At the Edge of Honor

by Robert N. Macomber

Book Overview

Robert Macomber's Honor series of naval fiction follows the life and career of Peter Wake in the U.S. Navy during the tumultuous years from 1863 to 1901. At the Edge of Honor is the first in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156164272X
• ISBN13: 9781561642724
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Pineapple Press
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 3.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

I'm hooked, I will have to read all the books in the series.

Robert Macomber has woven a tapestry of thought provoking intrigue and verbally painted vivid images that bring the reader directly to the site of historically accurate action. The novel is monumentally documented with meticulous on location personal maritime observations combined with scrutinizing personal profiles and a superb story telling technique. This classic novel of history and intrigue of the sea whets my appetite for more.

Better than O'Brian's Master & Commander

At The Edge of Honor is a great story about the East Gulf Blockading Squadron of the U.S. Navy, based to patrol Florida, Cuba, & the Bahamas during the civil war. The main character of this story is Peter Wake, U.S.N. who gets himself caught up in a pretty good fix; he's in a war on the Union side and is in love with a "Reb"; if the war wasn't trouble enough! Without giving away the story, this book is very well written and is easy to read. You do not need a nautical dictionary to help you read it; as was the case in Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander series. I found this nautical adventure story very interesting on two accounts. First, it is dealing with the U.S. and takes place in nearby US waters, Florida Keys area. Secondly, it is easy to read; nautical terms are very few when compared to other nautical fiction/historical books. I enjoyed this book alot. I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

Great Read

There are two things that I thoroughly enjoyed about this book. First, there just isn't enough written about not just the naval theater during the Civil War, but on routine daily life in the Navy. When we think of naval war, we often imagine life aboard the CSS Alabama or running the gauntlet at Mobile Bay as being the norm during this time frame. In fact, as Bob Macomber very ably demonstrates, many sailors served on smaller vessels, in remote areas, and performed relatively routine duties. In order to understand the Navy experience, it is crucial that we understand what sailors actually did, and Macomber explains this very well and, as a result, fills a niche that otherwise would remain vacant.In addition, he also writes in a manner and format that is very appealling to many who otherwise would not even pay a second thought to the Civil War. Macomber effortlessly intertwines the fiction with the non-fiction so that the entire story flows seemlessly. In some circles, historical fiction is maligned as distorting the truth or not representing historical fact. However, Macomber demonstrates that you can predicate a fictional work on facts and documented history to produce a compelling, enjoyable, and highly educational work. There's a lot to offer a variety of people here, and I would recommend this to both the casual reader as well as the avid Civil War enthusiast.

Neat Nautical Novel - From Florida's Finest

Naval historical novels are rare; those situted around Florida are rarer still. Few know that FL was a WBTS site of battles, etc. Macomber has brought to light the little known, and wrapped it in an appealing work of fiction, apparently one of a series. REAL naval knowledge is obvious -- almost too much so -- I read it with the dictionary beside me. Character development evolves well while scene descriptions evoke a "you are there" feeling. Will Peter Wake regain his Linda? Sure hope so! Want a romantic ending after a super first novel. Kudoes, Sailor Macomber --keep it up. You have us in your preemptive thrall, make us beg for more and keep 'em coming. More dialogue would be nice, but the descriptive passages make up for it. As a friend said, a "Warm Ocean is sure better [and more readable] than a Cold Mountain..." You will have groupies galore, we predict. You make book signings real experiential, complete with "ships-ahoy" cookies to nibble. Throw out the anchor, we've got the lifeline well in hand. And so do you. Martha and Don

Thrilling nautical yarn!

Wonderful new CW novel depicting Florida in the Civil War, a seldom written about perspective of this horrific struggle. Master Peter Wake is all that is heroic, albeit seemingly sometimes to struggle as he learns his way about the US Navy having recently transferred from commercial sailing. The narrative is compelling, characters honest and convincing. The chapter "River of Peace" still has me riveted with the depiction of the river chase and afterwards battle scenes. I wish Master Wake would listen to his superior officer more about "dangerous shoals" when falling in love with Linda! ;-) I look forward to the next novel in the series. Well Done PHP!!