Author:Alexander Kent
Set off for another rip-roaring, all-action naval adventure courtesy of multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent. You'll be able to smell the whiff of the gunpowder and hear the scream of the cannon balls as our hero fights another battle against the enemies of England. Guaranteed to have you engrossed from page one, fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed.
'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times
'His dashing character Richard Bolitho is one of the best things to happen to the sea yarn since Hornblower' -- Daily Express
'The storytelling has an easy mastery, how well Kent knows the psychology of naval men' -- Sunday Telegraph
'Just as well I am an insomniac as it is almost impossible to put it down' -- ***** Reader review
'Another stirring yarn from the grand master of naval fiction' -- ***** Reader review
'Awesome' -- ***** Reader review
'Exciting and dramatic' -- ***** Reader review
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1800: Richard Bolitho - freshly appointed as rear-admiral - assumes command of his own squadron but, as the cruel demands of war spread from Europe to the Baltic, he soon realizes that his battle experience has ill-prepared him for the intricate manoeuvring of power politics.
Under his flag the Inshore Squadron has to ride out bitter hardship of blockade duty and swift, deadly encounters with the enemy. An old hatred steps from the past to pose a personal threat to Bolitho, but at the gates of Copenhagen, where his flag flies amidst the fury of battle, he must put all private hopes and fears behind him if he is to lead his men to victory...
Bolitho's adventures continue in A Tradition of Victory.
One of our foremost writers of naval fiction.
—— Sunday TimesA gripping narrative - by turns pathetic, comic and exciting
—— Sunday TimesFascinating...unusual...invigorating...and very funny
—— ObserverA superb Second World War adventure... tender and funny
—— The TimesVividly recreates the violence and drama of a forgotten war, describing the camaraderie between fighting men with humour and compassion
—— Maggie GeeA novel that resonates across the pages with the narrative mastery of the griot's voice
—— Wole SoyinkaA hauntingly beautiful elegy for those who killed and died in the service of a history that was not their own. Like Ha Jin's magisterial War Trash, Burma Boy wields the two greatest weapons in the novelist's arsenal - imagination and empathy - to shattering effect
—— James Schamus, producer Brokeback Mountain and The Ice StormOriginal ...often very funny. A magical book
—— Kevin MacDonald, Director: The Last King of ScotlandA riveting read, convincingly imagined and cinematically told. Bandele is a gifted storyteller
—— Linton Kwesi JohnsonA truly fantastic book. A caesarean cut through terrifying and hilarious history
—— Sven LindqvistIt is quite outstanding, full of beauty, pain and truth... We are lucky to have this book
—— Anne Chisholm , Sunday TelegraphThe facts surrounding the discovery of this book are as remarkable as its contents are magnificent... A triumph of indomitability and a masterwork of literary accomplishment
—— Sunday TimesDeftly translated by Sandra Smith, this is possibly the most devastating indictment of French manners and morals since Madame Bovary, as hypnotic as Proust at the biscuit tin, as gruelling as Genet on the prowl. Irène Nemirovsky is, on this evidence, a novelist of the very first order, perceptive to a fault and sly in her emotional restraint
—— Evening StandardAn heroic attempt to write a novel about a nightmare in which the author is entirely embedded
—— Anita Brookner , SpectatorRead this haunting novel, then read [Nemirovsky’s] letters in this edition to feel the full force of the work
—— Fiona Wilson , The TimesWhile marked by poppy wearing and memorial ceremonies, the First World War is also sustained through family history, handed down from one generation to the next. No book better articulates the impact of this narrative than Stephen Faulks’ Birdsong.
—— Lucy Middleton , Reader's DigestA truly amazing read
—— Gail Teasdale , 24housingI’d never read such descriptive literature, and couldn’t sleep at night for thinking about what I’d just read. His [Faulks] portrayal of terror on the battlefield is so powerful
—— Anna Redman , Good HousekeepingMy all-time favourite book
—— Kate Garraway , Good Housekeeping