The Tide of War

Nathan Peake #2

by Seth Hunter

The second brilliant novel in Seth Hunter's naval adventure series, featuring Captain Nathan Peake. Newly-promoted Captain Nathan Peake is despatched to the Caribbean to take command of the British navy's latest frigate, the 32-gun Unicorn. But the Unicorn already has a tragic history of mutiny - and murder. Meanwhile the Revolutionary authorities in Paris have sent the best frigate in the French fleet, the 44-gun Virginie, on a secret mission to spread mayhem from the shores of Cuba to the swamps of the Mississippi Delta. While the Unicorn embarks on her epic duel with the Virginie, Nathan confronts the seductive charms of Sabine Delatour, witch queen of the Army of Lucumi, the intrigues of the American agent Gilbert Imlay...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2009

About the author

A pseudonym used by Paul Bryers

Seth Hunter is the pseudonym of the author of a number of highly acclaimed and prize-winning adult and children's novels. He has written and directed many historical dramas for television, radio and the theatre and adapted and directed films by playwrights such as Arthur Miller and Michael Bulgakov. He is a member of The Writers Guild of Great Britain, the Director's Guild and PEN. THE TIME OF TERROR is the first novel in a trilogy of historical naval adventures. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great series! Book 2 didn't have quite the tension of Book 1. I also didn't think the plot is quite as strong. In all though, still an interesting and engaging book.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world of a sailing ship at sea has long been an attractive setting for tales of war, adventure, heroism, and even romance. It’s a journey I first began via the stories of Horatio Hornblower by C. S. Forester, stories that I have read and reread over the years with great enjoyment. Then came Alexander Kent and his hero, Richard Bolitho; Dudley Pope and Lord Ramage; and the works of others to include C. Northcote Parkinson and his Richard Delancey; Nicholas Monsarrat; and of course Patrick O’Brian. Author Seth Hunter’s Nathan Peake holds his own in this company.
Seth Hunter has written three novels recounting the adventures of Nathan Peake, set against the background of revolutionary France and its conflict with Great Britain. The American-born Peake has sided with his British father and now, some ten years after the end of Britain’s failed war with her American colonists, is pursuing his career in the Royal Navy. As this book begins, his success in the King’s service has won him a promise of a captaincy and a Royal Navy ship, from no less than the First Lord of the Admiralty himself. However, as often happens, this promise has yet to be realized as this latest adventure begins. Its fulfillment will present Nathan Peake with the challenge of taking command of a possibly mutinous ship in the treacherous waters – and shores – of the Caribbean and the neighboring American shores controlled by Spain and sought by the United States, France, and possibly Britain.
As do all the best writers of such nautical fiction, Mr. Hunter draws from and relies upon history and his research is almost on par with that of George McDonald Fraser. While Hornblower, Bolitho, and Jack Aubrey revel in displays of their nautical skills and naval knowledge, Mr. Peake (not a complete slouch as a sailor though I fear that Hornblower is his mathematical and navigational superior) focuses his energies upon knotty historical problems of geopolitics and personnel management as he pursues advancement in his chosen profession. Like Mr. Fraser, Hunter populates his story with numerous historical figures in the performance of their historical roles, with Mr. Peake as observer, recorder, co-conspirator, and counter-conspirator as the narrative progresses. As noted, Mr. Hunter and Captain Nathan Peake fit well into the company mentioned above and should be enjoyable reading for any real fan of historical nautical adventure.

[Jim Purcell]

New author to me with a well-researched sea story set in a most interesting time. Missed the first in the series so I appreciated most of the reflections that provided continuity with the first book. Nathan Peake reminds me more of Forester's Hornblower than O'Brien's Aubrey with his introspection and self-doubt.

The author is very facile in creating useful characters as needed to help him work through the plot. The French-speaking guide, the Spanish cleric, and the local witch being, three that come to mind. His creativity is necessary because he rather cavalierly kills off some of the characters that might have added to his continuing cast.

A quick read but sufficient enough that I will seek out the first book and look forward to the next

[Ben Duerksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A very readable sequel to The Terror, and there was more time spent aboard ship in this novel which I appreciated. But whereas The Terror made good use of the fictional Nathaniel Peake to tell the story of that time in revolutionary France, this novel was almost entirely fictional short of broad-swathe sentiments of British aims in the Caribbean and oblique references to revolutionary happenings on Saint Domingue. I also wasn’t a big fan of the ending, which I think lessens the impact of the first novel’s conclusion.

[Scot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book high marks. It is second in the historical fiction series about British naval captain Nathan Peake in the early 1790s. In this installment he is sent to Havana and New Orleans to deal with, among other things, piracy. The naval battle descriptions are exhilarating due to the author's clear knowledge of detail and compelling contextualization. A Caribbean femme fatale figures in this one, a Santeria beauty by the name of la Princessa Negra.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Too much driven by action scenes. The author uses this technique of advancing to the next scene by placing the reader in the middle of it and then the reader needs to work out what happened in between. It's a good technique, but it is used too much, leaving the reader confused at the level of plot.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this book didn't hold my attention all the time. When it was good it was very readable, but there were times when I just wanted to put it down and read something else, which is a shame as I like the dynamic of the principal characters and the setting. I look forward to the next instalment and hope it proves a more consistent read.

[CJ Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it more than I expected. The P O'B comparison is inevitable: Hunter writes with more energy, but less gravity. The Peake-Imlay relationship is too similar structurally to the Aubrey-Maturin one for the trick of having Peake and Imlay not being friends to differentiate them. Hunter has less patience, so some characters are given a quick shot of pathos so that they can be killed later. The plot succeeds by not trying too hard. The scope of the plot fits within the book, but has enough to keep the series alive as well. The circumstances that lead to the success of Captain Peake in capturing a larger, more well-equipped ship are well-thought: it is completely believable without luck or superhuman work by the captain. Sadly, the big reveal at the end of the book is not surprising.

Peake thinks very much like Hunter, which marks him out as a man far ahead of his time. His feminism and anti-slavery attitudes come too naturally - again, Hunter's impatience keeps us from experiencing a development in Peake. He springs forth fully formed as a modern man back in time, instead of a man wrestling with the evils of his own time.

But it is fundamentally a sea-faring yarn, and it succeeds at that sometimes better than O'Brian. If the pacing of the POB books is your main complaint, then Hunter can give you several engaging hours.

[Booklovers Melbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this, the second in the Nathan Peake series, though, confusingly enough, the third I've read. With less of the eighteenth century spy, and more of the traditional naval historical fiction about it, this book proved to be more than the equal of the great masters of this genre in my opinion. I find Peake a much more honest and believable human being than the Bolithos or Maturins of other authors, and considerably more personable than that loveable brooding landlubber, Dick Sharpe. Thankfully there are a couple more of his stories out there for me to read, though I fear, like Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe, I'm going to soon catch up and find myself desperately awaiting the authors latest installment.

[Steve Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this, the second in the Nathan Peake series, though, confusingly enough, the third I've read. With less of the eighteenth century spy, and more of the traditional naval historical fiction about it, this book proved to be more than the equal of the great masters of this genre in my opinion. I find Peake a much more honest and believable human being than the Bolithos or Maturins of other authors, and considerably more personable than that loveable brooding landlubber, Dick Sharpe. Thankfully there are a couple more of his stories out there for me to read, though I fear, like Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe, I'm going to soon catch up and find myself desperately awaiting the authors latest installment.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good sea tale that belongs in the company of Horatio Hornblower and Lucky Jack Aubrey. Nathan Peake, newly made captain, faces pirates, mutineers, hurricanes, and of course that ultimate enemy -- The French.
I enjoyed his cynical attitude towards politics, as illustrated in the excerpt below where Captain Peake is talking with an ally who is a Spanish monk:
"So God and His Britannic Majesty are on the same side in this war?"
"It is unusual, I agree--but yes, it would seem so, for the time being. As we face a common enemy."
"Satan? Or the French?"
"You are splitting hairs. At least while the French pursue their current policies with regard to the Church of Rome."

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

After two books (out of seven), Nathan Peake, his majesty's post captain, fits well with Ramage, Hornblower and Bolitho. He is quick-witted and resolute and should last. In his first frigate command following promotion to post captain at the age of 25,Nathan Peake replaces a dead captain, inherits a questionable crew and a resentful first officer, and is ordered to hunt down and sink a 44-gun French frigate (his ship has 32 guns). The book is set in the Caribbean in the 1790s. Hunter writes very well, and the book repays rereading after a decade.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good story, rattling along, and with some nice touches of humour en voyage. The weakest part of the book is the sex scene at the end; it really adds little to the plot, is very unlikely, and shouldn't be there. Apart from that the naval descriptions, and the scenes at Nathan Peake's home and in the admiralty are well done. Although this was billed as the second part of a trilogy Hunter has clearly been persuaded to continue the series, which is now up to six I think. Although not so literary as O'Brian it is a faster, lighter read. I shall continue with the books.

[Stuart Lutzenhiser · Rating 2 out of 5]

2nd book in the story of Nathaniel Peake - a young post captain of the "Unicorn" in 1794/95 in the West Indies as he battles the larger French vessel "Virginie". The bar is set pretty low on Nautical Fiction (outside of O'Brian and Forrester) - but this one doesn't quite come up to even that low level.

[Chris Light · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but spends a lot of time in the intricacies of a new captain finding his way in a world that is new to him, in-spite of his years aboard a fighting ship of sail. The intricacies of naval warfare are written about minimally and his personal thoughts and concerns take up much of the text.

[Carla Nayland]

All-action cross between a spy thriller and a naval adventure, set in the Caribbean and Mississippi Delta in 1794-1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Think of a frigate-captain seafaring story with a dash of James Bond thrown in.
Review: http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/t...

[Ellen]

I won a copy from Goodreads. I will edit this with a review after I've read it. Thank you for the opportunity.

[YH]

I just won this book on Goodreads! I can't wait to read it! Thank you.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, batle scenes are good. The plot is otherwise kind of dull. Loved seeing a naval story set around the waters that I know (Rigolets, Ship Island, etc.)

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly good sea-going tale from the Age of Sail. I enjoyed the writing, the character and the story. I hope to get hold of other books featuring Nathan Peake!

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just Ok.