Cindy Vallar's Blog, page 17

Review of Nicholas Downing's Confessions of a Janissary

Confessions of a Janissary by Nicholas Downing

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Thirteen-year-old Mirko Popovic’s curiosity is aroused when Janissaries visit his Serbian village in 1373. They come to collect a special tax: one that takes the best and brightest boys, forces them to convert to Islam, and conscripts them into the elite soldier-slaves of the Ottoman sultan. Becoming one of the chosen is no “honor” for Mirko. The Turks slew his father; all he wants to do is to kill their sultan. But the die is cast, and no sooner does he join than he is forced to safeguard them. He feels like a traitor, but one Janissary shows it is an act of survival.

During his training, Mirko befriends two boys, and they form an unbreakable bond. Together, they walk a fine line between Christian lives once led and their new lives as Muslims. They excel at what they do, but in their hearts, they remain loyal to their homeland. Each forges his own path; instead of killing the sultan, Mirko saves him. That one act leads Mirko to an ultimate betrayal in which he will either survive or die.

Spanning nearly a quarter of a century, this is a story of faith, belief in oneself, treachery, love, and becoming a man. Downing vividly contrasts the Christian and Islamic worlds, drawing readers into the past. They may notice a number of misspellings, missing punctuation, wrong words, and places where historical or cultural details could be better woven into the story, but these do not mar this account of Mirko’s life and struggle to decide who he is and what he believes. Each minor character is unique and well-drawn. In the end, Mirko takes one of the first maxims he learns – Know thy enemy – and implements it with the strategic cunning that is the hallmark of his time as a Janissary.

(This review originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Historical Novels Review, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...)




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Building the Wooden Fighting Ship Review

Building the Wooden Fighting Ship by James W. Dodds

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


They capture our imaginations. They majestically sail across oceans. They play a key role in Britain’s defense of the realm. Yet we tend to think of these wooden walls as if they spring from an idea to fully built ships. The truth is far different and, although they may not measure up to today’s technology, these fighting vessels are the most technologically advanced of their day. This book delves into what it takes to build a ship from the seedling of an oak tree to the ideal warship that leads to an island nation’s supremacy upon the seas.

The backbone of the Royal Navy sprang from a captured Spanish ship, originally built by French shipwrights in 1740. This man-of-war was superior to all existing vessels in the English fleet, so the Admiralty decided to base future warships on her design. One of the two-deck, seventy-four-gun vessels to be built was HMS Thunderer, whose keel was laid in 1756 at Woolwich, the first royal dockyard. It took four years of construction before her launch in the middle of the Seven Years’ War. At the dawn of the next century, 139 out of 800 ships were seventy-fours.

But this is far more than just a book about ship construction and the Royal Navy. It also shines a light on Britain’s shipping industry, the timber trade, the elements needed to build ships, the dockyards where they were built, and the people needed to turn designs into finished products. Ten chapters and an epilogue comprise this volume, beginning with “The Origins of the 74” and concluding with a recap of Thunderer’s career from her launch to her loss in 1780.

Dodds is both a shipwright and an artist, whose black and white drawings provide readers with a clear understanding of each facet along the way. Moore sails yachts and writes books about ships. Their expertise shines through, turning what might be a ho-hum dry treatise on shipbuilding into a fascinating and easy-to-understand narrative. Originally published in 1984, this new edition is beautifully rendered and well worth the price. There are so many details presented that even those familiar with ship construction will discover new tidbits of information, while those with little understanding of the industry will come away with a deeper appreciation of what it took to build one wooden fighting ship out of more than 3,400 oak trees.




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Pirates of the Florida Coast Review

Pirates of the Florida Coast: Truths, Legends, and Myths by Robert Jacob

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The author, a longtime historical reenactor and living history interpreter, decided to incorporate pirates into his repertoire. In the process of researching this topic, he discovered histories rife with discrepancies and a lack of information on aspects of piratical life, such as clothing, weaponry, and food. To counteract this, he turned to writing about pirates, and this is his second book. His initial quest was to shine a light on the history of those scurvy knaves with ties to Florida during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth century. What he unearthed was twofold. First, only a few pirates actually visited the region before 1750, and second, few of the stories were actually factual in nature.

Florida belonged to Spain and the first known privateer to attack St. Augustine was Francis Drake in 1586. His illegal counterpart was a man named Robert Searle, who attacked the Spanish city in 1668. Other historical pirates with actual ties to Florida include Andrew Ranson and Henry Jennings. The latter’s connection is tied to the Spanish treasure fleet that sank in coastal waters in 1715 during a hurricane. Among the later pirates that are included are William Bowles and his Muskogee pirates, Jean Laffite, and Louis-Michel Aury. Also discussed are Commodore David Porter and the Moskito Squadron, which were tasked with hunting pirates. Perhaps the best known of the legendary pirates is José Gaspar, a fictional pirate who is feted each year.

This account of piracy and piratical legends unfolds in twenty-four chapters. Illustrations and maps are included, as are a glossary, bibliography,* and index. Side bars point out important facts and dates. In an effort to provide background and a more complete understanding of what was happening historically, Jacobs incorporates passages from his first book, A Pirate’s Life in the Golden Age of Piracy. (Only those who read the two books back-to-back will notice the repetition.) In those instances where he was unable to substantiate information using documentary evidence, he shares the stories and then discusses the accuracy of them.

What emerges as a result of this in-depth investigation is a book that provides an abundance of information on pirates, the majority of whom have little to no ties to Florida. Examples of this include the chapters “Did Captain Kidd Visit Florida?”,
“Did Blackbeard Visit Florida?”, and “Calico Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny’s Honeymoon in Florida.”

It is evident to anyone who reads this book that Jacobs did a lot of research. He writes in a clear and interesting manner, although not all of his stated facts are accurate. On page 55, he writes: “152 of Roberts’ crew were captured alive and brought back to England to stand trial.” In actuality, the trials of these pirates were held at Cape Coast Castle in Africa, where the majority of those convicted were hanged. Only seventeen were returned to England and this occurred only after they were tried. A second example pertains to Jean Laffite. He did not build a pirate base at the barrier islands at Barataria. Pirates and smugglers frequented Grande Terre and Grand Isle since before the time of Blackbeard. What Laffite did was to organize them into an efficient force to be reckoned with. Also concerning are that the author consistently misspells Francis Drake’s first name and he overuses the word “many.”

In spite of these weaknesses, this is an interesting addition to pirate history that is geared toward lay readers. Jacobs presents these scoundrels in a manner that incorporates the whole of history, rather than exhibiting them in a void. And it is refreshing to find a book that dispels legends and myths about certain pirates while at the same time providing historical details about others.


*Among the resources that the author consulted during the writing of this book are two of my articles, both of which are cited in the bibliography.




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No Sacrifice Too Great Review

No Sacrifice Too Great by William C Hammond

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It is August 1812, and Americans are once again at war with Great Britain. Lieutenant Jamie Cutler serves under Captain Isaac Hull aboard the USS Constitution. On the nineteenth, lookouts spot an enemy frigate, HMS Guerrière. The ensuing battle pits an unseasoned crew against veterans who have been fighting for two decades. Hardly a fair fight, yet the Americans achieve the impossible and sail home to Boston with a prize.

The annexation of Canada is a much sought-after goal of many Americans. To that end, brother Will Cutler serves under Captain Oliver Hazard Perry on the Great Lakes. This new assignment will test the young lieutenant and his fellow Americans as they fight for control of Erie and Ontario.

Worries and finances snap at their father Richard’s footsteps during his retirement. The family business is on the brink of collapse as a result of the embargoes and the war which have greatly crippled trade. This is the life’s blood of many New Englanders who rely on the sea to sustain them. It is why brother Caleb is so opposed to the current administration in Washington. At times, his words and actions border on treason. Richard’s beliefs are too ingrained to go against his country, which is why, when asked to rejoin the navy as a special emissary and renew an old acquaintance with Jean Laffite, he heeds the call.

Cousin Seth is a lieutenant aboard HMS Seahorse, one of the vessels in Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn’s fleet. They seek enemy privateers in the Chesapeake Bay. Plans are also afoot to strike a blow that the Americans will long remember and will finally exact payback for transgressions in Canada.

Conflict demands sacrifice, which comes in many different colors, and each Cutler pays a price for their devotion to duty and honor in this sixth volume of The Cutler Family Chronicles. Spanning two and a half years, these men bear witness to the lesser-known, but equally important, events of the War of 1812: an amphibious assault on the Niagara River, Cockburn’s raids along the Chesapeake, the Hartford Convention, the duel between USS Chesapeake and HMS Shannon, the invasion of Washington, and the Battles of the Thames, Plattsburgh, Northpoint, and Fort Saint Philip. Aside from the historical personages already mentioned, appearances are made by Tecumseh, Commodore Isaac Chauncey, and Colonel Winfield Scott.

Every once in a while, a scene steps away from the story’s action to explain the past and provide background for the present. One example occurs in the opening scene of the fourth chapter. Although a work of fiction, there are a few minor historical bobbles. For example, Governor Claiborne was based in New Orleans, rather than Baton Rouge, which didn’t become the capital of Louisiana until 1849. Nor did Jean Laffite stay true to his promise to earn an honest living. While those familiar with the characters and series will easily forgive these weaknesses, newcomers may not find this title as riveting as previous ones. All readers will agree, however, that the poignant ending clearly shows why no sacrifice is too great to those who willingly fight for what they believe in.




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Kemosha of the Caribbean Review

Kemosha of the Caribbean by Alex Wheatle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fifteen and a slave. One who is curious, always asking questions. Kemosha also has dreams. No matter what she witnesses or endures, she refuses to allow Captain Tate or any of the overseers on the plantation to take away her dreams. One day she will be free!

But Tate has different plans. He sells her to Quartermaster Antock Powell – a move that separates her from her little brother and her friends. Kemosha will be a welcome addition to the tavern that Powell owns. She can cook and she is chaste; with her dark skin his patrons will pay extra for a night with her. Frightened, Kemosha has no choice but to go with her new master, but she vows to one day return to free those she loves.

When her worst fears are realized, Kemosha defends herself and then runs. As a free Black man, Ravenhide understands what awaits her if she’s found. He hides her from her pursuers and, afterwards, trains her to fight with a sword. Once Kemosha can hold her own, he arranges a duel between her and Powell. If she wins, she will be free. Fulfilling one dream isn’t enough, though. Those left behind deserve their freedom too, but that requires money.

Ravenhide, a cooper, sometimes goes buccaneering with Captain Henry Morgan is planning a raid on Porto Bello. When word spreads of a new venture, Kemosha insists on joining Ravenhide at sea even though she’s never set foot beyond Port Royal. Much to everyone’s surprise, Morgan hires her as his cook. Going to sea, however, is fraught with peril, especially since both Powell and the customer she knifed will also be joining this venture. Kemosha soon realizes that dreams and reality differ, sometimes in frightening ways.

The story’s first-person narrative provides young adult readers with a startling, yet realistic portrayal of slavery, seventeenth-century piracy, and Port Royal (and Jamaica) as it was, rather than as Hollywood often portrays the pirate haven. The one drawback is the use of dialect, which only occurs in dialogue. It may give the feel of authenticity to the story, but it can distract readers and is sometimes difficult to decipher. Although some may object to Kemosha’s relationship with another girl, this is a but a fraction of the story as a whole.

While Kemosha may be a product of her times, her dreams, thoughts, and emotional reactions are ones to which modern readers will readily relate. She is a Black heroine who struggles to survive in a world that relegates her to the status of property, yet time and again she shows everyone that she is a person. Morgan’s 1688 raid on Portobello is considered one of the highlights of the Buccaneer Era and, while Kemosha doesn’t participate in the actual sacking, the aftermath that she witnesses is a raw and gut-wrenching portrayal that provides readers with a vivid glimpse into both the realities of her world and the emotions she experiences.




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Review of The Testament of Leofric the Black, volume 2

For two years, Leofric has lived a quiet life, illuminating manuscripts at a priory. That serenity is forever destroyed with shouts and fighting. On this day, unknown assailants slaughter the monks. Leofric once again takes up the helmet, sword, and shield to become Leofric the Black, Killer of Death. Most might assume the attackers come to pillage the priory, but he believes they seek the young visitor staying with the monks – Prince Edgar, the eight-year-old ætheling, heir apparent and son of King Edward the Exile.

The one safe place Leofric thinks to take the prince is his own estate, but someone else is entrenched within his walls, forcing Leofric to find a way to reclaim his lands. The king can grant that boon, but saving the prince’s life isn’t enough and not everyone with power is keen to help Leofric. Earl Tostig Godwinson distrusts Leofric, but has the ear of the king. His brother, Harold Godwinson, trusts Leofric to speak the truth regardless of how it reflects back on himself. To further complicate matters, the sorceress intrudes into his life, warning Leofric that he must keep one of his friends safe. Otherwise, dire happenings will occur because the lives of herself and his friend are intricately tangled with Leofric’s.

Unrest with neighboring Wales and Scotland bring invaders to Englaland and Leofric, in command of Tostig’s swift and highly-trained cavalry, becomes entrenched in the affairs of the Godwinsons and their defense of the realm. Then a mission to Normandy to bring back long-held hostages related to the Godwinsons stirs up trouble from within and without. One of the captives is an old nemesis of Leofric’s and the Duke of Normandy believes himself to be the anointed heir to Englaland’s throne.

The second installment in the Testament series paints a realistic portrait of a time when intrigue, betrayal, warfare, and machinations for power are the norm and it’s not always easy to distinguish allies from enemies. The majority of the story takes place between 1059 and 1066, culminating with the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Hastings. Interspersed throughout are interludes that take place in 1072, when Leofric is on the run, accused of treachery that allows the Normans to gain the upper hand against the Saxons and the Duke to usurp the throne of Englaland.

Beard adeptly recounts this labyrinthine period in history in a way that makes it easy for readers to understand who’s who and why events unfolded as they do. The characters come to life and each twist of the tale plunges readers deeper into a world that seems to spring to life from the dust of the past. Although readers need not be familiar with volume one to appreciate volume two, reading the first book may provide a more complete understanding of how the past affects the present. To further enhance the reading experience, Beard provides a list of characters, glossary, modern-day place names, and historical observations. He subtly spins a tale that pulls no punches, recreating the brutality and sorcery as if painting a picture. By story’s end, we yearn to know what is to come and yet we are thankful that Leofric’s world exists only in our imaginations.

Explorers and Their Quest for North America by Philip J. Potter: A Review

Explorers and Their Quest for North America by Philip J. Potter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The fastest means of traveling from point A to point B is a straight line. In this case, point A is Europe and point B, the Middle East, India, and China. The overland route is arduous, long, and relatively straight. The only other option is to sail south along the west coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, and across the Indian Ocean to points east. Or so the majority of Europeans believe. After all, sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean means eventually the ship will fall off the world. What if that belief is false? What if the world is round and, by sailing west, the ship reaches Asia faster than the known routes?

In the latter half of the fifteenth century, this idea is relatively untried and quite a risk. (The Norse sagas claim that Bjarni Herolfsson did it in 985 and, far in the future, evidence will show that Leif Eriksson reached Newfoundland less than two decades later.) One intrepid seaman is convinced that this novel idea is doable and, after convincing the monarchs of Spain to fund the attempt, Christopher Columbus sails west and discovers the New World – although he believes he has reached the edge of Asia. Thus begins the Age of Discovery (also known as the Age of Exploration), which will span over three centuries.

Within the pages of this book, Potter introduces readers to fourteen explorers, beginning with Christopher Columbus and ending with Meriwether Lewis, who with his friend William Clark, will travel overland to explore and map the United States’ recent purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1804. In between, readers meet the following men, many of whom are well-known and a few who are lesser known, to learn why they are remembered today:

John Cabot – First European to Reach and Explore the North American Mainland
Hernan Cortes – Conqueror of Mexico
Jacques Cartier – Founder of New France
Hernando de Soto – Explorer of American South-east and Discoverer of the Mississippi River
Francisco Coronado – Laid the Foundation for the Spanish Colonization of the American South-west
Samuel de Champlain – Father of French Canada
Captain John Smith – Mercenary Soldier, Governor of Jamestown Colony and Explorer of the American Coastline
Henry Hudson – Explorer of the Hudson River Valley and Canadian Arctic
Robert Cavelier de La Salle – Explorer of the Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley
Vitus Bering – Discoverer and Explorer of the Coastline of Alaska
Daniel Boone – Frontiersman and Pioneer of the Ohio Valley
Sir Alexander Mackenzie – Pathfinder of Western Canada

This book includes maps and illustrations, while each chapter lists the author and title of selected books about each man. There is a bibliography, but it is just one compilation of all the recommended sources. There are no notes or an index, which means there is no way to interconnect individuals or accomplishments without reading specific chapters. While the narrative mentions some of the books that individual explorers wrote, these are not included in either the selected sources or the bibliography even though some of them are still available today.

Explorers and Their Quest for North America is by no means an inclusive list of explorers. While each makes a significant contribution to the subject this book explores, Potter doesn’t explain why he chose these particular men or left out others. What this book does best is serve as an engaging refresher for readers about people they first met in history classes as youngsters. In so doing, Potter presents each man with warts and all, making it clear that each was a product of his time and that not all of his accomplishments fall under the “good” category.




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The 50 Greatest Shipwrecks by Richard M. Jones: A Review

The 50 Greatest Shipwrecks by Richard M Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


According to the author, history has seen more than 3,000,000 shipwrecks through the years. There is no way to narrow down that number to the fifty greatest. Any such list is subjective, especially if the parameters of the criteria used to select them isn’t stated. The author concurs with this assessment: “It would be impossible to truthfully dictate what the fifty most interesting wreck stories would be,” although he goes on to make such a list. “[I]n my opinion, those in these pages come as close as you can get to a list that is as diverse and varied as possible: a mixture of the world’s worst number of deaths – both wartime and peacetime – and wrecks that register no deaths at all.” (x)

A handful of the ships mentioned will be known by the majority of readers. Titanic struck an iceberg in April 1912, and more than 1,500 of those aboard died, while Carpathia – a ship that sank six years later – rescued 705 survivors. A similar ratio of victims to survivors happened after a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania in 1915. It is the many unanswered questions surrounding her loss, however, that make for compelling reading. Two others are the USS Arizona and the Edmund Fitzgerald. Those within maritime circles will recognize the names of other vessels, such as the Mary Rose and the Vasa – two warships that heeled over and sank because water poured in through the gunports – or the Endurance, the vessel that carried Ernest Shackleton and his crew to Antarctica in 1915. She was crushed by ice and sank; they survived. Many other vessels will be unfamiliar to the many readers. For example, the Waratah that disappeared off South Africa in 1909; the Mendi which was struck by another ship that kept on going rather than stopping to render aid in 1917; or the Musashi that sank in 1944 after being hit by nineteen torpedoes and seventeen bombs.

Each of the entries in this book averages three to six pages. A summary of the ship’s history prior to her sinking is provided, as are details of her demise and what happened to her afterwards. Some, like Vasa and Mary Rose, are now museums. The latter is the earliest ship mentioned, having sunk in 1542. The most recent two sinkings pertain to Costa Concordia in 2012 and an unknown vessel carrying migrants in 2015. In addition to warships and passenger liners, Jones’s list includes oil tankers, submarines, cargo ships, and ferries. There are also plates of black-and-white photographs.

While Jones includes a wide variety of vessels, it’s interesting to note that steamboats are missing. For example, neither Sultana (1865) nor General Slocum (1904) make the list. Only four vessels are included from the many shipwrecks before 1800, but there are none from the nineteenth century. There is no index, but the table of contents provides a chronological list of the shipwrecks and the year each sank. Also absent is a bibliography, which is surprising given that the author’s intention is to arouse readers’ interest sufficiently that they go on to learn more about the shipwrecks.

The author specializes in researching lost ships and maritime disasters. In the epilogue he writes, “Each one has its own story, each has real people affected by the loss of the vessel, cargo, and crew. No disaster should be forgotten and it has always been my intention to get as many on record as possible.” (157) In this regard, he is correct and this book contains compelling accounts of fifty shipwrecks, although some readers may argue that HMS Scylla may technically fall under the definition of shipwreck, but doesn’t truly qualify as one since she was sunk on purpose to serve as an artificial reef. For readers who seek an introduction to maritime disasters, The 50 Greatest Shipwrecks is a decent starting point.




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Favourite of Fortune: A Review

Favourite of Fortune: Captain John Quilliam Trafalgar Hero by Andrew D. Lambert

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A native son of the Isle of Man, John Quilliam is feted in artwork and museums there. Elsewhere, few know his name or what he achieved during his lifetime. Favourite of Fortune changes this.

Quilliam, the eldest of seven children, was baptized in 1771; it is the only historical record of his existence until he left the island in 1785. Once he joined the Royal Navy, he rose from able seaman through the ranks to become a post-captain. Early in his career, he served aboard the ship that carried Britain’s first ambassador to China. He took part in the fleet actions at Camperdown, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar. As the fourth most important figure aboard Victory during the last battle, he would be included in Benjamin West’s painting depicting Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson’s death.

During two plus decades of service, he came to the notice of influential men and numbered Nelson, James de Saumarez, and Richard Keats among his friends. He also acquired the necessary skills, experience, judgment, and perseverance that made him a good officer. He possessed an uncanny knack for refitting and repairing vessels, while his varied experiences included convoy and blockade duty, shipwreck, smugglers, privateers, Spanish gold, and prize money. He served on a court martial and was later brought up on charges even though he was obeying secret orders. Even after his retirement, he maintained an interest in the navy and in technology, especially if the innovation might help save sailors’ lives.

From historical records, the authors provide an almost complete timeline of his naval career and strip away the inaccuracies and myths surrounding him. They incorporate maps, illustrations, and end notes, as well as a bibliography, glossary, and index. Each author has a connection to this man, be it a familial relationship or through research. They combine their knowledge of the Royal Navy, the Isle of Man, and this “man who steered the Victory at Trafalgar” to craft an authoritative, yet highly readable biography. (vii)




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Daughters of the Storm by Joan Druett: A Review

Daughters of the Storm by Joan Druett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When Helen Pederson enters the room at her estranged husband’s California estate, she expects to learn what hostess duties he needs her to perform this time. Instead, she is confronted by six individuals who together stir up a two-decades-old nightmare. Two she knows well. Her husband, Harold Pederson, runs the wealthy family empire that his grandfather founded. Once he makes a decision, it’s impossible to change his mind. The second is their daughter, Jewel, who suffers from a congenital mental illness that manifests itself in angry tantrums that have become more violent as she ages.

The other four people are Skye Hamilton, Maggie Bacchante, Jack Giacomo, and Kate Giacomo. Skye is the business manager of Bacchante Wines. Maggie, whose family owns the winery, is an up-and-coming fashion designer. Although they are not related, she and Kate look amazingly like twins and they grew up together. Kate is a bestselling author. Her adopted father, Jack, is a well-known fireman who specializes in fighting oil well fires.

Twenty years ago, in the midst of a hurricane, three babies were born: Jewel, Kate, and Maggie. Three little girls. Three identical cribs. Amid the chaos, no labels identified who was who or which baby belonged to which mother. Now, Harold wants to know which is truly his daughter. He has a plan to learn the truth – sail to the Pacific island where the hurricane hit – and he has the money to insure that no one refuses to accompany him on the cruise.

Druett steps away from her traditional historical fiction to craft a modern-day mystery. Her characters are well-developed and unique from each other, in spite of the similarities between Kate and Maggie. A shady sailing boat, a kidnapping, unexpected deaths, odd financial manipulations, a peculiar assistant, Jewel’s tantrums, and a brewing hurricane add further spice to the suspense. Stirring up the past is never a good idea and doing so often results in unintended consequences as Daughters of the Storm clearly demonstrates in a fashion similar to Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Readers who enjoy this first offering in the Bacchante series will eagerly await the next book, Storm Swept.




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