Robin Marx reviewed At Drake's Command by David Wesley Hill
Review of "At Drake's Command" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This nautical adventure is the first chronicle of Peregrine James's adventures as a part of Sir Francis Drake's crew. The book reads like one of the early Horatio Hornblower novels, with an earnest and resourceful young man proving his worth to his superiors, but rather than a promising young midshipman, James acts as the ship's cook. This provides an interesting perspective on the events to follow.
This book is well-grounded in history, taking place on a historical expedition full of real, named historical characters. This feeling of authenticity extends to every corner of the book. The details of seagoing life and the dialogue all feel realistic and colorful. I particularly appreciated how the author didn't shy away from the bawdier aspects of the sailor's language and lifestyle like many nautical fiction authors; this earthiness added a level of realism that is often lacking in more "PG-rated" ocean adventures.
My only …
This nautical adventure is the first chronicle of Peregrine James's adventures as a part of Sir Francis Drake's crew. The book reads like one of the early Horatio Hornblower novels, with an earnest and resourceful young man proving his worth to his superiors, but rather than a promising young midshipman, James acts as the ship's cook. This provides an interesting perspective on the events to follow.
This book is well-grounded in history, taking place on a historical expedition full of real, named historical characters. This feeling of authenticity extends to every corner of the book. The details of seagoing life and the dialogue all feel realistic and colorful. I particularly appreciated how the author didn't shy away from the bawdier aspects of the sailor's language and lifestyle like many nautical fiction authors; this earthiness added a level of realism that is often lacking in more "PG-rated" ocean adventures.
My only complaint about this book is that I wish there was more of it. I wasn't aware going into the book that it was to be part of a series, I expected a stand-alone novel and because of my misperception the pacing felt a bit off throughout the book. Nearly a quarter of the book is done before the ship actually ventures out to sea, and rather than circumnavigating the globe, the events described here hover around Africa's Barbary Coast, a fact that made me a bit nervous as the end of the book approached. Not only does the book only cover a portion of the journey, it also ends on a right bastard of a cliffhanger. While I was pleased to see that more adventures are to follow, and pacing is less of a concern if the reader is aware going in that more books are forthcoming, I still can't shake the feeling that--instead of a complete book with a beginning, middle, and end--this book is simply a bloodily truncated section of a larger work. That's one aspect that compares unfavorably with something like the Hornlower series, which managed to deliver satisfyingly self-contained stories within the framework of a larger saga.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'm very eager to see what comes next.