A Fine Boy for Killing

Sea Officer William Bentley #1

by Jan Needle

Under sealed orders for a long, arduous voyage, Captain Daniel Swift dispenses shipboard law with an iron fist to forge an efficient crew from a ragged group of unwilling, inexperienced "volunteers."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Naval Historical Fiction, Nautical

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Jan Needle has written more than forty books, including novels for adults and children and literary criticism. He also writes plays for stage, TV and radio, including serials and series like Grange Hill, The Bill and Brookside. His first novel, Wild Wood, is a retelling of The Wind in the Willows with Toad, Rat, Mole and Co as the ‘villains’ - a sort of undeserving rural squirearchy – and the stoats and weasels as heroes. A new version was brought out recently by Golden Duck, with the original wonderful illustrations by the late Willie Rushton.

Although he is currently working on a film of perhaps his most celebrated children’s book, My Mate Shofiq, Jan has recently been concentrating on historical novels about his first and most enduring love, the sea, and a series of extremely gritty thrillers. His aim has always been to transcend standard genre writing, which has sometimes brought him disapproval. The ‘hero’ of his first naval fiction, A Fine Boy for Killing, is a borderline sadist, and life on the frigate Welfare undermines almost every heroic myth popularized by earlier writers. Loved or hated, his novels refuse to be ignored.

His thrillers are also firmly in the ‘noir’ spectrum. The most recent is The Bonus Boys, which features a hard-as-nails investigator called Andrew Forbes and his Scottish lover Rosanna ‘the Mouse’ Nixon, who first appeared in Kicking Off, a chilling warning about the fissile state of Britain’s crumbling prisons. More are in the pipeline, as are additions to a series of novellas about crime, the 18th century navy, and the secret world of spies and spying. Even the possibility that Napoleon escaped from his exile on St Helena is examined. Like many ‘mere conspiracy theories’ it uncovers some extraordinary possibilities.

Jan also attempts, in conjunction with Walker Books, to widen the readership for certain classic novels. They include so far Moby Dick, Dracula, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Woman in White, all aimed at a young adult audience . In his spare time, he sails boats and plays a variety of musical instruments.

Reviews

[D.w. · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the characters you are drawn too are not those who transition to lead our series here. There is no heroism. There is atrocity. There is great characterization, but this is not what we have come to expect in the genre.

Then if you are looking for something that gives you a sense of victory and uplifts you at the end of the story, it does not come. Our protaganoists whom we are left with our anti-heroes.

There is no feeling that their survivial is something worth investing three to four hours to read this tale.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book there isn't a single good sailor. Good as in decent or at least happy to be a sailor, usually there is at least one on board. I think this book wanted to drive at the fact that most sailors were from the prisons or pressed into service against their will. Also it dragged on by showing the story from 3 different angles. I think it would have been an exciting book if it only focused on Tom a young farm hand tricked into service for the king.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the tale of several men on a British naval vessel during the Napoleonic wars. It primarily focuses on Thomas Fox, a boy tricked into signing onto a frigate. Ostensibly a sea novel, it really isn't about naval combat, the war or even sailing.

Well written and characterized, its bleak, miserable, and almost sadistic in tone, emphasizing all of the worst aspects of serving on a ship without any of the positives and nearly every single person is awful and almost random their behavior but generally cruel.

The book is misery to read, as you try to get past Fox suffering in every single chapter, some new horror or misery is compounded on the boy by almost everyone around him and then without expectation they are kindly to the boy, almost as if to set up a new torture.

I cannot recommend this series, do not know why it was written, and am baffled how it is somehow the tales of William Bentley who is a minor character in the book.

[Sparkiepete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well thougt out.

No large doses of gung ho to start with,but as the tale grows i felt more part of Jan Needles story. Heres to book 2.keep i,m coming.
Pete J Sparky

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Violent and tragic but a gripping read. Its hard to imaginr enjoying a book where you hate most of the main characters. I considered putting the book down a number of times but couldn't.

[Gary David Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good!!!

Thoroughly enjoyed the writing. Depressing as the story is,there is great character development. You knew each one and understood their position in relationship to the story. As much as I wanted a happy ending you knew it wasn't going to happen and couldn't happen.

[Tom Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone with an interest in life on a British man-of-war in the 18th century. I'm no expert but everything about this rang true. After an uncertain start, the characters developed as real and sometimes complex people and their relationships to each other and to the ship that defines their lives drew me in to a detailed and convincing world. Nicely written and well-paced, this is an easy read, even if the subject matter is sometimes challenging.

Disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book on a publisher's promotion. There was no commitment to review, let alone to review favourably.

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on Mutiny on the Bounty, this novel traces the development of a mutiny on a British naval warship during the NAPOLEONIC WARS. It has a ring of authenticity but it is also brutal in its depiction of the punishments. Needle seems to know a lot about how a sailing ship was sailed and maintained as well as the living conditions of the crew.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to get into

I love to read about the swashbuckling sailing ship's, having lived by Mystic seaport. I was born and raised in rural Kansas and became a sailing devote. Read several authors of books like this one, some how this one did not resonate, will read another of his to decide.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different that the other navel books I read. Takes some getting used to.