The King's Commission

Alan Lewrie, now an experienced seaman and junior watch-stander despite only a couple of years in the Royal Navy, is a refreshingly Corinthian your rake, dividing his attentions pretty much evenly between increasing his growing competence in his profession and topping every female he can find. Here he parts company from the unpredictable Capt. Treghues and from his friend and mentor, Lt. Railsford. Then he receives, as a reward for bravery and demonstrated abilities, an early appointment as 1st Lieutenant into a small brig commanded by the superannuated Lt. Lilycrop -- one of the most delightful and fully developed supporting characters Lambdin has yet come up with. Of course, Alan later learns his being given such a post was a clerical error, . . . but he manages to keep his job nevertheless. (As a more senior officer later remarks, sheer luck and the ability to land on one's feet is probably as important a factor in naval success as seamanship.) Then comes a galloping but adventure among the Creeks of the West Florida coast -- including Lewrie's temporary acquisition of a lovely young Indian wife. The character of Desmond McGilliveray is based on the real Alexander McGillivray, a Creek-Scot half-breed raised white but still well-connected among the tribes. Lambdin paints him as a superior, rather prim sort, which doesn't really fit with the historical McGillivray's character (with which I am familiar from rersearch on the Panton and Leslie trading companies during that period). Nothing really goes quite right for Our Hero in this volume, but that's the way real life often is. An increasingly enjoyable series.

It is early 1782 and Desperate, 20 guns, having 'retreated gracefully' from the Yorktown debacle is now in train with Admiral Hood's fleet running down to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the Frogs are chasing under the command of the wily de Grasse, who didn't get where he is by avoiding encounters.The action starts soon enough and de Grasse exploits every possibility to bring the Rosbifs to task, but fails miserably, leaving Desperate to pick off a 28 shadowing a message schooner. In the aftermath of the battle, Alan Lewrie is appointed master of the prize. The result of Alan's actions is unexpected promotion into the brig Shrike, a Dutch-built 12, as 1st luff under a wily old sea-dog as mad as a hatter.Alan can't keep his mouth shut or his breeches buttoned-up, which leads to some unfortunate and raunchy interludes, affecting his earlier career, and, it seems, his future.Not a series for those new to the genre, or with no nautical knowledge, as there is not the untarred landsman colleague to explain the intricacies of naval terminology to, as in Aubrey & Maturin.But ... the above- and below-decks descriptions are among the best I've read, although Mr. Lambdin does rather overdo the vernacular and accents a bit too much for fluid reading, however it does add an extra touch of reality. Luck plays its part again in the aftermath of another debacle, this time to good effect as Lewrie meets Nelson and receives his second promotion in a year.A raunchier series than most, but well worth reading.*****

These are excellent books! Tell the publisher we want them all! You may have trouble getting the first two: "The King's Coat" and "The French Admiral" as they're out of print and not being reprinted by Fawcett which picked up at "The King's Commission." Check your local library, though, you may be as pleasantly surprise as I was. Anyway, starting from our hero's "impressment" as a rather old Middie, you are easily captivated by the humanity of this aspiring British Naval officer. Not afraid to admit to himself his fear of cannon balls, or his strong desire to "put the leg over," Alan Lewrie is a fun-loving, yet suprisingly competent rogue! This is a fun read that you won't want to put down! You should also read: Horatio Hornblower, Captain Frank Marryatt, and Patrick O'Brian.

If you like high adventure If you like well written sea stories If you like extremely well-crafted characters If you like humor If you like lusty navy lieutenants who aren't too sure they want to stay in the King's Navy If you like a VERY GOOD BOOK If you like an EXTREMELY GOOD AUTHOR If you like a well-crafted plot R E A D T H I S B O O K and any other by Dewey Lambdin you can lay your hands on.

Dewey Lambdin does an excellent job portraying the image of living and working a wooden sailing vessel as well as give a feeling for what it was like in the British navy of the late 1700s. Unlike other authors who use the British navy as a setting for a plot, the author evokes the feeling that you are part of the character and the story is happening to you. The protaganist is a normal young man who was kicked out of the house for being to hard a child to handle (supposedly). Part of the assocoation with the protaganist comes from the down to earth situations he gets himself into. Like any other young 'buck' in his late teens, early twenties, he doesn't always think with his head on his shoulders when he is looking for a good time. This is definately the series for you if you want an honest look at life in the King's navy with the attending comradere, boredom and technical details. It is not for those who feel that thinking/acting like a sex a sex starved young man is unacceptable. I suggest you start reading as early in the series as you can. Start with 'The King's Coat' (if available, it might be out of print), move on through 'The French Admiral', 'The King's Commission', 'The King's Privateer', 'The Gun Ketch' and 'HMS Cockrel'. 'For King and Country' is a trilogy that begins where the protaganist begins to settle down and contains 'The King's Commission', The King's Privateer' and 'The Gun Ketch'. It will be interesting to see how the author handles the young man coming of age. That telling of that kind of transition is what will really determine if the author is as good as he appears to be.