Audacity, Privateer Out of Portsmouth, by J. E. Fender

March 12, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: book review, historical fiction, J. E. Fender 

This is an interesting nautical fiction novel by J.E. Fender. This is the second volume of the Frost Saga, the story of one Geoffrey Frost, a mariner from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who is a great navigator,Audacity, Privateer out of Portsmouth, by J.E. Fender excellent naval commander, and a fierce armed combatant. He is also a gentleman, somewhat philosophical and learned in history, philosophy, and other fields. And, finally, he is a businessman. He does not like to waste time – time wasted is business lost for Geoffrey Frost, regardless of whether he employs himself as a trader or as a captain of a privateer.

Geoffrey Frost has entered the American Revolution on behalf of the colony of New Hampshire, commanding a captured British sloop o’ war and sailing out of Portsmouth to harass the British fleet. And as Frost doesn’t like to waste time, the story about him too moves fast, with little time spent ashore and lots of nautical action compared to most of the novels about naval warfare in the age of sail.

The story in Audacity, as in the first book in the series, is set during the American Revolution. Here Frost and his crew engage an English frigate very smartly, destroy another English Navy ship, and capture several British trading and supply ships. For Frost and his crew, that means a very nice sum in prize money, and it also serves to enhance Frost’s reputation and influence.

Audacity is very entertaining, rich on historical detail, and has great descriptions of the naval actions the ship engages in. The weakest part of the book is in the exceedingly conceited manner of behavior of the some of the characters, most notably Frost himself. He speaks as if he was reading from a government document or the small print clauses in an insurance policy. I think it is fairly unlikely that anyone ever stood on a quarterdeck and emitted any of the pompous speeches that Geoffrey Frost is guilty of.

Overall, I view Audacity as a very nice read, entertaining, and quite interesting as it deals with the Civil War and the emerging navy of the US. And I enjoy ther hero, the smart and brave Geoffrey Frost a lot!

Praise:

“This entertaining novel .. offers historical detail .. plenty of action, and unforgettable characters.” —Booklist

“The battle scenes are plentiful, the historic references neatly woven in ..”—Concord Monitor

“A seafaring yarn of the American Revolution, Audacity plunges into action and claps on sail.”—The Historical Novels Review

Links to books by J. E. Fender at Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Amazon CAN.

Tags: , , , ,