Sharpe's Company (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #13)

Book Description

Looming on the border of Portugal and Spain is the fortress of Badajoz. To lead an assault on its thick, sheer walls and battlements is suicide, yet Richard Sharpe must lead one. Inside the walls are his wife and daughter, and only he can save them. Outside is the misshapen, vengeance-crazed Sergeant Obadiah Haskewill, a man determined to kill Sharpe. Sharpe knows that in the heat of battle only the cold steel of his battered sword and the ruthless bloodlust of a soldier at war will protect him from the danger of both sides. Third in a series taking Sharpe all the way to Waterloo.

"Consistently exciting...these are wonderful novels." (Stephen King)

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To stem the Napoleonic tide, Sharpe must capture a fortress-where his wife and infant daughter are trapped-while protecting himself from a fellow officer determined to destroy him. "The world may have a new literary hero. His name is Richard Sharpe."-Philadelphia Inquirer "A masterful blend of fiction and historical detail."-Newsday

Customer Reviews:

Another good Sharpe book.......2007-07-13

In the early months of 1812, Wellington led his army to French-occupied Spain. Captain Richard Sharpe participates in the storming of the fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. The siege of Badajoz is bloody for the British army. They failed twice before and now Wellington wants the fortress at any cost. As Wellington moves on Badajoz, a new Colonel and a new Captain arrive from England and the command of Sharpe's Light Company has been given to this new Captain who bought the promotion. Sergeant Hakeswill, who is ruthless, cruel, indestructible and Sharpe's oldest and toughest enemy also joins the company. Hakeswill could do anything to terrorise everyone in the company, including Sharpe and Harper. Sharpe desperately fights for his company, and for Teresa, the woman he loves and with her is Antonia, their daughter, both blocked in the besieged city of Badajoz.

Again, Mr Cornwell did an excellent job in Sharpe's company. I would highly recommend this book to any Cornwell fan and any history buff.

A high-water mark in the Rifleman Sharpe series.......2007-03-06

Bernard Cornwell's series of Sharpe novels has delighted countless readers over the years. Cornwell is (famously or infamously, depending on your perspective) writing these novels out of historical sequence, so even though while "Sharpe's Company" is in the middle of the Sharpe series chronologically, it is among the earliest books Cornwell wrote about Wellington's favorite rogue. And it is easily among Cornwell's best books ever - thrilling, ghastly, funny, and with perhaps Cornwell's greatest villain, Obadiah Hakeswill.

[Full disclosure - I read "Sharpe's Company" after reading the terribly disappointing "Hannibal Rising," and have Cornwell up on a bit of a pedestal right now. A gushing review follows.]

Like all soldiers from the stews of London, born without name or wealth, Richard Sharpe started life in the British army as a lowly private. While serving with Lord Wellington (then merely Colonel Wellesley), Sharpe had the misfortune of serving under Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, a grossly fat and evil man who knows that he cannot die - he even survived a hanging! Taking an instant hatred to Sharpe, Hakeswill has Sharpe flogged in events chronicled in Cornwell's "India Trilogy," a sub-set of the Sharpe novels. Sharpe swears revenge and thinks he has killed Hakeswill off . . . only to have the insane Sergeant return in "Sharpe's Company."

Hakeswill is the kind of man who will trump up flogging charges on a soldier in order extort sexual favors from the soldier's desperate wife . . . and then kill her and frame her husband. Truly evil, Hakeswill's love for rape is only matched by his hatred of Sharpe. So what happens when Hakeswill comes across Sharpe's lover, the gorgeous partisan Teresa? He must have her, both to possess her beauty and to ruin Sharpe.

And also, what is to happen when Sharpe finds himself demoted when a wealthier man buys his Captaincy and Hakeswill is put in charge of the 95th Rifles? A mere Lieutenant, Sharpe still outranks Hakeswill, but just barely. This gives Hakeswill the opportunity to ruin the Rifles, the only other thing Sharpe holds as dear as Teresa.

Things are dire enough for Sharpe, what with the return of the mad, gibbering Sergeant. But he must also contend with Wellington's siege of Badajoz, perhaps the most impregnable French-held fort in all of Spain. Even the redoubtable Major Hogan despairs of British boots ever getting inside that mountain of rock and guns. And yet Sharpe must lead men inside, if not only for his honor and to earn his Captain's bars, but also to save Teresa and his new-born daughter, Antonia, who live inside the fortress.

Cornwell writes a battle scene as well as anyone, and he has never been in finer form than with his description of the horrific siege. Perhaps shockingly for a proud Brit, Cornwell pulls no punches at the terrible crimes committed by the British soldiers once they crack open those walls - the robberty, rape and murder of the innocents is one of the most depressing passages you will ever read.

For high adventure, slightly leavened with comedy, you will not find anything better than "Sharpe's Company." Read these novels in order - don't start with this book, because the characters will make much more sense if you have the entire back-story.

A Great Series.......2006-08-15

This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.

Many people insist in compare this series with Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. I don't think this is fair for any of the series, they are different entities. What they have in common is that once you start you may get hooked and devour one book after another...

And in the literary world today that is a rare and marvelous thing.

Hawkeswill kills everything including this book.......2006-08-11

I've eagerly poured through this great series, but was sorely disappointed to see a re-appearance of Sgt. Hawkeswill. His presence ads nothing to this book, other than a great unbelievable diversion.

Sharpe mutters about his life-long desire to kill his arch nemesis Sgt. Hawkeswill at least every 200 pages of every book in the series. Then Sharpe, who has not hesitated to kill before, finds Hawkeswill alone in a barn raping his wife, and then decides to let him go?????? This is the same man that murdered 500 innocent people just so he could leave a city, and now he suddenly wants an honorable public death for for his arch enemy??? Cornwell has made Hawkeswill into the ultimate evil nemesis, and he is just too evil and too lucky to be believed. Having Hawkeswill again and again dance around Sharpe and his friend Sgt. Harper makes Sharpe's other exploits all that more unbelievable. How could anyone that is so easily fooled by the insane Hawkeswill accomplish all the heroics described in this and other books? Here is a guy that tracked one enemy through mountains, rivers, etc. for weeks, just for beating him up, but when he finds Hawkeswill raping his wife (for the second time), threating to kill his child, after Hawkeswill has already killed his good friend Cpt. Knowles, and had Sgt. Harper flogged and demoted, he lets Hawkeswill jump out the window without even a chase???? The Sharpe character wanders all over the place from a vile evil killing machine to a goof-balled mush-mellon.

Fortunately, we have not had to contend with Hawkeswill for a long time in the series, and hopefully we will not see him again.

One of the better Sharpe novels.......2006-04-01

"Sharpe's Company" is one of the better books in the Sharpe series with a mostly convincing plot, a geniunely interesting series of complications for our hero Richard Sharpe to deal with (including a demotion, the birth of a daughter and the return of the evil Sgt. Hakeswill) and some really terrific battle scenes.

If you've read any of the Sharpe in India "prequel" novels ("Sharpe's Tiger," "Sharpe's Triumph" and "Sharpe's Fortress"), this is an especially rewarding book because of the return of Sharpe's old nemesis Hakeswill.

While a great adventure yarn, the book isn't quite perfect. As some previous reviewers have noted, there are a few contrived lapses in the way the characters behave, particularly the failure of the normally aggressive Sharpe to quickly and cleanly end his Hakeswill problem. But, if you've read the Sharpe in India prequels, you're likely to just see this as an ongoing weakness of Sharpe, who tended to do things in India such as force Hakeswill into a snake pit and then walk off without ensuring that the snakes actually finished off Hakeswill. (If I wanted to get all literary, I could possibly account for this by spinning out some psychological theory about Hakeswill's role as a distorted father figure for the orphaned Sharpe, but, hey, this really isn't *that* kind of historical novel ...)

Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence

Average customer rating:

Good Anecdotes but Too Many Editing Errors, OK 3.5
A Different Point of View
A Worthy Addition to Any War of 1812 Library
Great book
War of 1812 - Victim of Poor Scholarship?

Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence
A.J. Langguth
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743226186

Book Description

In A. J. Langguth's classic Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution, he brought to life leaders from the generation of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in all of their complexity, with their great strengths and human frailties. In Union 1812, those men appear again, tempered now by age and new responsibilities.

James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, must decide whether to go to war again only thirty years after the American Revolution.

Washington, Adams, and Jefferson had all made major concessions to avoid entangling their young and divided nation in new battles with Europe. But the War Hawks, aggressive congressmen from the South and West, are demanding that Madison take action to uphold America's honor against Great Britain.

In this gripping narrative of the second and final war of independence, Madison leads an unprepared nation into a struggle that will establish the United States as a major world power and stake its claim to the entire continent.

As the war begins, the U.S. Navy consists of seventeen oceangoing ships; the British fleet numbers seven hundred. Nor is the country united in its will to win. Governors in New England are refusing to call out their militia, while mobs attack antiwar newspaper editors in Baltimore in a violent repetition of the Boston Massacre.

Dramatic scenes range across the world, from vicious fighting on the frontier -- one British officer compares the hand-to-hand combat with the savagery of bulldogs -- to Dolley Madison's elegant receptions at the executive mansion and the wrangling among America's peace delegates in Belgium at Ghent.

Before the outcome is decided, the war will have engulfed land and sea, with a disastrous U.S. defeat at Detroit and epic naval campaigns on the Great Lakes. After the Americans sack Toronto, the British retaliate by burning the White House and the Capitol and laying siege with their rockets to Fort McHenry.

Finally, two and a half years of bloodshed and botched strategies culminate in the spectacular battle of New Orleans.

The heroes of Patriots are joined here by dozens of the most colorful and enduring characters from America's past: not only the diminutive and brilliant Madison and the statuesque Dolley, but also Sam Houston and Davy Crockett, Oliver Perry and Stephen Decatur, the great Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh, and four legendary men who will follow Madison into the White House -- James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Quincy Adams, and the triumphant hero Andrew Jackson.

For too long, the War of 1812 has been ignored or misunderstood. Union 1812 thrillingly illustrates why it must take its place as one of the defining moments in American history.

Customer Reviews:

Good Anecdotes but Too Many Editing Errors, OK 3.5.......2007-10-09

One of the major problems with this book (give it a C+) is that it doesn't seem that the editor had a strong grasp of the subject. As an aside, the book is dedicated to the editor by the author (maybe they both need help). Other reviewers have mentioned mistakes, here is another: in the text a general in 1813 is referred to as "Military Governor of Ohio Territory" ; Ohio was admitted to the Union in 1803.

This is not the only time that the states and territories are mixed up or that placement is wrong. During the description of the Battle of New Orleans, he mentions a ship sailing 'down' the Mississippi (south) and then firing at the British on the east bank with their starboard guns. Any sailor will tell you that you have to be facing north to fire your starboard guns in an easterly direction. Of course the boat could have been turned around, but why? Sure it's a little picky, but that's what history is about.

He does do a good job of entertaining us with anecdotes that add to our knowledge of many of the 'Founding Fathers', but it doesn't make up for the mistakes on so many of the other stories. That's another point that I would like to make. The book reads like a compendium of the works of many writers, and not the seamless work of one author. Could it be possible that some of his helpers and researchers did a 'little' of the writing? See for yourself.

A Different Point of View.......2007-07-21

"To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World" by Arthur Herman.

Read this for a more balanced view of this cowardly war Mr. Madison declared on Great Britain when she was fighting for survival against the French (and Spain at times) under Napoleon.
Madison's objective, aided and abetted by "it will be a walk over" Jefferson was an opportunistic war of aggression to occupy Canada (and Florida) -but his forces were decisively repulsed and routed by Loyalist forces.
Sound familiar?

Canada remained a free country as it wished to be and did not become a colony of the USA as Madison wished.
All the rest of his reasons (impressment etc.) were propaganda to get popular US support for this illegal act and actually disappeared as issues when Napoleon was first defeated.
Pointedly most New England States sensibly did not participate as they were anxious to preserve their lucrative trade with Great Britain in supplies needed (lumber etc.) to fight Napoleon.
This shameful episode in American history, siding with the megalomaniac Napoleon, was eventually settled by the Treaty of Ghent, not in battle, after Napoleon's exile to Elba and before his escape and subsequent defeat by Wellington at Waterloo.
The battle of New Orleans took place after the peace treaty had been signed and played absolutely no role in the outcome.
Also Perry wasn't fighting a British 'fleet' but a detached squadron of small vessels. His grandiose account of the action lends itself well for a Hollywood movie.

The US did not achieve any of its objectives - so who won? Certainly not the United States!
A second war of independence? - I don't think so!

But I guess the title will sell books - more bad history in print!

A Worthy Addition to Any War of 1812 Library.......2007-07-01

I just finished A. J. Langguth's Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence. This is the sequel to Langguth's excellent 1991 Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution, and is written in the same style. Instead of being a solid historical narrative, it instead focuses on individuals and their contributions to the subject. In this instance, it addresses the American politicians and soldiers who brought about and fought the War of 1812. While this is an interesting and novel approach, it means that there are large gaps in the coverage of the conflict. As just one example, there is no coverage of some of the important land battles such as Lundy's Lane. Langguth focuses on the great Indian leader Tecumseh, who played a critical role in the War of 1812, and was killed in battle while fighting alongside the British. Tecumseh was a born and charismatic leader who earned the respect of friend and foe, including his arch enemy, William Henry Harrison. While I've read a few books on the War of 1812 over the years, I've never seen one that addresses it from the perspective of the political and military leaders of the United States. The focus on Tecumseh, who was definitely an American legend, is particularly interesting because it focuses on the role that the Indians played, and the fact that they entered into a marriage of convenience with the British in the hope of regaining the lands that they lost to the white settlers.

Langguth is a journalist by training, and he's a terrific writer. The book is very well written, with an easy, flowing style. At the same time, I did find the fact that the book jumps aroudn quite a bit to be a bit frustrating and disconcerting, as it emphasizes the gaps in the coverage of the book. The book suffers from a paucity of maps, and, as pointed out above, there are some significant gaps in the coverage of the war itself. Having said that, it's a novel and unique approach to a forgotten conflict, and Langguth does a good job of building his case that the War of 1812 was really just an extension of the American Revolution. He also makes an interesting and persuasive argument that the Civil War was a direct result of the conflicts that emerged from the War of 1812, including the tension between north and south.

This was an enjoyable and worthwhile read, and one I recommend undertaking. It's a worthy addition to any War of 1812 library.

Great book.......2007-05-16

Although I am only about a third of the way this is a great book. I finished the book 1776 by David McCullough and then started Union 1812. I highly recommend this book because it is an excellent read.

War of 1812 - Victim of Poor Scholarship?.......2007-04-09

The history of 1812 research is filled with amateur and mundane attempts at scholarship. This important period in the young Republic's history has seemly become the hobby-horse of retired military persons, presidents and those looking to make a name with their pen. Because of the lack of serious scholarship, this period of American history has suffered and largely been overlooked. A.J. Langguth's, UNION-1812 asserts itself prominently in a long line of disappointments.
Much of the book is dedicated to the events leading up to the war. The political atmosphere in the nascent US is extensively covered. This highly readable account of the sometimes very confusing world of early American politics, is one of the books few redeeming qualities.
After the exhausting coverage of the political climate in pre war America,the book becomes somewhat convoluted, and at times grossly inaccurate. Mr. Langguth's scholarship is called into question on more than a one occasion. As other reviewers have pointed out, he mistakenly labels Clark, President Jefferson's personal secretary.In fact it was M. Lewis, a family friend. While this factual error could be taken as a proofing mistake, other such errors cannot be. In a chapter about Oliver H. Perry, the author describes Perry's return to shipbuilding at Erie with "the British Brig Caledonia, three schooners, and a sloop that had been seized the previous year but penned up in the harbor by the guns of Ft. George." (p245). Anyone familiar with the Niagara area will be amused at the authors' lack of attachment with the material he is presenting. Between Ft. George and Erie, PA (where Perry Built the Lake Erie Fleet) lies Niagara Falls. It must have been a truly Herculean task to get a Brig up the falls.
UNION-1812 leaves the reader wanting and wishing for a well researched, accurate portrayal of this important period in American History

The Fortune of War (Aubrey Maturin Series)

Average customer rating:

Lucky Jack Aubrey takes a back seat to Maturin as War of 1812 breaks out
Best in the Series!
. . . Aubrey & Maturin delayed in Boston- their adventure home continues
The Fortune of War
Another Strong Outing

The Fortune of War (Aubrey Maturin Series)
Patrick O'Brian
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393308138

Amazon.com

This time it's the War of 1812 that gets in the way of Captain Jack Aubery's plans. Caught en route to England in a dispatch vessel, Aubrey and Maturin are soon in the thick of a typically bloody naval engagement. Next stop: an American prison, from which only Maturin's cunning allows them to engineer an exit.

Book Description

Read by Tim Pigott-Smith
Three Cassettes, Approx. 5 hours

The 6th novel in Patrick O'Brian's hugely successful Aubrey/Maturin Series

Captain Jack Aubrey, R.N.,arrives in the Dutch East Indies to find himself appointed to the command of the fastest and best-armed frigate in the navy. He and his friend Stephen Maturin take passage for England in a dispatch vessel. But the War of 1812 breaks out while they are en route. Bloody actions precipitate them both into new and unexpected scenes where Stephen's past activities as a secret agent return on hime with a vengance.

Customer Reviews:

Lucky Jack Aubrey takes a back seat to Maturin as War of 1812 breaks out.......2006-10-31

For the first five novels in Patrick O'Brian's hallowed Aubrey-Maturin series, Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey was the swashbuckling hero and Dr. Stephen Maturin was the mysterious sidekick. Thanks to O'Brian's wonderful prose, this balance worked exceedingly well.

And yet, there was always a sense that there was more to the surgeon-spy Maturin than O'Brian was letting on . . . that he was more than a sidekick, but a serious player in his own right. Of course, this was slightly undercut with Maturin's hilarious inability to master even the most rudimentary elements of the seafaring life, but you still knew that Maturin had a courageous, dashing heart to go with his naturalist's brain.

In "The Fortune of War," Maturin shoves his way to the fore and Captain Aubrey is more or less sidelined with a grevious wound to his sword arm. The War of 1812 has broken out, and the British navy experiences some shocking defeats at the hands of the heretofore contemptible American navy. Eventually, Aubrey and Maturin find themselves going broadside-to-broadside with the Americans, but perhaps since Aubrey is not in command of his vessel (Aubrey and Maturin being saved from certain death after their ship sinks in a fiery accident), Aubrey is forced to watch his ship strike its colors.

Maturin and Aubrey are brought to Boston as prisoners of war, and while Aubrey convalesces, Maturin dives pell-mell back into his life as a spy. Boston is a city of intrigues, and Maturin's history as a spy plays havoc with his attempts to free himself, Aubrey, and the lovely Diane Villiers. Maturin gets to demonstrate that he's got a bit of super secret agent in him, and many readers will be shocked at the violent means Maturin often uses to achieve his ends. He's a far cry from the non-violent physician he is often assumed to be!

Perhaps spending more time on land than any book in the series so far, "The Fortune of War" still offers thrills and escapades galore. For fans of this series, this novel is not to be missed.

Best in the Series!.......2006-06-06

This one has it all! Romantic tension, exploding ships, climactic battle scenes, and (my favorite) ingrigue! The characters, are at their most Jack-and-Stephenesque. O'Brian manages to fit more meaning and emotion into a single simple sentence than any author since Austen and he manages to fit more events into this book than many of his others. Anyone who has gotten this far in the series doesn't need me to urge them to read this one, but I couldn't help but sing its praises.

. . . Aubrey & Maturin delayed in Boston- their adventure home continues.......2006-04-19

"The Fortune of War" continues where "Desolation Island" left the readers hanging in Patrick O'Brian's previous novel. But rather than being rescued and safe, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are taken out of the frying pan and put in the fire. Whether it is an exploding ship heading home, the pummeling broadsides of the USS Constitution, or the clutches of the fledgling American intelligence network; Patrick O'Brian gives his famous and beloved protagonists almost more than they can handle.

Aubrey and Maturin spend the majority of this novel as prisoners of war in Boston, while the War of 1812 continues a series of great victories for the newly founded American Navy. Aubrey, severely wounded, is more of an auxiliary character in this novel, and Stephen Maturin comes fully into the foreground as the main protagonist attempting to save his friends. Diana Villiers also returns to the series, and Maturin must deal with his feelings for her in addition to the American agent with whom she is currently associating. The great intelligence coup Maturin achieved in the previous novel has returned to haunt him, as his powerful enemies close in on all sides. . .

This novel is great spy adventure set in Boston, and contains two very well written historical engagements with America's new fleet of frigates- the USS Constitution and the Chesapeake. As a patriotic American, it was a challenging read, as my two favorite literary characters would have been my adversaries if I had been their contemporaries. However, O'Brian writes this story with a well balanced eye to this conflict of interests between the British and American people. Additionally, I have to give a shout out to the USS Constitution, as I am a member of its honorific namesake in the modern American Army- the 1st Armored Division "Old Ironsides", and have spent some great times in her city of origin, & where she can be seen today: Boston. The one drawback of this story is that it has a substantive portion of the adventure on land. Granted, it is still a great story and very well written, but the magic of journeying across the wild and untamed ocean is not present.

While not the best of the Aubrey/Maturin series; I am always eager for more action at sea, "The Fortune of War" is very readable and enjoyable. It is also essential to read in order as the second installment of the first miniseries within O'Brian's larger story arc. Make sure you start with "Desolation Island" first.

The Fortune of War.......2005-06-28

This is the sixth volume in the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.
In the first (Master & Commander) I was exposed to a new language and the nautical terms were a bit of a mystery, but now after reading the first six books I am addicted to O'Brian's "voice", style and masterful story telling. I finished this book while on vacation and the ending left me eager to pick up the next one in the series; alas, I had to wait for my return to "civililization" to find #7. This is character development at its best and O'Brian must be among the finest authors of action/adventure novels, especially of the Napoleonic wars era.

Another Strong Outing.......2004-10-12

This is the sixth volume in the Aubrey/Maturin series, and focusses on the War of 1812 - although less than a third of the way through the series, we are now getting quite late in the Napoleonic Wars. The story continues the same voyage from 'Desolation Island', and the events and characters of that book are significant. So it's advisable to read that prior to this, even if you don't read all of the five prequels.

Two naval battles and a desperate longboat voyage are featured, but the heart of the story is Aubrey and Maturin as POWs in Boston, where Maturin's past spying activities are coming back to haunt him. This part of the story is done very well.

The principal complaint is one that applies to all the books in this series, so at least readers will be used to it by now. The books are loaded with contemporary naval terms and slang which O'Brian never stops to explain, leaving the reader to spend almost as much time at sea as the heroes.

The series is generally strong on historical authenticity, but an earlier revewer complains that this volume is an exception. I suspect that is so; from my own knowledge of the War of 1812, the close Franco-American alliance which is portrayed in this book, while it would have made political sense, never really existed. Such errors are unfortunate in an author who normally avoids them, but they didn't spoil the story for me.

The Far Side of the World (Aubrey Maturin Series)

Average customer rating:

Unexpected plot twists and delightful travelogue make this my favorite O'Brian novel so far
O'Brian is one of the great treasures in modern literature
good book--disappointed with edition
A Fascinating, Fun Read!
Captain Aubrey Sails for the South Pacific and Galapagos

The Far Side of the World (Aubrey Maturin Series)
Patrick O'Brian
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393308626

Amazon.com

Captain Jack Aubrey sets sail for Cape Horn, determined to intercept an American frigate before it can wreak havoc on the British whaling trade. As always, he is accompanied by intelligence operative Stephen Maturin, and as always, Aubrey has no idea of what his companion is up to. Another impeccably written adventure, by the end of which you should be able to identify a mizzen topsail in your sleep.

Book Description

Now available in an attractive movie-tie-in jacket for the release of the motion picture Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World starring Russell Crowe: "A world of enchanting fictional surfaces."—John Bayley, New York Review of Books.

Jack Aubrey, a brilliant and fearless captain in Nelson's navy, accepts a mission that will test his abilities to the limit: he is to set sail immediately for Cape Horn, to intercept a powerful frigate intent on wreaking havoc among British whalers. Aubrey's beloved ship, HMS Surprise, is up to the task, but many of her sailors are untried. Aubrey's confidant, ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, has orders of his own in the world of secret intelligence. As the Surprise and her crew draw closer to the enemy, their journey grows ever more dangerous: murder, shipwreck, and a desperate rescue attempt await them in the far reaches of the Pacific.

Customer Reviews:

Unexpected plot twists and delightful travelogue make this my favorite O'Brian novel so far.......2007-04-14

I am working through Patrick O'Brian's famed Aubrey-Maturin series in order, and am both proud and sad to say that I've reached the midway point with Book 10, "The Far Side of the World." But it is without reservation that I say that this is my favorite novel in the series so far.

Part of that enjoyment stems directly from my enjoyment of first nine books in this series - this is not an example of one sterling novel in a series of sub-par efforts. Rather, I appreciate "Far Side" for the new directions where O'Brian is willing to take the characters he has established so well.

The first nine novels can be safely broken down into "Aubrey novels" or "Maturin novels". The "Aubrey novels" have plots that follow the personality of Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey - they are action packed, with taut sea-chases and horrific broadsides. "Master & Commander" and "The Mauritius Command" fall into that category. The "Maturin novels," on the other hand, focus their plots on Dr. Stephen Maturin and his spy-games. "The Surgeon's Mate" is one of these novels. While all the novels feature the classic O'Brian love of language, their plots tended to focus on one over the other.

"Far Side" takes a new tack, as in this novel Aubrey is charged with tracking down an American frigate, the "Norfolk," that is harrassing British whalers in the Pacific. So there is lots of sailing - they have to get to the Far Side of the World, after all. O'Brian reveals himself as a travel writer of surpassing skill as he describes the wild sights that enchant the naturalist Maturin, including the Galapagos Islands. For the nature-lovers in O'Brian's cast of characters, the thought of spying a new type of beetle is just as romantic a notion as encountering a pod of eighty-ton sperm whales.

In addition to some spectacular travel writing, O'Brian musters up fights, murder, mayhem, shipwrecks, and even the sub-plot of Aubrey and Maturin winding up lost at sea, only to be rescued by seafaring Polynesian/Amazonians. The novel twists and turns, but always seems both plausible and restrained. Look for a lot of humor and touch-and-go action in this novel, and the novel's conclusion is highly satisfying and yet leaves one panting for Book 11, "The Reverse of the Medal."

Be warned - despite its title, this is not the sole O'Brian novel that was used to make the fantastic Peter Weir movie, "Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World." That movie borrowed several plots and ideas from many different novels in the entire series - you will surely recognize some of them in this book, but not all. For fans of the movie, this is a good thing - it will encourage you to read all the other novels as well. And you will be glad you did.

O'Brian is one of the great treasures in modern literature.......2007-01-10

Give these stories a chance! I credit the recent film "Master & Commander" with making the O'Brian series more accessible. One of the best films I have ever seen, it provided a visual context for me when I read the Aubrey/Maturin books. Though the film departs quite a bit for good reason from "The Far Side of the World", I thoroughly enjoyed the book and O'Brian's style of writing. Especially memorable for me was the unorthodox method O'Brian applied for conclusion of the book. Victory is in the air, and he dispenses with the need to drag the book out unnecessarily. Brilliant and revelatory to me!

good book--disappointed with edition.......2006-11-05

My husband LOVES this series of books, and has been collecting them. The newer addition (post 1992) had covers like you can see in the online picture, and the neat thing about them is that when you put the bindings of the series together, it forms a picture. Unfortunately, we thought we were ordering the same edition (that's what it says in the information about the book), and we received this book in the old edition, which does not match. Needless to say, my husband was disappointed. But I would definitely recommend the series.

A Fascinating, Fun Read!.......2006-08-25

The Far Side of the World was my first foray into author Patrick O'Brian's epic series of Napoleon-era novels detailing the exploits and adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and I'm happy to say it won't be my last!

The story, set in 1812, is this: Captain Aubrey, also known as `Lucky Jack' for his good fortune on the seas, is assigned to hunt down and destroy, or take as a prize, the American frigate Norfolk, which has been attacking British whaling ships in the Pacific. After assembling his regular crew and selecting some newer members to fill vacancies left by promotions, the HMS Surprise sets out under Aubrey's command. Along the way, he and his faithful companion, Stephen Maturin, an intelligence officer and ship's doctor, face a series of challenges and incidents (a cheating wife, a murder, a vicious storm, an incident with men overboard and, believe it or not, an encounter with a tribe of deadly Amazonian women!) that threaten to end their voyage and their lives.

From the first sentence, it was clear that The Far Side of the World was not going to read like the `cinematic Big Macs' of today's popular fiction (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Immediately dropping us into the action, that opening sentence sets up a whirlwind of events that are already in progress in a prose style that is more reminiscent of actual novels of the 1800s than of today's popular fiction. Moreover, while some things are explained, it is generally taken for granted that we know the ins an outs of life on a ship, the terminology, the past relationships among the crew members and the general history of the time. As much as I felt that, because of all the references, I wasn't quite getting everything out of the book that I could have been, I simply chose to continue onward without worrying and in the end, I feel that that approach (for someone not familiar with the series nor with the sea) worked well and paid off. The events that transpire in and of themselves prove to be so interesting and fun that it didn't bother me at all - the book simply hooked me.

The story is not necessarily as exciting as it is fascinating. Readers who pick up The Far Side of the World expecting it to be like the movie will be disappointed. The film, while very faithful to the characters, some of the incidents, and most importantly the spirit of the book, has a feeling of full speed ahead that builds as the story progresses. The book, on the other hand, is more about one interesting incident simply following another, with not too much linking these events beyond that they happen on the same ship and on the same mission. Once Aubrey and his crew put to sea, some readers might even say that the story begins to cool off as it meanders from incident to incident and toward it's twist of a conclusion.

While in some respects I can agree that the book is paced, shall we say *patiently*, I found O'Brian's realistic, slice-of-naval-life approach far more fascinating and involving than anything that I was expecting after having seen the film version. I was fascinated by the details of the way things worked on the ship, the relationships between the crewmembers and how they reacted to the challenges that they faced. Most of all, though, I was fascinated by the feeling that everything was as it happened in 1812. It was obvious by the rich detail and painstaking research that must have gone into Far Side of the World that the author was absolutely in love with the sea, in love with the time period and in love with the Surprise and her crewmembers. I think that love of the sea translates into a lot of enjoyment for the reader and is what really carries the book so well when the story slows. Those willing to give the book a chance will find it to be in it's own way every bit as exciting and fun as the film.

If I had one issue with the book, however, it would be the transitions between scenes. Perhaps I'm too much a child of today's popular fiction, where things are simply spelled out, but I found the way O'Brian moved between scenes to be slightly confusing. While I'm sure he was aiming for smooth transitions that moved the story along quickly, the best word I can think of to describe O'Brian's transitions would actually be `stealthy' - as in, the reader isn't always quite aware of them until actual characters or events transpire to anchor us in a new scene. There were numerous times when I found myself flipping back several paragraphs or even a page or two because I was unaware that the scene had transitioned to another and was confused as to who was speaking to who and why! While these stealthy transitions sometimes worked well to move the story along and I eventually got used to them, I thought O'Brian might have made them a little clearer for the reader. Or, perhaps I'm just slow and dim-witted.

To those interested in O'Brian's Napoleon-era epic, I wouldn't exactly say don't start with this book... but I have a feeling that, assuming the other books are just as good as this one, it might be better to start with Master and Commander (the first in the series). All around, however, the Far Side of the World was a fascinatingly detailed read that I found to be great fun. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves tales of the sea or adventure in general. I suppose the best compliment I could give is to simply say that, after reading Far Side of the World, I greatly look forward to reading another adventure of Captain Aubrey and his crew!

Captain Aubrey Sails for the South Pacific and Galapagos.......2006-06-16

Note for new readers, or those inspired to read by the movie: For those of you who are beginning this amazing series, or are expecting a close re-telling of the movie starring Russell Crowe, please read the next few sentences closely. This book is the 10th in a series that detail the life and adventures of two best friends and their companions in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars (rough timeline 1805-1812). The recent movie contains the titles of two these novels "Master and Commander", the first of the series, and this novel "The Far Side of the World"; this choice for the movie's title is more than symbolic, the director and script writers have actually taken events, conversations, battles and plot lines from the entire series, and has combined them in new and interesting ways. So, if you're fresh from the movie theater or just watched a new DVD and are excited to experience `the book' version, you should not expect a close retelling. I think of the movie as a new adventure with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, and you can think of this book in the same light. And I believe the concept does the story and the characters justice: in Patrick O'Brian's own brief forward he even speculates on this same possibility -although in a purely literary sense- "and it is possible that in the near future the author (if the readers will bear with him) may be led to make use of hypothetical years, rather like those hypothetical moons used in the calculation of Easter: an 1812a as it were or even an 1812b" (page12). Additionally, I will highly recommend that you start your foray into the nautical world of Napoleon's time with the initial novel of the Aubrey/Maturin Series.

"The Far Side of the World" picks up directly where "Treason's Harbour" left off. Jack Aubrey is in the Mediterranean and coming to terms with the disastrous results of his previous mission involving a violent Barbary city-state secretly allied with France: one ship-of-the-line destroyed, the Surprise barely managing to escape- though through elegant and cunning seamanship, Aubrey led an enemy frigate onto a shoal and destroying her. However, despite what may on the surface seem disastrous is in fact not altogether a failure when the balance of naval power in the region is considered, and Aubrey is given a mission that will take him across the globe in pursuit of an enemy American frigate on course to wreck havoc on British Whalers in the Pacific. Here is the first considerable departure from the movie- the enemy is American due to the War of 1812, rather than the more comfortable villain of France (the movie-makers bow to the audience in the USA and us Patriots around the world).

As the story unfolds, Jack and Stephen must contend with a very attractive impotent Gunner's wife and the chaos she unwittingly ferments in the crew; the adultery it leads to and its final horrifying culmination. Jack and Stephen's most trying adventure occurs lost at sea without a ship, and their deadly rescue by a tribe of cannibal man-hating Pacific Islanders- and throughout the journey they must contend with unnatural bad weather. When the American frigate Norfolk is finally in their sights, the culmination of the story will completely surprise viewers of the movie, and satisfy readers intent on setting sail into another adventure. . .

This story is more focused on life at sea, the particular challenges of the capricious ocean, and the psychology that develops between a small group of people held together in amazingly small confines. It does not satisfy my craving for the gunpowder and saber action found in previous and later novels, but it is a critical juncture in the series, beginning Jack and Stephen's next long journey through the far side of the world.

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Magnificent Achievement
Some Advice For Prospective Readers
The Best thing next to a time machine
Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider
Daunting, but splendid!

War and Peace (Penguin Classics)
Leo Tolstoy
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140444173

Book Description

Three-Volume Boxed Set

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Tolstoy's classic, complete and unabridged.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent Achievement.......2007-10-11

"Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the
Buonapartes. But I warn you, if you don't tell me that this means war,
if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by
that Antichrist--I really believe he is Antichrist--I will have
nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend, no longer
my 'faithful slave,' as you call yourself! But how do you do? I see
I have frightened you--sit down and tell me all the news."

- Anna Pavlovna in War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

It was 1805 and the novel opens up at a reception given by Anna. With these words she greeted Prince Vasili Kuragin who we learn in the novel is a personage of stature and importance among the St. Petersburg elite.

Anna is referring to Napoleon as the antichrist, she feels that he is routing Europe; and that the king of Russia, Alexander I, must save them all against this terrible and dreadful man.

And so begins one of the most famous masterpieces of all time.

WAR AND PEACE has a simple plot which encompasses the valiant attempts by the Russian people to hold off a military invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte and the French. Some of the segments of the novel deal with war strategy which could have benefited leaders if they simply perhaps had read Tolstoy.

As the story begins we find that the Russians have formed an unlikely alliance with the Austrians. Because of this alliance, we find the small and inadequate Russian army having to march from Moscow to Austria. That in of itself is daunting.

This alliance falters at best and as a consequence the Russian army loses almost all of its army resulting oddly enough in several years of peace. The Russian aristocracy does not have to make any sacrifices at first and their lives continue just as before. Thus the meaning of the title, WAR AND PEACE.

However, after 1810, another five years later, we find Napoleon becoming more successful in Europe and worries arise that he will plan next to invade the Russian homeland. In June of 1812, he does precisely that which the Russian people and the army feared most: he crossed the frontiers into Russia and the real war began.

As Tolstoy described, "an event took place that was contrary to all human reason and human nature."

We meet the Bolkonski's (the elder Prince, the younger Prince Andrei, his sister Princess Marya, Andrei's pregnant wife Lize), the Rostov's (the Count and Countess, Vera, Nicholai, Natasha, Sonya and Petya), the Bezukhov's (the dying Count, his illegitimate son Pierre and various relations to the dying man), the Kuragin's (Prince Vasili and his wife, the beautiful Helene, Anatole, and Hippolyte), Denisov, Dolohov, Boris, Kutuzov (the general) and about 600 characters in the book. The primary ones are the ones that I have named.

Prince Andrei and Count Pierre Bezukhov (very important Tolstoy characters) are opposites in every way; yet are friends and their friendship, separate lives and families play a critical role in Tolstoy's novel. The Bolkonski's and the Rostov's lives weave and bind together as one goes further into the novel and these threads of their lives become a strong and durable fabric which will support these families as they progress through their respective years together. Though each of us, as do these characters, exercises free will; the decisions that we make (even years before certain life's events) depict the relationships that all of our decisions have upon each other and the impact they have on our future happiness or prosperity. Tolstoy even takes a detour at the end of the novel and digresses "much more than he should" about this and that...and how power is bestowed and basically how we reap what we sow (a familiar Tolstoy theme not always related to agriculture).

The novel is quite long, and that is the reason I found that I picked up this book in the past and then put it down (not completely grasping the naming structures and not having time I felt to give it my full attention). However, after having finally taken the time to read this great manuscript, it really is a simple story about life, love (true or not), loyalty, friendship, responsibility (real accountability or feigned) and leadership. It is also once again a story of families and their love for each other and how they are able to show their love for one another or how the love is still present; but remains emotionally hidden or ineffectual. And it is a story of how one must understand the true meaning of life and must be content in one's own skin; before love can truly blossom and be realized.

Truthfully, the plot does revolve around the aspects of war and peace as it relates to Napoleon invading Russia; but it also shows a country growing and changing as the characters do in the novel. Each one of the families goes through its own reflective period of war and peace in their own lives as well. The story line is superb...if you like historical fiction; and the characterizations and their development are unparalleled.

Some Helpful Suggestions:

1. Take the time to read and/or listen to an unabridged version of this masterpiece (like the one done by Neville Jason). Just start out slowly and read a few chapters every day if you are limited in time. It is one of those novels that can be reread and not only do you enjoy the story line each time; you also come away from it learning a lot about life itself and you can profit from this reflection while embarking on your own personal path. Some of the events may ring true with your own life or with your own family. Even though the country and/or time period may be different; life, heart felt emotion remain quite the same.
2. Secure a translation that you like and/or a reader you can stay with. Go to your local bookstore and/or sample a chapter on line to see if you like the language used; do you like a more traditional translation much like Tolstoy's own language or would you prefer more modern jargon and interpretations. I prefer the traditional; but that is not always what works for everyone. If you want to listen to the book, make sure to listen to samples of the reader's voice to make sure that their voice is palatable to your tastes. Everyone's taste in sound is different.
3. Join a book club or an on line discussion group to keep you going and/or read or listen to the book with a friend or family member. These discussions will add to the enjoyment of reading this masterpiece. It really is meant (I feel) to be shared.
4. Get used to the Russian naming conventions and their use of nicknames. Write them down as you come across them and then you will know which characters to associate with which nicknames the next time. Nicknames are common with us today as well. If a girl's name is Jennifer, some may call her Jennifer, Jen, Jenny or if her middle name is Patricia (JP for short) and different members of the family could call her different pet names. This Russian novel is no different than real life.
5. I gave the following assistance when I reviewed Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and the characters and names in War and Peace follow the same rules regarding patronymics and names with three parts. Here is a reprint of the suggestion: "Sometimes the names of the characters themselves can be confusing: so a hint to the reader might be to think of each Russian character's name as having THREE PARTS: the FIRST part is the first name (examples here are for Levin and Kitty) like Konstantin or Ekaterina, the SECOND part is a patronymic which is the father's first name accompanied by a suffix which means son of or daughter of like Dmitrich (son of Dmitri) or Alexandrovna (daughter of Alexander) and then the THIRD part which is the surname like Levin or Shcherbatskaya. Thus the explanations of the three part names for Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya (nicknamed Kitty) and for Konstantin Dmitrich Levin (Levin).

War and Peace is not a novel to be missed; very much like Anna Karenina (both by Leo Tolstoy). With both, but especially with War and Peace, you must envision that you will finish the book and keep at it. It really is not hard; you will get to know the characters in the book as if they were family members or best friends with all of their strengths and their frailties - the spectrum that makes these characters real in their humanness.

Rating: 5 stars - A+ (Very highly recommended)

Bentley/October 2007

War & Peace (Konemann Classics)

Some Advice For Prospective Readers.......2007-09-29

Truth be told, I am nowhere near finishing this gargantuan tome, and if I ever do get through it I might end up giving it a five star rating. But for now, I thought I would go ahead and post a few suggestions for the person considering tackling this novel. These are drawn from my impressions based upon what I have read thus far, and I hope they help prepare you. Here's my list of tips:

- I suggest making notes (I'm not kidding). I realize you might not
feel like taking the trouble, but I'm telling you that the myriad of
Russian names & characters is staggering, and a few notes jotted down
as things unfold (especially a list of characters) can help you keep
track far better.

- Make a firm but manageable plan as to when you're going to find time
to read this work. If this is not done, it's definitely the kind of
book that will very likely end up unread. Random snatches here and
there won't cut it.

- Become a patient reader, letting Tolstoy tell his grand story at his
own pace. This is no Agatha Christie! If you give it time, though, I
think you'll eventually find the author's overall sweep magnificent.

- Finally, realize this: It has been said that with Russian authors,
the more you get to know them the less you know them. In other words,
there is something a bit strange about them - almost indefinable -
which you might come to like or may not. If not, my advice would
simply be not to let this aspect of their literature keep
you from seeing its considerable merits.

For example, one virtue of this novel that I have not seen mentioned is how effectively and poignantly it brings out the element of confusion in war. Real war is not just a matter of sharp strategies, brutal conflict, etc. In the midst of matters of life and death, there is plenty of madcap absurdity mixed in, purely unintentionally. Was it not a dash of genius on Tolstoy's part to notice, think of, and include this often-overlooked, seemingly incongruous aspect of mortal combat? You get that kind of thing with Leo.

The Best thing next to a time machine.......2007-09-16

This novel presents you an image of what the life of European upper classes was like in the 19th century, their never ending parties and balls, their courtships, the perennial presence of war. It's interesting to observe how the persons were full-fledged adults by their late teens. And it was accepted as a normal thing that your children could die at any moment, be it in combat, for the sons, or during child labour if they were daughters.

This novel has as a background the Napoleonic Wars and several historical characters have intermittent cameos like Emperors Napoleon and Alexander, their generals, etc.

There is also an interesting mention to Freemasonry and its rites. It's thick as a brick, do not despair, continue reading, even if it is some pages every day, at the end you'll enjoy it.

Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider.......2007-07-13

I do not actually own War and Peace, but I thought I'd point out that I have read it. This is me saying, "I have read it!" It took me about six months and I am still not really sure what the point is, but I have read it. It was a matter of pride.
I am not a slow reader usually. I read Crime and Punishment in two days. However, I couldn't read Tolstoy's master work in long sessions, only in small, bite sized portions, one every other day or so. This is why I somewhat un-affectionately refer to this book as War in Pieces. Now, I have been told that this is a book that you don't really get when you are young but later on when you have lived life if you come back to it and read it all over again it makes a lot more sense and is a lot more interesting. . .so maybe I should wait and pick it up again in fifteen years, but still. . .what was the plot? Why was Pierre the main character when everyone else was so much more interesting? Why didn't they kill Pierre and let Andrei live? I liked Andrei. Why didn't they spend more time doing things rather than talking about doing them? Why did it take me six months to chop through that thing. . .why why why why why. . .
So, I only give it a two, but who knows. In fifteen years I might change my mind, so stay posted.

Daunting, but splendid!.......2007-06-26

"so well bound that it will lie open at any page" haha not quite, unless you've read it a few times.

I enjoyed the introduction to the book, to Tolstoy, the translation, characters etc... and the quick references in both back and front, which made it simple to look something up during those times when my head was swimming in a sea of names and places.

Since I do not know French I would often read near a computer with the Babel Fish translation web site up for quick decoding. I imagine a French-English dictionary would have sufficed. If you do not know French (like a few of us out there) then a reference is a must because most of the first half of this book you will be confronted by many French terms and phrases and if you have no idea what they're saying then the impact of the story kinda gets lost momentarily. Having to translate with this book made it that much more fun and interesting, I hadn't realized how enjoyable it could be to get that envolved into a story.

This took me aprox. 3 weeks of on and off reading, and the sheer size of it can be intimidating, but it is a superb read, with detailed historical accounts accompanied by Tolstoy's educated opinions (not your average novel). The depth of the characters is wonderful, although I find the aristocratic life to be a little odd and facetious at times.

Wellington's Army: Uniforms of the British Soldier,1812-1815

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Wellington's Army: Uniforms of the British Soldier,1812-1815
Charles Hamilton Smith
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1853675016

Book Description

Charles Hamilton Smith's illustrations of soldiers of the British Army are a faithful and delightful record of how Wellington's troops were uniformed and equipped. Wellington's Army presents a collection of these sought after plates in a special, large format and provides a superb evocation of British military uniforms during the closing years of the Peninsular War and at the epic battle of Waterloo. The plates, drawn from life and completed in 1814, cover all the branches of service including line infantry; light infantry and rifles; heavy and light cavalry; general officers; foreign troops; artillery and engineers; and cadets and veterans. Each plate is accompanied by an incisive text by the leading expert on Wellington's troops - Philip Haythornthwaite - which discusses the unit in question, the uniform and its significant features. Wellington's Army also includes an extensive introduction analyzing the evolution of the British Army of the period and examining the colorful life of Charles Hamilton Smith.

The Naval War of 1812 (Modern Library War)

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Better insight into TR than history of 1812
Wonderful account of the naval war of 1812
Three Cheers for America!
Roosevelt's inimitable style
Interesting But Tedious

The Naval War of 1812 (Modern Library War)
Theodore Roosevelt
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375754199
Release Date: 1999-05-04

Book Description

Published when Theodore Roosevelt was only twenty-three years old, The Naval War of 1812 was immediately hailed as a literary and scholarly triumph, and it is still considered the definitive book on the subject. It caused considerable controversy for its bold refutation of earlier accounts of the war, but its brilliant analysis and balanced tone left critics floundering, changed the course of U.S. military history by renewing interest in our obsolete forces, and set the young author and political hopeful on a path to greatness. Roosevelt's inimitable style and robust narrative make The Naval War of 1812 enthralling, illuminating, and utterly essential to every armchair historian.

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Customer Reviews:

Better insight into TR than history of 1812.......2006-06-05

I read this book to try and kill two birds with one stone - get a better feel for one of my favorite Americans and learn about the war of 1812. Unfortunately Roosevelt focuses on the naval actions without giving much context or background. He also assumes you will know a lot of the nautical terms he uses and I did not. Roosevelt is fixated with refuting William James' "Naval History of Great Britain" at every turn, which got tiring; even if it did provide a lot of insight into how obsessive the man was and how relentlessly he attacked those obsessions.

Roosevelt is at his best when he gets into the heroism of battle, often complementing the British as a way to further pump up the Americans. The payoff for me was the last chapter on the battle of New Orleans, which is not primarily naval, and was written a couple of years after the rest of the book. Here you get his red-blooded opinions on Jefferson, Jackson, and slavery, along with a bully battle narrative.

Wonderful account of the naval war of 1812.......2004-12-21

I must admit that after seeing that this book was written well over a century ago, I was a bit hesitant, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this work.

Theodore Roosevelt, the future president, at the age of 23 has written a very impartial(by standards of the day)study of the young US Navy in the War of 1812. Not a dry history, but a very readable and enjoyable book. Prior works on the War of 1812 are very biased whether it was written by British or American authors. Roosevelt does not fail to excite when it comes to the ship to ship duels, where more often than not, the US Navy comes out on top.

However, their are some problems. Roosevelt is very critical of the famous William James account of the conflict. He cites many errors and biases, with justification. However, Roosevelt often digresses too much in this regard, or I would have given this work 5 stars. Regardless, this book was a pleasure to read and a must have for the Patrick O'Brian fans out there(Like me!)

Three Cheers for America!.......2000-10-09

In a time when patriotism is passe, reading this book can redden the stuff in any American's veins. Our Navy's often-victorious battles against a superb and numerically superior foe ranks with the Athenian victory at Marathon in the annals of honor. Roosevelt was a natural storyteller and a first-rate scholar. Like JFK two generations later ("Why England Slept") this work was the product of a young twentysomething Harvard grad (JFK was actually a senior) that commanded serious attention nationally, and presaged a later rise to the summit of public life. Roosevelt's research is exhaustive, but not tedious, thanks to a vigorous prose style that carries the reader through a mass of detail without losing sail. The digression on which nationalities make the best seafarers would no doubt be considered un-PC today, but, as a general characterization of national characteristics, they arguably hold true. The author's final chapter, on the Battle of New Orleans, forshadows future policy, in that his criticism of the unreliability of the militia were embodied in the reforms that fully Federalized the National Guard, as the Dick Act of 1903. (Doubtless, his Spanish-American War experiences contributed to his desire to supplant the 1793 Militia Act, as well.) This book rests on my shelf, next to Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History," and O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin novels - as is fitting for an historical work written in the spirit of high adventure and studded with minute detail. -Lloyd A. Conway

Roosevelt's inimitable style.......1999-12-19

This very well-written account, surprising from a youth of only 23, gives balanced portrayals of most of the major sea battles between the fledgling American navy, and the Lord of the Seas, Great Britain. In it, Roosevelt backs up his praise of American maritime ingenuity and the seaworthiness and discipline of its sailors with proofs, citations and cautious but sound reasoning. In each, diagrams of the engagements are provided, as well as other documented statistics, without overloading the reader with details, yet there are plenty of those. Roosevelt describes the handling of each ship and the actions of its captains with minute detail, without being, to the layman, purely technical. Although Roosevelt beats the patriotic drum, he also swings a corrective switch, against our commanders and our partisan historians, when their actions are faulty and objectionable -- a fact which underscores his fairmindedness and the authenticity of his rendering.

Interesting But Tedious.......1999-11-25

Knowing that this book was written by Theodore Roosevelt makes it an important book regardless of the actual text. TR's influence on the strategic importance of seapower can be traced back to his feelings as a young author. The book itself was tedious and not very inspiring. It's interesting to glimpse the feelings of the young, strong, post-Civil War American writing the book. As far as a history of the War of 1812, you can do much better elsewhere.

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Sex, Death, And History! Can't Beat It
Great story but why all the repetition?
Ho-Hum Alternate History
Truly irresistible
Good alternate history of the War of 1812

1812: The Rivers of War
Eric Flint
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345465687
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Book Description

Eric Flint’s acclaimed 1634: The Galileo Affair was a national bestseller from one of the most talked-about voices in his field. Now, in this extraordinary new alternate history, Flint begins a dramatic saga of the North American continent at a dire turning point, forging its identity and its future in the face of revolt from within, and attack from without.

In the War of 1812, U.S. troops are battling the British on the Canadian border, even as a fierce fight is being waged against the Creek followers of the Indian leader Tecumseh and his brother, known as The Prophet. In Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte’s war has become a losing proposition, and the British are only months away from unleashing a frightening assault on Washington itself. Fateful choices are being made in the corridors of power and on the American frontier. As Andrew Jackson, backed by Cherokee warriors, leads a fierce attack on the Creek tribes, his young republic will soon need every citizen soldier it can find.

What if–at this critical moment–bonds were forged between men of different races and tribes? What if the Cherokee clans were able to muster an integrated front, and the U.S. government faced a united Indian nation bolstered by escaping slaves, freed men of color, and even influential white allies?

Through the remarkable adventures of men who were really there–men of mixed race, mixed emotions, and a singular purpose–The Rivers of War carries us in this new direction, brilliantly transforming an extraordinary chapter of American history.

With a cast of unforgettable characters–from James Monroe and James Madison to Sam Houston, Francis Scott Key, and Cherokee chiefs John Ross and Major Ridge–The Rivers of War travels from the battle of Horseshoe Bend to the battle of New Orleans, and brings every explosive moment to life. With exquisite attention to detail, an extraordinary grasp of history, and a storyteller’s gift for the dramatic, Flint delivers a bold, thought-provoking epic of enemies and allies, traitors and revolutionaries, and illuminates who we are as a nation, how we got here, and how history itself is made–and remade.

From the Hardcover edition.

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Advance praise for The Rivers of War

“Eric Flint [drops] his readers into another time and place, where cultures collide, the action is hot and heavy, and we get to experience the best of the human spirit.”
–DAVID WEBER, New York Times bestselling author of the Honor Harrington adventures

“Eric Flint has a genius for taking his passion for history and turning it into powerful, action-packed stories that instantly grab the readers and plunge them into a time and place that might have been.”
–DAVID DRAKE, author of The Far Side of the Stars and Redliners

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Sex, Death, And History! Can't Beat It.......2007-09-15

Eric Flint, according to his afterword, apparently wrote "1812: The Rivers of War" and its sequel, "1824: The Arkansas War" (which I have not read) because somebody challenged him to write an alternate history of the United States in which the Trail of Tears never occurred. This required him to go back considerably before the Trail of Tears (which occurred in the late 1830's) so that the Cherokees could prepare themselves to become a nation in the sense that Europeans and Americans would define a nation in the mid-nineteenth century. Two of my best friends are part Cherokee, so of course I love the idea; but it could easily have been done in an utterly unreadable fashion. Instead, Flint delivers a no-holds-barred, spectacular alternate ending to the War of 1812.

The only complaint I have about this book is the title. No part of it actually takes place in 1812. Even the preface takes place in 1806 to introduce Andrew Jackson, who is far from the most important character in the book and is totally absent from the second act. Then we skip ahead to 1814 to witness the climax of Jackson's war against the Creeks, which was part of the war of 1812. One more minor complaint -- the back side of the book refers to Tecumseh fighting the Americans, but he was killed in 1813 and is only referred to in the text. The "Five Civilized Tribes" are the heart of the reason Flint wrote this book and they were not allied to Tecumseh. In fact, only half or so of the Creeks are allied to the British, but this still leads to a very bloody battle at what became known as the Horsehoe Bend of the Alabama River.

The hero of the book is Irish immigrant and universal soldier Patrick Driscoll, who thinks of the United States as his third nation, Ireland and France having been broken by the British, or "the Sassenach," as he calls them. If this book is ever made into a movie, I want to play Driscoll -- I am too short to play the other major Anglo characters, and I'm also about the right age. He is introduced at the beginning of the second act and is thereafter never absent. His views on religion and politics are about as modern as Flint could possibly make them and he is probably a stand-in for Flint himself. It's not exactly the climax of the book, but one of the two most fun scenes for Flint to write was certainly the scene that ends chapter 29, when Driscoll basically says "a pox on all your houses" because Earth has never contained a scoiety he would really be proud to be a part of.

The other, of course, is the love scene. Tiana Rogers, a sixteen-year-old Cherokee who towers over Driscoll at six feet, is gently pushed by her brothers to marry Driscoll after challenging them to find her a better husband than Sam Houston (in the time of this novel, a 21-year-old junior officer in the U. S. Army). She needs very little coaxing, finding in Driscoll her equal as a fighter and dreamer. Driscoll has been totally geared to fighting and killing the Sassenach for as long as Tiana has been alive, and she helps him turn towards the idea of letting his life be about building and loving.

Books like "The Rivers of War" are the reason I love alternate history. It's so much more hopeful than anything by Harry Turtledove. Whatever your background, if you have any interest in nineteenth-century America, you will love this book. I give it my strongest possible recommendation.

Great story but why all the repetition?.......2007-07-05

I have now read a number of Eric Flint's alternate history books and, while I enjoy the clever variations on history and meaty characters, I cannot understand why a skilled author finds it necessary -- in all his books -- to repeat the same facts over and over again, sometimes just pages apart. In 1812, for example, on page 150 a woman named Tiana thinks about another character named Nancy Ward as a "Ghighua" (in Cherokee), followed by the sentence, "The Cherokee word had several translations into English. 'War Woman' was one of them." The story then goes on to explain how Ward's exploits had earned her that name/title.

Then on page 163, Sam Houston also thinks about Nancy Ward as "The last -- and some said, the greatest -- of the Cherokee Ghighua. The title was sometimes translated into English as 'Beloved Woman' and sometimes as 'War Woman." and just two pages later the author AGAIN explains how she earned that title!

He did the same thing throughout the 1634 series.

Ho-Hum Alternate History.......2007-05-15

This is not a bad story but neither is it a great one. It is one of those which I enjoyed enough while reading but which I have no great desire to think about or remember afterwards.

The setting is 1812 and the US is at war with Britain. It also has some internal problems such as what to do about Indians who do not wish to give their land up to the whites. Sometimes the Indians act in a savage manner but, more often, it is the whites who break agreements. In this story, there is an alternative to the Trail of Tears. Instead of being forcibly displaced, the powerful Cherokee nation and allied tribes voluntarily head west thinking they will then be able to set themselves up strongly enough to resist American expansion when it gets that far.

To help them along, they have the services of Sam Houston (of Texas fame) who is a hero of the war of 1812. He puts together a patchwork of tribes and black freedmen and convinces the US administration to sign off on the plan.

This entire books seems to be a buildup for things which do not happen. I understand there is at least one sequel. Maybe this is a setup for that one. Its well enough written that I will not mind reading other books but neither am I going to rush out to do so.

Truly irresistible.......2007-05-11

The War of 1812 seems, to most Americans, as a minor war, dry and forgettable. But Mr. Eric Flint uses it as his starting point for his alternate history. He brings it to life, with such colorful characters, but also REAL people, as Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, Winfield Scott, George Cockburn, Robert Ross and others. From Chippewa to New Orleans he creates a plot that draws you in. It never slows down yet it never goes so fast that you can't keep up. The American Nation, still young and a little rough around the edges, fighting for its rights and beliefs must deal with a NEW Nation being born even as the conflict rages. Mr. Flint brings Indians, freed men of color, escaping slaves and powerful whites together in a cooking pot of power and ideals. Ideals that will be tested, shaped and forced to deal with the judgment of history, the issue of slavery and growing pains of the young United States.

Good alternate history of the War of 1812.......2007-04-14

I think the War of 1812 is one of the most interesting parts of U.S. History. It's little known; not much is written about it. Which is partly why this book was a joy to read.

For the most part, the battles in this book -- the Horseshoe Bend, the Chippewa, the raid on Washington, and New Orleans (all four of them did occur in real life) -- happened more or less as Flint describes them, and mostly end in the same way. Well, there was no valiant stand in the U.S. Capitol, but still this alternate history is subtle. It will take future volumes to see the effects of what happened at Flint's version of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

And the characters are so colorful. Especially Patrick "the Troll" Driscol, the angry Irish sergeant in Scott's brigade with an intense hatred of the British (hating them for what they had done in Ireland in 1798). I enjoyed Flint's take on Andrew Jackson, possibly the most fascinating American of his time. Robert Ross was done well, too. All in all it was a good book, and I look forward to reading the next installment.

Recollections of Alexander H. Stephens: His Diary Kept When a Prisoner at Fort Warren, Boston Harbour, 1865; Giving Incidents and Reflections of His Prison ... reminisc (Library of Southern Civilization)

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A Fascinating Diary
Fort Warren's last prisoner

Recollections of Alexander H. Stephens: His Diary Kept When a Prisoner at Fort Warren, Boston Harbour, 1865; Giving Incidents and Reflections of His Prison ... reminisc (Library of Southern Civilization)
Ben Forkner
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807122688

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Diary.......2004-03-23

This book is a fascinating voyage through one of the great 19th Century Southern political minds; perhaps second only to John C. Calhoun. Alexander H. Stephens was a strange little man, never weighing more than 100 pounds, and standing only 5' 7" tall; but "Little Aleck" had the heart of a lion. He was possessed of a small head with protruding ears and piercing black eyes. Trained as a lawyer, with a frail almost boyish figure, he never married and was totally devoted to his half-brother, Linton, who served in the Georgia Legislature, on the Georgia Supreme Court and as a Confederate officer, and whose family Alexander Stephens adopted as his own.
This diary covers Stephens experiences as a prisoner after the War Between the States had ended. The War basically ended in April, 1865, but Stephens who had served as the Vice President of the Confederacy, had already gone home to Crawfordville, Georgia, his home town. On May 11, 1865, Tim, one of his servants, came running into the parlor saying: "Master! Yankees have come! a whole heap are in town, galloping all about with guns." Thus Stephens, who unlike other Confederate cabinet officials had never attempted to flee to the sanctuary of another country, came to be a prisoner. He was transported to Fort Warren in Boston Harbor and thus begins this diary.
Throughout the diary, Stephens was indignant that he was even a prisoner, for in his mind (he was probably right) he had done nothing wrong. He had always acted according to the principles of the United States Constitution to which he was totally devoted. He had served 16 years in Congress and had retired in 1859, and when the War started in 1861 he was called upon to serve the Confederacy. As he repeatedly points out the States created the Federal Government, not the other way around. The Federal Government's rights were limited. He had served as a Whig in Congress in the beginning of his career and served with Lincoln who also served as a Whig in the 30th Congress in 1847, when Lincoln served his only term in Congress before becoming president in 1861. Stephens felt he knew Lincoln well and this may be one of the reasons he was elected vice president of the Confederacy, in addition to the fact that he cautioned against secession and for this reason it was felt perhaps he may have had gained some influence with Lincoln.
In any case, the diary covers everything about his life at Fort Warren, where after an initial period of discomfort and apprehension (there was the possibility he may be hanged), he was treated rather kindly by his captors. Stephens read and discusses such books as the Bible, Prescott's Conquest of Mexico, Swedenborg's Doctrine Concerning the Lord, Cicero on Duties, Cicero on Oratory, Aristotle on Economics, Aristotle on Politics, and so forth demonstrating that he was a true intellectual. He discusses the food he ate, his living conditions, and people he met and dealt with such as his guards, other prisoners, and even the little girl who was