(Book #16 in the Alan Lewrie Series)
Conditions
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
Formats
Conditions
*Best Available: (ex-library)
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
December, 1801. The Peace of Amiens ends the long war with Napoleon Bonaparte's France, but Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, is appalled by its consequences. What is a dashing and successful frigate captain to do with himself ashore on half-pay? And where will Lewrie twiddle his thumbs until the war begins again, as he's sure it will? Rejoin his wife and in-laws who (mostly) despise him like the Devil hates Holy Water, on his rented farm in Surrey? Peace and domesticity are hellish hard on the rakehells
Yet by the spring of 1802, Lewrie and his Caroline have somewhat reconciled and are off to make a go of a second honeymoon--in Paris, France, of all places There, Lewrie finds himself rubbing shoulders with soldiers, spies, and even First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte himself. When Lewrie can't help spurring Napoleon into a "kick-furniture" rage, he and Caroline must flee for their lives.
When war breaks out again in May of 1803, Lewrie has fresh orders, a new frigate, and a chance to punish and pursue the French, but it's no longer for duty or king and country--now it's personal
"The brightest stars in the galaxy of English military historical novels are Forester's Hornblower, Cornwell's Sharpe and Lambdin's Captain Alan Lewrie. In this 16th novel Lewrie rejoins his wife, travels to Paris to meet First Consul Napoleon and engage in just the kind of adventures that Lambdin's fans are eagerly waiting for."
Our often tested hero is smashed to smithereens this time but manages to survive and give promise to better days ahead.
As other commenters have noted, this book is not the place to start with the Lewrie series. There is just too much backstory. That being said, this book is brilliant, easily one of the best Dewey Lambdin has written. There are several tips-of-the-hat to other fictional works set in the Napoleonic era. And the denoument of Lewrie's trip to Paris is a plot twist that promises to take the series in a new direction. A conflict that was professional has now become very, very personal.
I have been reading the Alan Lewrie series since 2003 when I picked up The King's Priviteer at a shop in Tampa, FL while on vacation. Since then, I have been addicted to this series. Most are what I would call very good, with 5 or 6 being truely superb. This installment belongs in the latter. Although the majority of the book takes place on land, the character development that takes place is superb. Our hero picks up a few of his old enemies (what could have possessed him to go to Paris?) and the ending of the intrigue that follows is nothing short of astounding (I NEVER saw it coming). The only reason this is not closer to the top of the list in this series is the naval action, as while it was accurately described and exciting, it almost felt like an anti-climax. Nevertheless, this series ranks as my all-time favorite (sorry Star Wars & Star Trek) & I am allready looking forward to the next installment!
King, ship and swords is a well written book, very well researched as to locations and places in Paris, but I would have preferred another ending at the end of their flight from Paris ahead of Bonaparte's police. Perhaps I would have preferred Lewrie being made to flag rank and raised to a peerage? What now? will Eudoxia come back into the picture? Will his American Indian son show up in London? Or will Lewrie wake up from a bad dream next in bed with Caroline?
