Thursday, February 7, 2013

Prize of War

I picked up this piece of Historical Fiction on Amazon the other day.  Prize of War is naval story in the Horatio Hornblower tradition set in the first year of the American Revolution.  The back drop is the British attempt to capture Charleston (Charles Town in the book)  SC.  Our hero Nathaniel Morgan is 1st lieutenant (latter Captain) of  the Privateer Hawk.  After the Hawk manages to escape a British trap he becomes part of an international plan to provide supplies for the defense of the port.  The story includes to beautiful ladies who are more then they seem and a host of agents and double agents both serving the King of England, Congress and the King of France. All and all its rollicking tale with enough realism to keep the historically minded person suspending his disbelief. 

Morgan and his semi-estranged father fight frequently over the causes of the war and these arguments are the low point of the book in part because to a student of the period they sound very stiff.  The author actually makes the better argument for the loyalist (from a period stand point) while Morgan's argument could come form most US school boys.

The author also gives many of his characters facial hair in his description a point of issue for many renenactors but only a minor one.

Over all its an ebook worth picking up given its in expensive price at Amazon.com

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