By Force of Arms (Revolution at Sea #1)

Just discovered James L. Nelson's books, and boy am I glad I did. According to the bio in the book, Nelson is a former professional sailor, and it shows. He really knows how those ships worked! Sometimes the detail got a bit overwhelming, but the plot moved along so fast it was not a problem. The characters were very different from the dashing British naval officers we're used to, because they were not naval officers, but merchant sailors trying to figure the naval stuff out, just like it must have been. If you like a book that is a great read, not one that will put you to sleep, I recommend James Nelson.

A string of unfortunate events propel Isaac Biddlecomb from captain of a merchant ship, to wanted smuggler, to foremast jack, then - the ultimate degradation - pressed into service in the enemy's Navy, aboard a hell-ship run by incompetent tyrants. Hopes of escape in Barbados are thwarted by a farcical attempt at anchoring, the subsequent disgrace tipping the unstable Captain over the brink into madness.In parallel, all the elements are coming together for mutiny, both at sea and in the American colonies; this is 1775, just over a year after the Boston Tea Party, and the British blockades and harrying of shipping are stretching tempers to the limit.Biddlecomb finds himself a key player in the run up to the struggle for American IndependanceMr.Nelson does a fine job of weaving the threads of this story into a fine yarn, with plenty of historical facts to back it up. The characters are well-drawn and believable, the writing flows and the action sequences are so vividly detailed, one almost feels like part of the crew.This is book 1 of a 5-part saga, which promises great things. There is action and plot twists right up to the last page, I couldn't put it down. The author has also thoughtfully included a glossary of naval terms for those readers unfamiliar with the jargon.*****

Nelson writes revolutionary war era fiction in the rich tradition of Kenneth Roberts but in the naval setting brought to us with such splendid detail by Patrick Obrian. His characters are well developed with special attention to what motivates the various individuals in the ocean going arena. Nelsons main gift to us is Captain Biddlecomb, a passionate sailor and reluctant revolutionary who sees both opportunity and loss in the British mandates on the colonies. Fortunately, for the reader who veiws Obrians work as overly detailed and wordy (of which I am not one), Biddlecombs adventures run with the pace of a Sabatini novel, like Sea Hawk or Captain Blood. This is good reading. Buy all of this guys books, I know I'm going to.

It's a great tale ... the places and situations that Mr. Nelson puts us through are exciting and very imaginitive (which is hard to do when you've read all of O'Brien and Forester). The only gripe I have is that I want to know Biddlecomb more intensly. I loved Hornblower because I understood, identified, and appreciated his weaknesses and strengths; in many respects, he became a role model for me. I want that from Biddlecomb. Of course he must be his own character, but as long as I feel I know him well, I'll be grabbed more fully by the novel. One other thing I loved about the book was the presentation of the different vantages of the book. I got to get inside Pendexter and Wallace for certian parts of the book. O'Brien is great, but he gets boring sometimes because you're always seeing the Aubrey/Maturin perspective. Seeing the immature, selfish perspective of Pendexter especially was a delight. All in all, it was great and I'll read any and all that Mr. Nelson writess.

When I purchased this book I assumed it would be written in a style similar to Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. following so closely in it's wake, so to speak. It is not, though there are some expressions, "Never in Life" and "Easy as kiss my hand", that I had never read anywhere prior to O'Brian. The action scenes fall somewhere between Patrick O'Brian and Alexander Kent. The style is easy with subtle humor woven throughout. I put it down feeling that I had just finished another in a series written by Kenneth Roberts. It put me in mind of his "Arundel" or "Rabble In Arms". Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the remainder of the series. John Minners