|
Captain Kilburnie: An Age-Of Sail Novel of Triumph over Adversity in Nelson's Navy | 
 enlarge | Author: William P. Mack
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $4.44
You Save: $9.51 (68%)
New (4) Used (5) from $4.03
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 2815400
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Pages: 367
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 1
ASIN: B000H2MNWY
Publication Date: April 30, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Tell A Friend
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
After publishing six successful novels about the surface engagements of World War II, including the now classic South to Java (coauthored with his son), William Mack turns his attention and considerable talent to the adventure and romance of the Age of Sail. This enchanting story charts the glorious rise through the ranks of Nelson's navy by Fergus Kilburnie, one of the first Scotsmen to serve as an officer. With the bold pluck of a natural-born leader, an innate affinity for the sea, and not a little help from friends in high places, the intrepid Kilburnie escapes one predicament after another to earn in just a few years a captain's stripes and the plum of the fleet, a three-masted frigate to fight France and Spain for command of the seas. In addition to French and Spanish foes, Kilburnie battles dangerous and unpredictable seas, envious crewmen, jealous fellow officers, and his own powder-keg emotions. He rises time after time to meet his many challenges and find his way into the reader's soul. By dint of his dauntless heroism, matchless leadership, and struggles with moral courage, Kilburnie takes his place next to other unforgettable characters in the literature of the period. Among the current spate of novels about the Nelsonian navy, Mack's stands out with a polished prose style, seasoned by the author's stellar naval career in which he rose to the rank of vice admiral in the U.S. Navy. He carries the reader on a page-turning trip through time, rich with spellbinding action, dramatic tension, a panorama of human emotions, and historical accuracy. This exhilarating new novel is for those who relish the bark and smoke of blazing cannon, the swish and clang of gnashing cutlasses, the hiss and pop of sails winging a three-masted frigate into firing position, the back-stabbing intrigue of the British Admiralty, the bawdy life of seamen on liberty, the sweet passion of young love, and the restorative power of redemption. It establishes a fresh voice and an iconoclastic new character in an ever-popular genre that could use some new blood.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 V ery good May 5, 2004
fabricepurchase (CA)
Discovered Mack's Captain Kilburnie after C.S. Forrester's Hornblower. A delight.
exhilerating November 11, 2001
nelson holbrook (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
this is one of the best books of the 1700-1800 sailing era that I have read so far, I think even better than C. S. Forester`s novels. I only hope that Mr. w. mack will continue to expand on this series.
 Filled with good characters and sharp actions April 8, 2000
Kenneth S. Smith (Goleta, CA USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is similar in style to the great books of Captain Frederick Marryat. The writing is simple in style and straight forward. The main character starts low and ends high. Not one of the greatest of this genre that I have read, but I loved this book. Angus Kilburnie is a young Scotsman that is caught with the daughter of an Irish lord and banished. He decides to make his life at sea as did his Grandfather. With the aid of his naval veteran Uncle, he is assigned to a "good ship" and does well. He is promoted from the ranks to midshipman and through good service to lieutenant. As lieutenant on a new ship, he has a foul captain and is pawned off by the bad captain to serve as First Lieutenant on a transport (a converted 74). He goes on to do great deeds on this ship and beyond. To disclose more would spoil the fun. Filled with good characters and sharp actions. If you love books about the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, this one is not to be missed. I anxiously await the sequel. Be sure to check out the excellent WWII Destroyer books by Adm. Mack. Especially don't miss "South to Java", one of the greatest works of fiction I have ever read in any category!
Intriguingy a different format... enjoyable January 6, 2003
I enjoyed this novel even though the format is vastly different from O'Brian, Kent, Lambdin, Pope and the other major writers in this genre. Following the career of Fergus Kilburnie from lowly sailor to Post Captain in one book forces a faster pace and fewer details than is normally encountered. While I prefer the normal format of one ship, one major battle or event per book - which allows for better character development, this was a fun read. When I finished, I immediately ordered the sequel.
 A first nautical book. May 31, 2001
tertius3 (MI United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This sea story is suitable for youth or adults new to the "Fighting Sail" genre. W.P. Mack, a retired U.S. Admiral, writes of an impetuous Scot lad who advances to command through unusual maritime situations during the War of the French Revolution. Amid typical shot, storm, and stupidity, Kilburnie wins through to command and love, but fails to charm me. This book is notable for including family, social, and hospital scenes, and is particularly good at showing how political "interest" (patronage) could work to advance a young man's naval career, despite his alleged handicap of Scottish ancestry. At several points Mack helpfully instructs in basic seamanship and jargon, but by and large sail handling is not critical to the story, which is shaped more as a biography of Kilburnie. Withal, Kilburnie rises rather easily in the author's hands and is on the way to achieving his goals with less sweat and conflict than usually depicted in novels of this type. He is always loved by his men (without convincingus us), and gets on with garrulous subordinates as if they were buddies. These contemporary American values are expressed in prose that is best described as "in ordinary:" flat, a bit simplistic, emotionally sanitized, and lacking dialogue in British dialects. Thus Mack also misses the flavour of the better historical novels of English naval warfare two centuries ago. Only if your appetite is whetted here and you thirst for more naval cant, lore, adventure, and atmosphere should you try that paragon of obscure and inexplicable prose and period, Patrick O'Brian, by way of C.S. Forester's Hornblower saga.While Mack disappoints me in his shallow characterization and awkward style, this could be a good start for beginners in the genre--a quick overview--and is a quality large paperback. Although this will have a sequel, I am much more excited about the hugely promising new KYDD series by Julian Stockwin, a true British captain.
|
|
|
Navy Advancement Study Guide
Navy Store | |
