Under Enemy Colors

S. Thomas Russell debuts with `Under Enemy Colors' an age of sail novel set in 1793. Lieutenant Charles Hayden finds himself summoned by the First Secretary of the Navy Philip Stephens who offers him a position aboard the Themis as first lieutenant - with an added duty to file secret reports with Stephens. Hayden reluctantly accepts what he feels are Stephens' somewhat dishonorable demands. Arriving for service he finds a ship in utter disarray under the command of the `shy' tyrant Josiah Hart. Hayden's efforts to set the ship aright are frustrated by the captain and the second lieutenant as much as by a fractious crew. That much the reader learns in the first 50 pages. From there Russell takes the reader along on a rollicking good tale with a stealthy night-time ambuscade, espionage on French soil, sea battles with broadsides and boardings, and a mutiny. For all the action Russell also manages to weave in Hayden's back story (his mother is French), a budding romance, a debate society among the middies, and even an inventor's attempted improvement on the ship's guns. Russell's talents shine as he unfolds the courts martial and accompanying naval intrigue. `Under Enemy Colors' inevitably draws comparison to the tales of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey and Russell relishes the challenge. This reviewer finds himself somewhat surprised, but delighted to report that Russell's Charles Hayden just may be up to the task. Russell at times seems to be in a rush to get his series fully under sail, but perhaps that may be excused by the obvious care and devotion the author gave to writing this book. Russell promises another installment in 2009. Let's hope it fulfills the promise of `Under Enemy Colors', which was just a heck of a lot of fun to read.

S. Thomas Russell has written an exciting, thoughtful and meticulously researched work of Napoleonic era fiction. His hero, twenty-six-year-old Lieutenant Charles Hayden, is an amalgam of Patrick O'Brian's two protagonists: he has the "never mind the maneuvers, just go straight at `em" dash of Jack Aubrey; and the divided conscience of the intellectual half-breed Stephen Maturin. This combination, of course, gets him into dire straights, especially when he is called to serve under a villainous, cowardly and supremely vindictive captain. The author moves easily between the Jane Austen-esque scenes of courtship ashore, to the robust and tense adventures at sea. Russell does not shy away from the barbarity of war--blood and bowels are strewn across decks with shocking realism. And the hero (as well as his young protégé, Midshipman Lord Arthur Wickham) must face the gut-wrenching consequences of their actions, including a disastrous spying foray into enemy territory and an attack on a French ship that results in horrendous carnage. Russell has the beginnings of a great new series here. Under Enemy Colors starts in 1793--a dozen years before The Battle of Trafalgar--at the beginning of what we now refer to as The Napoleonic Wars. I can't wait to see how Hayden and young Wickham (aged sixteen) grow over the course of the series. I wish the next book was already written, because I'd go out and buy it immediately. N. Smith, author of Stolen from Gypsies.

In 1793 the hostilities between France and England leaves some people with divided loyalties. For instance, Royal Navy Lieutenant Charles Saunders Hayden is the offspring of an English father and a French mother although he does his duty with honor in support of England and the crown. However, being half-French makes his chances for promotions nil and his loyalty questioned; his superior officers distrust him in spite of his proven record. Denied once again a promotion he earned, he is assigned as the first lieutenant to the frigate Themis; commanded by Captain Josiah "Faint" Hart, who got and kept his job due to political connections at the highest level of the Admiralty in spite of being an incompetent and a coward. Hayden is stunned by the Themis being closer to mothball shape rather than in war condition and the crew appears ready to jump ship. As combat with the French is imminent, Hart wants to sail away, but needing a fall guy openly tears into Hayden accusing him of being a French enemy combatant of England. This late eighteenth century military thriller grips the audience with its insightful look at war at sea. Charles is fantastic protagonist who keeps the exciting story line together as a victim of bias and inferior superior officers who got their position due to connections; even in 1793 political hacks are given technical leadership jobs so that when a crisis occurs they can fail and blame others. Historical readers will cherish this strong naval saga with vivid sea battles, strong characterizations, and a deep sense of time and place with the reminder that those who ignore history repeat the mistakes of the past. Harriet Klausner

S. Thomas Russell has written a wonderfully descriptive novel of life in the Royal Navy, painting his pictures skillfully with his choice of words. Having spent a career at sea, I appreciated the excellent story telling, whether the tale was about the environment aboard, or the sea, or the skies, or the relationships that happen in shipboard life. Add to the basic story line intrigue and how "connections" and skillful manipulation of the truth can risk the men, both in their careers, their reputations and physically. Once I got past the first few chapters of character development, the story became a fast paced read, full of surprises and twists, all of which are easily read as the real outcomes to the events taking place. The characters are a good study in themselves, and by the time you have reached the end of the novel, you know them well for their demeanor and attributes. Worth the time to read, and it leaves lots of "sea room" for more to come in a series!

A good start to a new series! This is more of a character-driven novel rather than an action-oriented book with almost non-stop sea battles. There are fighting and battles, to be sure, but in this book, as in real life at that time, the great majority of a naval officer's time was spent dealing with shipboard life rather than in sea battles. The writing is surprisingly good. I was reminded of Stachel's comment to his squadron commander in The Blue Max when asked about his ability, and so as not to seem boastful he replies "I'm comfortable in the air". Russell is obviously "comfortable" with words and sentences--or think of a veteran sailor in a small boat on a rough sea being "comfortable" on the water. Too many authors, including too many best-selling authors, are not comfortable with words and sentences--these authors almost regard them as an enemy--and the labored writing style is often masked with violent action or other plot devices. Russell's writing seems completely unlabored, and the characters are well-drawn, the dialogue believable, and there's a wealth on naval minutae to work with. It should come as a surprise to no one that influence and interests weighed very heavily with the Admiralty. Men of little ability could, with friends and family in proper places, rise to levels far above what they deserved or could handle--merit played a minimal role. The hero, Hayden, is without influence, and must serve under a cowardly bully who has influence to spare. Flogging captains and mutinous crews are popular plot elements in naval fiction. But the classic case of this was anything but fictional: Hugh Pigot of the Hermione (see Dudley Pope's excellent nonfictional account The Black Ship). Bligh, by contrast, might seem tender-hearted. There's a good court-martial and the usual romance. I might note a couple of things. First, in most naval fiction, the author likes his or her protagonist to protagonize, so to speak. The hero should direct the action rather than be an also-ran. This means that the hero must almost always be the captain (or acting captain) of a smallish ship (frigate or smaller) involved in independent action--which gives the hero an ability to shine. Think of Cochrane, the model for most protagonists in naval fiction. Being captain of a 74 in a fleet under the command of an admiral gives less scope for the hero to control the action. Likewise, being 3rd mate on any ship is not a popular place for a hero. Even in the early Hornblower stories, it seems that most of the time Hornblower was busy taking prizes back to port and thus in command. I'm grateful for the fine Lewrie series by Dewey Lambdin where in the early novels Lewrie is a low-level player literally learning the ropes ("kissing the gunner's daughter" sounded appealing to him!). So I hope Russell has prequels--several prequels--about Hayden's earlier career. The second thing I'm not comfortable with here is the ship's surgeon who is addressed as "Doc