On the Spur of Speed: Continuing the Account of the Life and Times of Geoffrey Frost, Mariner, of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, as Faithfully ... Champlain, All Dilig

by J.E. Fender

In volume four of The Frost Saga, J.E. Fender masterfully weaves together two narratives that offer new perspectives on the American Revolution and on the character of Geoffrey Frost. At the conclusion of volume three, Frost set off in search of his younger brother Joseph, who had recently fought in the battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain. This volume tells the story of Joseph's adventures in New York and Vermont as he joins Benedict Arnold in one of the most important battles of the despite their defeat at the hands of the superior British fleet, the Americans thwart the British plan to drive down Lake Champlain and the Hudson River to divide the fledgling United States. In alternating chapters, Fender tells the story of Geoffrey Frost's first when Frost was ten years old, his father placed him aboard a slave ship in order to learn the sea. As young Geoffrey matures from seasick invalid to accomplished sailor, he grows ever more dismayed at the nature of the trade in which the ship is engaged. His formative experiences aboard The Bride of Derry, especially his conflicts with the martinet Captain Wick Nichols, reveal the origins of the "great navigator, ingenious military commander, and fierce armed combatant" (Booklist) known to fans of the series.

332 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book I've read of the Frost Saga and I really wanted to give it two stars because of the tiresome over-inclusive historical detail and annoying archaic dialogue and spelling found especially in one of the two alternating narratives (I felt I was reading a working thesis on one aspect of the American Revolution rather than a novel), and also because of the author's decision to include the two narratives in one volume, either of which could easily have been expanded to a fuller, more satisfying and independent story. I settled on three stars, however, because of the gripping portions of the sea-faring narrative in this otherwise disappointing book.