Sunday 27 March 2011

HISTORICAL FICTIONR EVIEW: Themis 1: Under Enemy Colours - Sean Thomas Russell

Release Date: 05/02/09

SYNOPSIS:

It is 1793. The thunder of cannon fire echoes across the English Channel, chilling the stoutest hearts ...The opening skirmishes of the French Revolutionary War send ageing frigate HMS Themis into waters swarming with enemy ships of the line. Instructed to survey the French coastline, she's soon in the thick of the action: cutlasses slash and bayonets skewer, cannons splinter decks and sever limbs. Onto the smoky deck strides young Lieutenant Charles Hayden. With an English father and a French mother, the Admiralty are reluctant to give Hayden his first command. Instead, he is to act as a bulwark between the Themis' tyrannical Captain Hart and a mutinous crew. Steering a course between the cowardly captain and the treacherous crew, English common sense and French pride, Hayden must first master his wits before challenging the might of the French naval war machine.


REVIEW:

If you’re a fan of Patrick O’Brian’s “Lucky” Jack Aubrey and CS Forester’s Horatio Hornblower then you cannot afford to miss this new series by Sean Thomas Russell featuring Lieutenant Charles Hayden who helps restore the crew of the HMS Themis to their full glory as he battles against the insurrection from within the crew alongside fighting the good fight against the French.

It’s beautifully written and readers will find themselves carried away on the tide with the crew hoping as each battle is fought that favourite characters will survive against the odds. Add to this an authoritve background woven within the pages, decent prose and overall a rather fitting use of the English language for the principle characters. All in, this was a read I thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to other titles in the series.

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