An Eye of the Fleet

I am a fan of this type of book. C.S. Forrester, Patrick O'Brien and James Nelson are all authors that I have enjoyed immensley and now I have Richard Woodman to add to the list. The authenticity of the description of the life on ships of war is almost too real and certainly takes some of the shine off the supposed glamour of the era. Nathaniel Drinkwater is introduced in this novel and apparently continues to grow through many of the ones that follow. That is good news as his character is interesting and complicated and it will be very interesting to watch his passage as a naval officer and a man. Woodman has a facility for putting you in the midst of the story he is telling; his characters are well drawn and the whole story, while often painful to follow, is nevertheless compelling. This is an author to follow.

An Eye of The Fleet is the 1st book of a 14 book series written by Richard Woodman. The main character of the series is a man by the name of Nathaniel Drinkwater. In this book, Drinkwater is a Midshipman aboard a 36 gun frigate named the Cyclops. The timeline is from Oct. 1779- Aug. 1781. The British are at war with the colonies (U.S.) along with the French. I found this book to be very exciting, which made it hard to put down. Drinkwater is in the action up to his neck! On top of trying to stay alive during several ship battles which include the French and an American privateer, and even fighting the "rebels" on land in South Carolina, he has a fellow crew member that is out to get him. This inter-ship conflict, which carries throughout the book, keep me at the edge of my seat. I found this book more enjoyable then Forester's The Midshipman (Hornblower, 1st in that series), which I enjoyed also. I can not wait to start the next Drinkwater book, A King's Cutter.... I would buy this book again!

This is the first book in a wonderful series. The Nathaniel Drinkwater books are comparable in quality to those of Forester and Patrick O'Brian. Woodman's plots are typically tighter and more focused than O'Brian's (the books are shorter), and possibly less literate and a little "dark" as one reviewer described them. Although the books in some cases have less naval warfare action than Forester's and Alexander Kent's books, they do not lack for excitement or interest. Woodman's plots seem to be based on the conflict of a competent man against evil forces, which lends power to the narrative.Here is a list of the Nathaniel Drinkwater novels in chronological order: An Eye of the Fleet, A King's Cutter, A Brig of War, The Bomb Vessel, The Corvette, 1805, Baltic Mission, In Distant Waters, A Private Revenge, Under False Colors, The Flying Squadron, Beneath the Aurora, The Shadow of the Eagle, Ebb Tide.Few books cause me to search out those extra few minutes of reading time so that I can get on with the story, but these books fall into that catagory.

As first novels, these are almost as subtle and enigmatic as P.O'B's later works, but just as gripping as his early stuff; similarly based on historical fact, they are definitely a cut above the rest. Excellent descriptions of below-decks and battle actions take you right inside the ship; an acquaintance with nautical terminology helps, but is not vital, to understand the gist of the action or the day-to-day management of the ship - e.g. the handling of sails is particularly well-described, far better than any other book I've read. and succinct descriptions of wind, weather and tide preface each event; the stage is already set - action soon follows. None of the incidents or fortunate strokes of luck seem contrived, rather they develop naturally as Nat matures from innocence into almost cynical youth. In 'The Eye of the Fleet', the hard life below decks is brought horrifically home in the first few pages - the impotence of the younger gentlemen in the face of overbearing bullying is brought sharply into focus, as is the rough justice of the foremast jacks - stark reality is served up in healthy measure here, with a side salad of intrigue and a dressing of young love. I devoured this book in a day - good job I'd already bought the follow-on, because this is addictive reading.

Woodman was not the first or the last to produce a Hornblower type series. His Nathaniel Drinkwater was preceded by Nicholas Ramage, Richard Bolitho, and Jack Aubrey and followed by Allan Lewrie to name a few. It is interesting to see the similarities and the differences between Drinkwater and the other noble seamen. The story is set in 1780-2 well before Hornblower, Ramage and Aubrey were issued their first pint of grog and Nathaniel Drinkwater is old enough to participate in the American Revolution. The way the Americans are portrayed in An Eye of the Fleet shows courage on the part of Woodman. Unlike other naval officers of the time, a captured American refuses to give his parole. Furthermore, Americans commit a horrible atrocity in the latter part of the novel although, to be fair, Woodman does point out that such atrocities were a matter of record and it is implied that the British were just as bad. Parallels between the British position in the thirteen colonies and the American position in Vietnam come to mind which may make this novel more relevant to American readers than would first appear.Clearly An Eye of the Fleet is grittier than earlier series. Drinkwater faces the threat of buggery and must deal with the knowledge that people in authority are sodomizing seamen. The evil of unwanted sexual contact is pushed front and centre. Undoubtedly some will claim that this makes the novel homophobic (a current catchall phrase). However, a broader view is needed. As one of the seamen points out to Drinkwater every ship has its buggers but as long as they don't force it on those who aren't, there is no problem. In 1981, when this novel was published, the issue of sexual harassment was just coming to public attention. Many men refused to see that it was a problem. However, by casting the perpetrators as homosexual men in authority, the male reader gets to identify with the threats and powerlessness that women have felt. Furthermore, since buggery is punishable by death, we understand the reluctance to report a crime when the punishment appears to exceed the gravity of the crime.Yes, there are some serious themes in An Eye of the Fleet but it still has plenty of action that most of us crave. Woodman has carved an interesting niche with a very decent but flawed hero. I look forward to the next installments.