Note to fans of swashbuckling sea adventures: If you're tired of re-reading C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey series, you simply must dive into the Thomas Kydd sea adventures penned by their fellow Englishman Julian Stockwin. Conquest, the 12th installment in the series, picks up where its predecessor left off, at the British victory at Trafalgar, beginning a new episode in the history of England's imperialistic ambitions.
It's 1806 and as captain of the frigate L'Aurore, Kydd is off on an expedition to take Cape Town from the Dutch and to secure the rich trade routes to India. Accompanying him is his friend and confidential secretary, Nicholas Renzi. Kydd and his crew anticipate the Dutch will fight hard for this important territory and will be ready for action. They surrender easily, though, leaving Kydd and his force to maintain order in a harsh African environment. Things become complicated when Renzi gets into serious trouble and Kydd risks both his ship and his career to help him.
Conquest is a fun read. The prose is functional, the plot fast-moving, the action intense. The characters are fairly simple, but it all works well, and like a good soap opera you'll find yourself eagerly awaiting the next episode. Stockwin is especially good on the technical details of sailing, and he knows his history, too. (For landlubbers who don't know a plain sail from a goose-winged, there's a handy glossary.) --Tom Lavoie, former publisher