Beyond the Reef (Richard Bolitho Novels/Alexander Kent, No. 19)

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Summary: Just another great Alexander Kent "Bolitho" novel.
Review: Anyone familiar with Alexander Kent will find a typical great book, with perfect timing, lucid descriptions, and action of that day, better than anyone else can portrait.

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Summary: ...Bolitho's troubles persist
Review: By now we've heard almost all the sail commands and maneuvers possible, and Kent seems to have run out of new sea lore. This is another book in which Bolitho's passionate interest in his married lover Catherine takes pride of place to sea action. Kent is spinning his wheels in these later stories, or better said: "he's all aback, an' that's no error." Now that Richard Bolitho has been an admiral for a while, he's become more involved with grand strategy than small ship actions, and Kent is harder pressed to make him an exciting figure. This is probably true to life but makes for a tedious tale. Symptomatic of the problem is the fact the publisher devotes most of the cover blurb to the author's credentials to write such a book, and only two sentences to the story. The "Reefs" of the title are more metaphorical than geographic: the estrangement of Bolitho and his favorite officer, Herrick; Herrick's court-martial; Bolitho's cruel sister; Herrick's betrayal; and Bolitho's continuing estrangement from power and reward due to envy and his illicit affair. Despite his youthful appearance, a lifetime's violent assaults and horrific losses are grinding Bolitho down. Kent's mistake may have been to start Bolitho too early in his career and promote him too rapidly, arriving at flag rank too long before the convenient end of the Napoleonic world wars. Kent seems to be grooming Admiral Bolitho's nephew, frigate Capt. Adam Bolitho, for better and more cheerful stories in the future.

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Summary: If you read one Kent book, This ISN'T it!
Review: I love the Bolitho series and have reread them all several times, Kent has not proved able to handle the transition from officer/captain to flag rank. Too dark, not enough action, what happen to the brillance of "To Glory We Steer" and others of the earlier books.

Rating:
Summary: If you read one Kent book, This ISN'T it!
Review: I love the Bolitho series and have reread them all several times, Kent has not proved able to handle the transition from officer/captain to flag rank. Too dark, not enough action, what happen to the brillance of "To Glory We Steer" and others of the earlier books.

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Summary: Dismal and brooding, dark and depressing
Review: In this book, Kent's hero Bolitho broods about marital difficulties and best friendships gone bad for most of the novel. There is only one major sea battle, and that starts at page 296 of a 310 page novel! Bolitho, his best friend, his nephew, his coxswain, his servant and his flag captain are all undergoing problems related to marriage simultaneously. I was left wondering if Kent has some recent disaster in his personal life and wrote this dark and depressing book as a therapy session. I rate this book as the worst I've read in years, the worst Kent book I've read (out of about ten), and a definite do not read.

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Summary: Too much love and hero-worshipping
Review: Not by far as exciting as the earlier books in the Bolitho series. The delicate balance between personal affaires of our main character on the one end and the tremendously detailed action scenes on the other is lost. There are far too many sentimental bits and too much hero-worshipping stuff in this book. Kent is a bit off course in my opinion.

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Summary: This is a great series of books
Review: This book may not have the major fleet engagements sprinkled through it as most Alexander Kent books do, but it is not lacking in action, character development and page turnability (that feeling when you just have to read the next section to find out what's going to happen next). I first fell in love with this series of books when I was 12, and I'm most of the way through a complete read of the series in many years. These books are as fresh and enjoyable to read as the first time I picked up Sloop of War. I highly recommend this entire series to anyone who is interested in the days of fighting sails and sailors.

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Summary: Vice-Admiral Bolitho Returns
Review: Vice-Admiral Richard Bolitho faces personal tradgedy, professional risk, and the lose of his best friend in life. With his beloved companion Catherine he encounters treachery and shipwreck, once again putting his leadership to the test. With Captain Keene, Allday, and traitorous crewman he pits his skills as a seaman and leader against the best to ocean has to offer. Having gone before a court-martial of Thomas Herrick to testify, his faith in his friend is at risk. Again in Antigua he must rally his piteously small fleet against a superior French force, and risk the loss of the Caribean to Napoleon. As always a tale told with wonderful detail and breadth. Second to none, in the tradition of wonderful craftsmanship and even better detail. A must read for the lovers of Richard Bolitho, and anyone else who loves a great sea adventure set in the late 17th century.