Rating: 
Summary: New series
Review: This is going to be a most interesting series because it is the rarely novelized naval side of the American Civil War, the war seen from off shore, and shows the awkward mid-19th century transition period between sail- and steam-powered ships. This first novel deals with three weeks of turmoil and unsettling time in April 1861 as the Civil War came into being, people began to sort themselves out, and incompetence was rampant. This parlous state of affairs makes for a rather unsatisfactory novel. There's hardly a competent person on view and all are confused. This is probably realistic but makes for more frustration than satisfaction on this reader's part. It will undoubtedly make more sense as the larger series unfolds, for David Poyer is an excellent author of novels of the modern navy and of diving. I don't know why people claim this will only be a trilogy; if so it will have to be most highly selective of events, given the level of detail and incident displayed here. Although it seems the central character is to be a volunteer New York officer--an abject, tuburcular pappa's boy who is so naive he appears to be a "cool customer" under fire--the story is also chopped up among several other characters and their viewpoints: Southern Federal officers who must decide where their loyalties lie, an enthusiastic steam engineer, a Black gunner, casual bigots of the time, and a sheltered feminist abolitionist. Because Poyer doesn't play the omniscient author, we all stumble through this first book together. We can expect to see these characters again, each providing a markedly different perspective on the war, from below and above, from home and at sea. Some of the Southern gentlemen may come back aboard Confederate ships as opposed to the exclusively Federal ones here, and there are hints we can expect to see ironclads and Adm. Farragut in future volumes. Certainly more than enough for two more books! Sounds and colors are described in iron hard metallics. Much of the story is grey-toned, frequently taking place in fog or night or firelight, much exacerbated by the unsettled, and unsettling, times when all was rumor. We see conflicts between sections, father and son, financier and ward, black and white. Poyer is excellent in scenes of storm, shot and shell, and fire, whether ashore or on the water. Several passages, like stoking a boiler or the swaying out of ship's boats, seem to be inserted for atmosphere or to show off Poyer's knowledge of period minutiae. The book has been composed with a nice old-fashioned look: a spidery typeface, analytical chapter headings, antique jargon, and (annoying) m-dashes instead of quotation marks for spoken words. The cover art is useful.
Rating:
Summary: Fire on the Waters
Review: This story of the Civil War at sea is, I believe and hope, the first in a series. It covers the start of the war through the ship-burnings at Norfolk. I really would give it a "four and a half"; it would get a five if not for the sections involving Araminta, which I found much less convincing than the rest.Poyer is one of the only "military fiction" authors who knows how to string words together. He writes evocatively, even artistically. His descriptions of ships and battles are particularly good. Setting is excellent, with a few anachronistic moments overshadowed by the wonderful description, both technical and sensory, of Civil War-era steam/sail warships. The characters here are appealingly tormented, particularly Eli, whose affliction with consumption is a very nice touch. Ker Claiborne, who must decide whether or not to join his seceding state, and the ahead-of-his-time young engineer Theo, are appealing as well. Less believable is Eli's ex-fiancee Araminta, who seems a little anachronistic in her independence and is certainly a bit annoying, though probably "period", in her do-gooder tendencies. I did find some of the dialogue, especially "dialect" dialogue, to sound a bit too British. The plot is very exciting, with huge amounts of action. Occasionally the part of the plot dealing with family relationships gets a little melodramatic, not to say purple. I think this is an absolutely wonderful book which not only helps to fill a gap in Civil War literature but which, because of its good writing, will appeal to readers not normally interested in the period.
Rating:
Summary: Great Historical Fiction
Review: What a wild ride! Although I had a little trouble with the nautical jargon, not being a sailing sailor, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book! I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil War. It's a delightful change from the "ground pounders" war. This book was so good I read it in 2 days and that's only because I had to go to work part of that time! It's a page turner that's for sure. I'm now an avid fan of Mr. Poyer!
Rating:
Summary: A rousing hip hip hurrah!
Review: What a wild ride! Although I had a little trouble with the nautical jargon, not being a sailing sailor, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book! I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil War. It's a delightful change from the "ground pounders" war. This book was so good I read it in 2 days and that's only because I had to go to work part of that time! It's a page turner that's for sure. I'm now an avid fan of Mr. Poyer!
Rating:
Summary: Good enough to want to see the sequels
Review: While the story is much shorter than the book (i.e., a lot of description), it certainly kept my interest. The writing is good and I look forward to reading Mr. Poyer's other books.
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