The King's Privateer

The war with the American Colonies is over, so what's a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy without a ship supposed to do? Well, if you're Alan Lewrie, who was forced to sea at 17 and have now been set up fairly well with a decent income and a nice place in London and still have the raging hormones of a young man who was cooped up aboard ship for months (or even years) on end, you're going to be having a lot of fun amongst the ladies. Unfortunately, Alan is caught in bed by an enraged (and socially powerful) husband and needs to get out of town fast. Fortunately, an assignment comes from the Admiralty--to be fourth lieutenant on a ship that is unofficially Navy, on a secret mission to the Far East in order to hunt down French-led pirates. Even in the boring time between wars, Alan Lewrie gets up to plenty of adventures, on land and at sea, leaving not a dull moment. This one starts with quite a lot of time on land (hey, it IS peace-time), but then we get more sea action and adventure than one could wish for, with great descriptions of battles and a real feel for the dangers and lives at stake. And we get to explore the ports of India and China along with Alan. I am increasingly enjoying this series. Alan, as a hero, is a good mix of amusing flaws (that lead to lots of adventures), with a core of basic decency (so that we want to cheer him on) and with the skills and instincts of a true leader, almost despite himself. And after three previous books (THE KING'S COAT, THE FRENCH ADMIRAL, THE KING'S COMMISSION), things continue to be fresh, with new places to explore, different situations, even more intense battles and action... and with the characters developing well and becoming more interesting. I'm greatly looking forward to reading the next book!

For sheer feel, this is the best of the Lewrie lot. Lewrie alternates between rage and panic and indecision, just like real people.By going far afield the writer helps to highlight some of the less-known aspects of the interwar period 1783-1794.This time we managed to avoid the pornographic blow-by-blows of Lewrie's rutting with non-white women, though the smut remains while he's in England.Overall the series is a disappointment.

Lambdin continues to extract the very best and most accurate of detail from the 18th century naval services. The technical detail exceeds C.S. Forester's excellent works and the ever-too-common human characteristics of the lead character are as real today as then. This series is a must for readers who seek to understand what it was like to sail at seven knots, live, and die in the pre-industrial age of sea power. R.S. Carnes, CAPT, U.S. Navy

I certainly hope that [email protected] is wrong about no new books being planned in this series. I just found Lewrie/Lambdin recently and certainly hope that they both go on for a long, long time. I am trying to read Mr. Lambdin's books in order, and I have just finished The Gun Ketch. In his remarks about the future of Lt Lewrie, Mr. Lambdin suggests that he does certainly have one. And I note that two books are printing in 1997. H.M.S. Cockerel and A King's Commander. This is a super series for lovers of the great age of sail - the tall ships. And the author has created a hero, however devilish, that is human and likable. This is really good stuff.

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 likea 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.