Form Line of Battle!

As is the case with all of the Bolitho novels Mr. Kent has written another outstanding tale. This may be my favorite (so far) in this series and I highly recommend this and the other novels for anyone who enjoys books of this type.

This book is simply a great read. Our hero fights on land and sea; there is plenty of action and adventure. The descriptions of the battles are captivating and the story never drags. In this story, we see burden of command weighing heavily on Bolitho. He's not a hero in the traditional sense. He gets things done, but he is no super-hero. He must, MUST, perform regardless how tired or fatigued he is, the incompetence and rivalries of his subordinates, and a host of other problems. Given that, Bolitho is not only a believable figure, he's one that the reader can relate to. If you like action and adventure and a story that moves right along, then this is the book (and series) for you. I highly recommend it.

Bolitho is ordered to take his command, the 74-gun ship-of-the-line Hyperion to join Admiral Hood in his attempt to take Toulon. He is seconded, however, to another admiral who has orders to take a small island in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, it is already occupied by the French. In the ensuing battle, the admiral is killed and eventually he is placed under the command of yet another, in Gibraltar; an old acquaintance--one whom he had once replaced as commander of a frigate--and, unfortunately for his present situation, outshone. This is an intricate story, but easy to follow, with lots of action and excellent character development. After reading a few of these Bolitho books the characters seem to live and breathe.Alexander Kent is surely, as they say on the cover, "One of our foremost writers of naval fiction."I hope you enjoy his stroies as much as I do.Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenanceand other books

Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! The feel of the deck, smell of the gunpowder, the roar of the cannon. Makes you feel like you were on the HMS Hyperion. Richard Bolitho rocks! This is set during the Wars of the French Revolution. Bolitho gets command of the Hyperion, a British two-decker. The Revolutionary forces of France had just beheaded Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Toulon is under attack and British and allied forces are in full retreat. Bolitho and Hyperion are blockading Toulon while evacuating the French port. This book is reminiscent of Vietnam. The evacuation of Toulon's like the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

The title really tells it all in this one. Kent is at his best delivering naval action after naval action. It's all here; cutting out actions, land assaults, night actions, fire ships, nasty sword play and ships of the line delivering thundering broadsides. Nobody delivers the action like Kent did at his peak. Form Line of Battle is one of the best of the first 9 (in chronological order) if not the best.Form Line of Battle was the second Bolitho novel published following To Glory We Steer. Kent put 10 years between the 2 novels and then filled in the gaps over the next 2 decades with novels of varying quality. Not surprisingly Form Line of Battle flows relatively seamlessly from the earlier novel and is consistent with the stories in between. None of the action from its immediate predecessor, With All Despatch, is even hinted at. That's just as well as With All Despatch is one of the weaker between the wars novels. The Richard Bolitho of Form Line of Battle is a much less tragic figure than the one in With All Despatch..While Form Line of Battle is a classic action romance, Kent does include the realism one would expect from a World War II veteran writing at the height of the Vietnam War. The battle scenes are exciting but violent and realistic. Men die horribly or are mutilated painfully and Kent doesn't hide it. He does not glorify the war or its deeds.The story itself is set against the backdrop of an invasion of Toulon which the reader knows is going to fail. The futility of this invasion and the diversion that Bolitho leads must have struck cords with Vietnam era readers. Other Vietnam era references are apparent such as "peace with honour" although In Gallant Company had more obvious allegories.Kent is not great at characterization or dialogue. If you want them in the Napoleonic era then you have to steer to O'Brian. However, he does manage to provide a thoroughly unlikable commanding officer with some depth and some sympathy. But primarily Kent is read for the action at sea in a bygone era and in Form Line of Battle he delivers in spades.