A King's Cutter

In his second book of the Nathaniel Drinkwater series, Richard Woodman continues to show his ability to communicate the events of the time in an interesting and somewhat suspenseful way. Nathaniel Drinkwater is second in command on the Royal Navy cutter Kestral which seems to keep finding itself in harm's way as the winds of war blow across Europe in the late 1790's. Those of us who grew up reading about the adventures of Captain Horatio Hornblower are returned to the days of sail again. You can feel the wind and smell the salt air as Drinkwater's adventures continue. Good stuff.

Marking the coming-of-professional-age of Drinkwater, this book better than any other describes the sheer drudgery of blockade and small-ship work in the Age of Sail. Undoubtedly be best of the lot.

A King's Cutter has its biggest disappointment in its opening: ten years have passed since the first Nathaniel Drinkwater novel, An Eye of the Fleet. I couldn't help but be disappointed that Woodman had squandered ten years of possible adventures for Drinkwater. Given the time scale of the novels, that amounts to 4-5 novels that could have been written and won't be. A King's Cutter finds Drinkwater no further ahead than he was at the end of the first novel. He has married but has not advanced in the Royal Navy. However, a bloody war is not far off and Drinkwater has some apparently minor opportunities.A King's Cutter features some of the same characters from An Eye of the Fleet, most notably Lieutenant Devaux and seaman Tregembo. The vile sodomite Morris is missing although it was implied that he would be back. Drinkwater has a new nemesis in Edouard Santhonax, an enemy who Drinkwater will face in subsequent episodes. The novel covers a period that begins just before war with Revolutionary France, includes the mutiny at Spithead and culminates with the Battle of Camperdown. Intrigue and subterfuge are as much a part of A King's Cutter as broadsides and boarding parties.Like its predecessor, A King's Cutter has gothic elements. There are mysterious forces at work, which are neither fully understood nor explained. Even Drinkwater, who is as decent a human being as any in the RN, has a dark side to him. While graphically violent scenes are not present as in its predecessor, it is clear that life at the time is nasty, brutish and short and that warfare is not a sport of gentlemen.Woodman has carved out a different niche from other writers of the genre; one that is unique, appealing and an interesting contrast to earlier series.

This may be one of the better books in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series, dealing with the hazards and slow promotion of a young officer in the Royal Navy. It covers his duties as an acting lieutenant, then sailing master, of the cutter Kestral from 1792 - 1797. The book was well researched by the author, and fits in well for that historical period, giving details of the mutiny within the Channel Fleet, the events leading to the Battle of Camperdown, etc.

Woodman's Drinkwater is an excellent read for fans of the Hornblower, Bolitho, Ramage, Aubrey, and Lewrie series. Woodman has spun an action packed tale filled with believable characters combined with scenes described from the author's first hand knowledge of the sea (he was in the merchant marine) and deep knowledge of the historical era. A definite keeper!