to elude the British patrol blockading the harbor and Francois is the only officer to suggest a creative way that might give them the edge the next time they confront the enemy.

Successfully preventing the French from capturing a convoy from China provides Captain Alexander Clay and his men the opportunity to return to England. Monsoon winds are less accommodating, requiring him to venture close to the French base in the Indian Ocean. As a result, the Griffin is doggedly pursued by three enemy ships; an ingenious ruse allows him to escape unnoticed. Once they are in the Atlantic, they happen upon a French fleet and Clay faces a dilemma: pursue this fleet or head to the nearest British base to report the enemy’s whereabouts.

A bit closer attention to copyediting would have corrected some misspellings, but these are not sufficient to disturb the reader’s enjoyment of this tenth adventure in the Alexander Clay series. My one complaint is that the French characters speak more like their English counterparts than as Frenchmen. This tends to weaken the feel of the French world they inhabit.

Allan does a commendable job portraying both the tedium of daily ship life and the intensity of those occasional bouts of nail-biting action. He deftly weaves humor or anguish into his scenes. One example of the former occurs when one of Sean O’Malley’s schemes backfires. One example of the latter takes place aboard Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Clay and the Immortal Memory is a tale of Napoleon’s successful maneuverings to strike a devastating blow against the British that eventually culminates in the Battle of Trafalgar. Readers get to view these events from both perspectives. The focus, however, is on the aftermath of the clash, which proves just as riveting as the battle. Fans of this series will enjoy this latest adventure.


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




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