The Corvette

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I read the four Drinkwater books leading up to this, and I have liked each one better than the one before. The Corvette, the fifth in the series, is the best so far. It is more than mere adventure. It is fully developed, rich in characterization, dialogue, sights, sounds and smells. His descriptions of the Artic world and the business of whaling are engaging. Woodman is an excellent writer. Finally I've found a rival to Patrick O'Brian

Rating:
Summary: One of his best
Review: I've now read the first five books in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series and continue to be impressed with the author's command of the English language and his colorful characterizations.

In reading these books I get a strong feeling of having been with Drinkwater on his adventures; such is the extent of Woodman's talent for description and characterization.

Even minor characters are not neglected. For example, here's a quote from page 167 describing the gunner's reaction to an unusual order: "The gunner frowned, raised an eyebrow and compressed his toothless mouth. Then, without a word, knuckled his forehead and waddled below."

Gratuitous characterizations such as that demonstrate that Woodman misses no opportunity to animate his characters.

Even though Drinkwater at this stage of his "life" is 40 years old and captain of a ship, the reader can sense that he's still learning how to be a good commander. He hurts from his old wounds and misses his wife and children. In other words, he seems real.

I hate to compare Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe books unfavorably to another author's series because the Sharpe books are entertaining, and I have read nearly all of them. But Sharpe is almost a cartoon character in comparison to Drinkwater. I often skip over much of the fighting scenes in Cornwell's books, but Woodman's power of description makes the fight scenes a pleasure to read.

I expect to read the rest of Woodman's Drinkwater novels in chronological order.

Rating:
Summary: 5th volume in this gripping series
Review: 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? *****

Rating:
Summary: Drinkwater Takes a Step
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Action in the Greenland Sea
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: 5 ice crunching broadsides for Drinkwater 5
Review: Woodman's Drinkwater series has followed a consistent formula. At first, there is an introduction of the characters followed by a first action in which Drinkwater shows his fire as a military man. Then the characters and situations develop until there is a climactic battle that requires Drinkwater's unique skills for good to triumph over evil. The Corvette is somewhat of a departure from the established formula and the result is perhaps Woodman's finest entry since the first of the series.

The Corvette finds Nathaniel Drinkwater recovered from wounds following a failed attack on Boulogne, an action that has occurred after events in The Bomb Vessel. Drinkwater is given command as a job-captain, a temporary position, to guard the Greenland whaling fleet. He must overcome hostility from the whalers and guard against French attempts to disrupt the vital whaling operation. The crew must be molded into a fighting force and elements overcome. All of these demands are suitable challenges for the skills of Nathaniel Drinkwater.

Woodman has enriched The Corvette with a fascinating cast of characters. Tregembo and Mr. Q are back. We are also introduced to whalers some of whom are Quakers. In addition, Drinkwater provides passage for a Quaker missionary en route to Greenland. The Corvette features a marvelous discussion of theology between the learned Quaker and the more pragmatic fighting man Drinkwater. Although the discussion is set in the early 19th century, it is as relevant today as it was then. Also, the morality of killing such magnificent creatures as whales is briefly questioned, I suspect more as a nod to modern readers than to reflect historical accuracy. One great bit of dramatic tension is between the surgeon and Drinkwater. The surgeon sees Drinkwater as being responsible for the horrible slaughter. Drinkwater, while regretting the slaughter, sees it as unavoidable if homes and hearths are to be protected.

The Corvette is first and foremost a sea story. Woodman continues to provide extensive details and even includes a sketch of a repair at sea. Unfortunately, Woodman does assume that the reader has a detailed knowledge of the hardware of sailing ships. If this novel were reprinted, the publisher would do well to include a glossary of terms and a sketch of the vessel. Like all books in the series, The Corvette has a map that shows where the action takes place. The details and problems of sailing in the arctic in wooden vessels are described well. On the other hand descriptions of clothing were sparse. In particular, I was curious to know if the sailors remained barefoot in the high arctic.

I suspect that The Corvette was not the novel that Woodman set out to write. The raid on Boulogne and serious injuries after The Bomb Vessel all seem to be major events in the series. Perhaps the failed raid was intended as a precursor to The Corvette or it was intended to stand on its own. Whatever the intent, it appears that excluding the Boulogne action from the series led to The Corvette being different in structure than the earlier entries. The Corvette is a very effective change of pace.

There is little violent action at the start of The Corvette, perhaps due to the missing Boulogne scenes, but Woodman skillfully builds up the tension until the climactic battle scenes that are some of his best. Woodman is particularly adept at describing the confusion of battle. The reader sees the battles from Drinkwater's eyes. Often it's hard to tell who is winning and who is losing. Perhaps that's part of Woodman's message, that everybody loses in war. Whatever the case, The Corvette is one of Woodman's finest entries in the Drinkwater series and well worth a reprint.