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The Modern Naval Fiction Library
The Hostile Shore
The Hostile Shore Reeman, Douglas
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
14 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Reeman
139 books178 followersAKA Alexander Kent.
Douglas Edward Reeman was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.
Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.
Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day : A Personal Reminiscence (1984).
Series:
* Blackwood Family
Douglas Edward Reeman was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.
Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.
Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day : A Personal Reminiscence (1984).
Series:
* Blackwood Family
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 19, 2018
A little different then his normal book. A former British Army officer is on a search to find out what happened to his family that he just got out of Singapore prior to the Japanese taking over. This is 20 years later. Different ending then his normal book. It always amazes me how quickly couples fall in love in his novels. An OK read, but not one of his best.
February 22, 2015
A psychological sea story in the 1960s New Hebrides islands. Plot isn't bad, but fatally marred by a colonialism outlook and stock cannibal natives.
January 29, 2026
This is a British publication, apparently one aimed at an Australian audience. While this naval fiction has excellent descriptions of storms, its characters are cardboard.
The setting is in the South Pacific with lots of colonial stereotypes. There really is a blond career journalist getting sacrificed on a remote tropical island to a shark god. While the heroic military figure is rather 1940s, the plot ends up going into uncomfortable Victorian racist attitudes.
The setting is in the South Pacific with lots of colonial stereotypes. There really is a blond career journalist getting sacrificed on a remote tropical island to a shark god. While the heroic military figure is rather 1940s, the plot ends up going into uncomfortable Victorian racist attitudes.
July 16, 2021
A rare turkey from Douglas Reeman. A dull story, featureless characters and a downbeat ending. Not for me.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and The Summer of ‘39, all published by Sacristy Press.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and The Summer of ‘39, all published by Sacristy Press.
June 18, 2018
A quite atypical storyline for Reeman, but definitely this was for good! Fading days of colonial rule on a remote pacific island, canibals and reflexes of the war.
February 11, 2021
Presumably, an 'off day'.
Read
April 19, 2022It was kind of boring, but I finished reading in about two months.
January 27, 2021
** Spoilers **
This is far from being the best Reeman story I have read. Not a military story, this one focuses on the drive of one my Rupert Blair to find out what happened to his family who escaped from the Japanese invasion of Singapore on the launch Sigli. They never reached safety and no one knows what happened to them. A chance meeting between Blair and old pilot, reveals that he saw the Sigli under attack near a reef in the New Hebrides island group in the South Pacific.
Based on this information he puts together a mission to try and find the wreck and determine what really happened to his family. So far, the plot was OK but there was no tension to the search as the wreck is found on the first dive. The diver reports that the life boats are missing, so a search is started on the nearby island and lo almost immediately debris that can be identified as the life boats are found. What follows then becomes a bit bizarre, the island is home to a couple of white men one a trader and the other a slightly mad preacher as well as a vast tribe of savages who are rumoured to be cannibals. This just seems to be an excuse to have the savages attack the settlers and any of the crew who are ashore. Throw in a tropical storm and chaos ensues.
The ending was poor, very abrupt and whilst we did find out what happened to Blair’s family it is reference only in passing and seemingly of no major importance to the plot, even though it started out as the main point of the story.
I think it is fair to say that if this had been my first exposure to Reeman it would probably have been my last.
This is far from being the best Reeman story I have read. Not a military story, this one focuses on the drive of one my Rupert Blair to find out what happened to his family who escaped from the Japanese invasion of Singapore on the launch Sigli. They never reached safety and no one knows what happened to them. A chance meeting between Blair and old pilot, reveals that he saw the Sigli under attack near a reef in the New Hebrides island group in the South Pacific.
Based on this information he puts together a mission to try and find the wreck and determine what really happened to his family. So far, the plot was OK but there was no tension to the search as the wreck is found on the first dive. The diver reports that the life boats are missing, so a search is started on the nearby island and lo almost immediately debris that can be identified as the life boats are found. What follows then becomes a bit bizarre, the island is home to a couple of white men one a trader and the other a slightly mad preacher as well as a vast tribe of savages who are rumoured to be cannibals. This just seems to be an excuse to have the savages attack the settlers and any of the crew who are ashore. Throw in a tropical storm and chaos ensues.
The ending was poor, very abrupt and whilst we did find out what happened to Blair’s family it is reference only in passing and seemingly of no major importance to the plot, even though it started out as the main point of the story.
I think it is fair to say that if this had been my first exposure to Reeman it would probably have been my last.
September 16, 2012
The Sigli had been just an old passenger launch, but when the Japanese invaded Singapore during World War II everything that could float was pressed into service. And so, crammed with refugees, harried and bombed by enemy planes, the Sigli had struggled south in a desperate attempt to escape-Rupert Blair's family had been among the passengers on that fateful journey in which the ship and all aboard had disappeared. Twenty years later, he still hasn't forgotten - has never abandoned his obsession to discover exactly what happened. Now Rupert Blair embarks upon a journey of his own - one that will take him to a primitive, savage island in search of the truth.
October 4, 2016
If this had been Douglas Reeman's first book I read, then I don't think I'd have bothered with any others. The only characters to have any personality and enjoy their lives were the cannibals; the remainder were well deserving to be served up to either the natives or the sharks.
It had it's moments of 'excitement', but these were soon dampened by a character having a memory of a bad relationship or some-such unrelated event. I've given it two-stars as I'm feeling generous and reckon that Tarrou did end up giving Miss Bligh a well deserved rogering.
It had it's moments of 'excitement', but these were soon dampened by a character having a memory of a bad relationship or some-such unrelated event. I've given it two-stars as I'm feeling generous and reckon that Tarrou did end up giving Miss Bligh a well deserved rogering.
April 5, 2011
Psychologically complex, very different from Reeman's other books. Interesting plot and characters. Well done. Recommended.
September 18, 2012
An excellent wee book. I welcome departure from Douglas's usual war stories.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews