Whereas the 'Corvette' started slow and ended fast; this starts off on page one with a panic situation in a gale off the Lizard, forcing Nat to club-haul the ship out of danger... This is so well-described you can almost feel the ship straining beneath your feet as the anchor wrenches the bows 12 points through the wind onto the other tack and safety.

The threat of now-Emperor Napoleon's invasion requires Nat's constant vigilance over the French ports, destroying any likely transports and incidentally aiding the spy network in their subversive attempts to overthrow the 'little corporal'. During this routine blockading, the intransigent midshipman Lord Walmsley pushes his status too far and ends up over a cannon wearing a check shirt, then a transfer out of Nat's hair - but who turns up in the future, like a bad penny.

Despite the blockade, the Frogs break out and, in company with the Dons, apparently head to the W.Indies, leaving Nat to wait for Nelson appearing from the Med. Nat gets a transfer to a 74, but in a turn of events he is captured by the Spaniards and flung into prison with his officers. The loathsome Santhonax appears again to quiz Nat and do more dirty deeds as the book closes.

Trafalgar forms the high point of the story, with Nat only able to view the carnage from the orlop of the French 'Bucentaure' 80, where he was transferred as prisoner with little Gillespy.

We see more of the character of Mr.Q, Mr. Frey & Lt.Rogers in this book as well as more of the strategy of the defence of Britain, as Nat becomes more accepted by those in command. A small reference in a letter from his wife, tells us that Nat has fostered poor little Billy Cue Maxted, the Mid whose legs were blown off in the action with 'Requin' off Greenland (in the previous volume 'Corvette'). This touching generosity, the tenderness he shows to little Mr. Gillespy and his encouragement of Mr.Frey reveals a different side to the cool, collected tactician we normally see.
Mr.Woodman's writing gets better and better with each story - more fluid and confident, yet providing another level of suspense under the surface; meanings are implicit rather than voiced; inferences made by subtle suggestion rather than bald statement, which makes this a real pleasure to read.
As good as the best in the genre. *****

This is book No. 6 in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series. In this story, Drinkwater is in command of the frigate Antigone on blockade duty in the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay, and along the Spanish coast. It covers a time period from March 1804 to April 1806, and involves Drinkwater in Calder's action and in the Battle at Cape Trafalgar, although aboard a French ship in the latter action! The book is well researched and covers details not found in run-of-the-mill history books. It is highly recommended to readers studying this particular segment of history. While the main plot can stand alone by itself, the book carries forward various characters from previous books, so it is helpful to have read the Drinkwater series in chronological order (I have been unable to find books 4 and 5 in the series from any source, but hopefully they will be reprinted).

1805 is the sixth entry in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series. The first six books of the series were copyrighted within 4 years and the next six took ten years to come out. Woodman wrote the first books rapidly. The result is a high level of intensity and some unevenness but the series is of very high quality for the genre. The series has tackled a number of serious themes while incorporating dramatic naval action and 1805 is no exception.

1805 starts in 1804 with Napoleon threatening to invade England. Drinkwater, now a captain, must patrol the English Channel to ensure that the French cannot bring a huge army across and subdue the stubborn English. With the powerful Royal Navy besting the French at every tack, was an invasion of England ever a real threat? Woodman makes a strong case that the answer is yes. Woodman, through letters from Drinkwater's wife, conveys the tension that was felt by English people at the time. Whether the threat was real or not, the reader is convinced that it was.

The reader also gets a sense of the loneliness felt by sailors with months or years of separation from their families. Drinkwater becomes a father figure to Midshipman Gillespy. Woodman presents the irony of Drinkwater being a father to a boy who is not his own while his own son is fatherless at home. The loss of fathers for indefinite periods of time or permanently is one of war's great tragedies and Woodman portrays it with some understatement.

Modern readers also know that 1805 culminated in the Battle of Trafalgar, which was Britain's greatest naval victory and perhaps the most decisive naval battle in history. Drinkwater has a unique perspective on the battle. Woodman's description of the battle through Drinkwater's eyes is a vision of hell, a vision that rings very true. Even though the reader sees the battle from the English perspective and the battle is a victory, Woodman emphasizes the tragedy.

1805 is a little uneven but Woodman more than makes up for this by his description of the events leading up to the Battle of Trafalgar and the description of the battle itself from Drinkwater's vantage point. 1805 is a powerful novel that has probably not received the recognition that it should. Without Trafalgar this is just another naval novel but with Trafalgar it's a masterstroke. It's every man's duty to read this one!

Mis alumnos de la facultad de administracion de empresas, son los mas felices. Cansados ya de tanta literatura en ingles. Lo que mas me gusta del libro es que sus estructura es muy similar a la catedra. Lo recomiendo fuertemente a todos los alumnos de administracion.

Soy profesor de comportamiento organizacional y siempre ocupo lo mejor que iempre ha sido en ingles. Ahora en espanol lo recomiendo fuertemente a profesores y alumnos de escuelas de administarcion de empresas. La estructura del libro es excelente.

Mr.Woodman (of the Nathaniel Drinkwater novels fame) shows the depth of his experience and research in the accompanying text to Mr.Laszlo's finely detailed scale drawings, which cover the 5,000 or so years of sailing development.
As far as I know, this is the only place where you will find the whole history of sail, with typical craft from all the sailing countries in one volume.
Logically arranged in roughly chronological order, we see the development from sail-assistance (galleys), through square- and lateen-rigs to the full ship & clipper rig of the19thC and modern solid sails. Here the devotee of nautical literature can see at a glance the difference between a brig and a snow, and why a settee is not a lateen rig.

The chapters on small working boats from all countries is very useful, especially for the fine detail of standing and running rigging. Of particular interest to the modeller is the section on ship's boats, which includes the sail rigs employed and seating arrangements.

The sections on eastern craft are particularly interesting, as we rarely see these depicted as scale drawings... Here we see junks, sampans, proas, prahus, catamarans, dhows, booms, sambuks etc.

A wonderful book, that I recommend to anyone with a passing interest in sail. *****

The Story of Sail features over 1000 scale drawings of sailboats and provides a beautiful history of sail, from its earliest beginnings to modern times. No color photos of vessels here, but the intricate scale drawings are the draw and provide outstanding detail.

The Darkening Sea reads as if it were written in the 1920's or '30s. Woodman really makes the reader feel the transition between the Victorian and modern ages. The characters are very multidimensional and complex. The main character in particular is very well done - you understand and feel for him even if he is hard to like.

The book has a much more 'literary' feel than Woodman's Drinkwater series. It's more Hemmingway than Patrick O'Brian.

The nautical aspects as well as the historical/geographic settings are very well done.

A thoroughly enjoyable deep summer read. If you have been frustrated (as I have) by not being able to obtain some of the Drinkwater books (I have to read them in order of course!), the Darkening Sea will be a thoughtful diversion - a taste of Woodman's 'haute cusine' as it were.

Highly recommended!

This is part of the Nathaniel Drinkwater series of British naval adventures. Drinkwater is finally posted as captain of a ship of the line, only to be captured by the Spanish while on his way to join his new ship. He gets to see the battle of Trafalgar from a unique perspective. Excellent and very accurate portrayal of shipboard life, and a clear equal of Forester and O'Brien.

This book starts out on the dead run and doesn't let up until the last page. A series of very believable situations (as in Before the Wind by Charles Tyng) woven through by some serious "in your face" action (reminiscent of Thomas Lord Cochrane), this could be three or four novels but printed as one. I was concerned that all of the adventure would be used up in this book, but as we near the end, well.... you have to read it to really find out what happens. Seems, this is only the beginning of what may surely be a powerful series of novels. Richard Woodman bows to no man.

In this large and attractive book, the author traces the history of the ship from the earliest dugouts to the war- and cargo-ships of the 1990s. Along the way, the reader is treated to a wealth of wonderful color pictures, and a wonderfully informative narrative.

One would think that a work of such breadth would be short on details. And yet, somehow the author succeeds in giving the reader a relatively full understanding of the ship or technology that is being discussed. So, if you are interested in the ships of a certain era, or in ships in general, then I highly recommend that you get this book. It's really great!

Set in 1814 after Napoleon has abdicated as Emperor of the French, Richard Woodman's, The Shadow Of The Eagle, is a superbly written historical novel filled with intrigue and ruthless politics , from the Russian Tsar's delusions of grandeur to the naval forces of Great Britain pressing relentless war against America. A single man, Captain Nathaniel Drinkwater attending King Louis, learns of a deadly threat to peace that he must personally risk life and limb to combat. The Shadow Of The Eagle is a very compelling, entertaining, action/adventure read from first page to last.

Marking the coming-of-professional-age of Drinkwater, this book better than any other describes the sheer drudgery of blockade and small-ship work in the Age of Sail. Undoubtedly be best of the lot.

A King's Cutter has its biggest disappointment in its opening: ten years have passed since the first Nathaniel Drinkwater novel, An Eye of the Fleet. I couldn't help but be disappointed that Woodman had squandered ten years of possible adventures for Drinkwater. Given the time scale of the novels, that amounts to 4-5 novels that could have been written and won't be. A King's Cutter finds Drinkwater no further ahead than he was at the end of the first novel. He has married but has not advanced in the Royal Navy. However, a bloody war is not far off and Drinkwater has some apparently minor opportunities.

A King's Cutter features some of the same characters from An Eye of the Fleet, most notably Lieutenant Devaux and seaman Tregembo. The vile sodomite Morris is missing although it was implied that he would be back. Drinkwater has a new nemesis in Edouard Santhonax, an enemy who Drinkwater will face in subsequent episodes. The novel covers a period that begins just before war with Revolutionary France, includes the mutiny at Spithead and culminates with the Battle of Camperdown. Intrigue and subterfuge are as much a part of A King's Cutter as broadsides and boarding parties.

Like its predecessor, A King's Cutter has gothic elements. There are mysterious forces at work, which are neither fully understood nor explained. Even Drinkwater, who is as decent a human being as any in the RN, has a dark side to him. While graphically violent scenes are not present as in its predecessor, it is clear that life at the time is nasty, brutish and short and that warfare is not a sport of gentlemen.

Woodman has carved out a different niche from other writers of the genre; one that is unique, appealing and an interesting contrast to earlier series.

This may be one of the better books in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series, dealing with the hazards and slow promotion of a young officer in the Royal Navy. It covers his duties as an acting lieutenant, then sailing master, of the cutter Kestral from 1792 - 1797. The book was well researched by the author, and fits in well for that historical period, giving details of the mutiny within the Channel Fleet, the events leading to the Battle of Camperdown, etc.

This is book five in the Drinkwater series, and was a bit of a disappointment after some of the earlier books. Once again, the author skips forward. Book four, "The Bomb Vessel," ended in July 1801 after the First Battle of Copenhagen. This book covers a relatively brief period from May to November 1803, falling into the tendency that Patrick O'Brien had in some of his later novels of putting a little too much action into too short a period of time (sometimes moving ships about the ocean at fantastic rates of speed).

At the beginning of this story, we find Drinkwater on the beach, recovering from a wound received between novels. Admiral Jervis (now Earl St. Vincent and First Lord of the Admiralty) was known for promoting officers based on ability rather than interest, and he gives Drinkwater (now a commander) temporary command of the twenty-gun sloop Melusine after the ship's captain in incapacitated and resigns (why this would only be a temporary command is not entirely clear - Jervis had the authority to promote officers).

Action finds Drinkwater guarding a whaling fleet in the Greenland Sea, dealing with French privateers and English renegades, and seeking a French base. There is considerable detail about the operation of the whaling fleet and the hazards involved in arctic whaling. John Nicol, in his autobiography, gave a brief description of a voyage on a whaling ship to the Greenland Sea, and noted his resolution not to make another.

Like other novels in the series, characters in this novel carry over into the next.

The book is in three parts, in the first of which Acting Captain Drinkwater must establish his leadership in a new command and lead a convoy of hard-bitten and angry whalers onto the Greenland whaling grounds. The second concerns the hunt for whales and, despite its misfortunes, how Drinkwater slips into a yacht cruise mentality. The third part returns us to the fact they are all at war with the French, who are rumored to have sent out corsairs during the false peace of 1802 to lay in wait and cripple the British economy when the world war resumed.

I found this one of the most interesting in the series. For all the Napoleonic era novels out there, this contains the first discussion of whaling in the North Atlantic I recall (and only a few other series include the more familiar Pacific whalers). Also, Drinkwater essays humor on occasion, despite his author's rather grim prose and concern with political machinations. Drinkwater often struggles with scepticism and faith, God, and duty to the navy, abetted here by a pastor/surgeon who is philosophically inclined and by a righteously subversive whaling captain. Woodman describes the arctic well, but only occasionally does he evoke its beauty and terror. Pay very close attention to the beginning chapters for there are clues to anticipating a final mystery. If you understand sailing commands and constantly track the state of the wind through the story then all the ship maneuvers make sense; otherwise ignore them as nautical "period atmosphere" and be poorer for it.

We get to hear more sail commands than usual, thanks to an insecure but punctilious 3rd lieutenant, and also learn in great detail the meaning of "jury-rigged." What strange names some fictional captains have: Drinkwater, Hornblower-and quite the opposite of their true characters.

Nat is now elevated to Master & Commander and given Job-Captain cy in charge of a corvette as escort to a group of whalers bound for Greenland. As well as the usual excellent sail evolutions, there is wonderful description of below-decks life here, as well as incidental details (some qory) of whaling boats and the hunt.

Several plots run together in this story; the threat of privateers; the differing agendas of the whalers; insubordination in the officers; and a pastor with a past. All are handled by a Captain who has matured as much as his author, in a way that has neither the bluffness of Jack Aubrey, nor the asperity of Hornblower.
Excellent reading; but why can I not find Mr. Woodman on the average bookstore's shelves? *****