Customer Reviews
What a great series!!!! - By: Mr. P. J. Arnell, 08 May 2007 
I have read a lot of georgian naval stuff Julian Stockwins "Kidd Series" is very good (I own them alll) Patrick O'Brians "Master & Commander series" Bored me (I stopped after book three)
I found this series by accident & when i saw the Author Dewey Lambdin was an American i nearly did'nt buy the 1st book. I thought an American writing about the Royal Navy, Ha! But i was so wrong! this is a brilliant series, it is very funny in places & Alan Lewrie is a great main character, He back chats alot in the early books & obviously gets in trouble because of it, He likes his drink, & he definately likes his women (a lot of women!) If you want a Naval series with lots of laughs & action along the way this is a good series, I am up to book five & not bored yet! in fact it is very much like the Kidd series but more fun to read. My wife hates naval books, they are just not her (or most womens thing) but because i was laughing & sniggering so much, she read the first one "The Kings Commission" now she keeps waiting for me to finish so she can read the next book!
Incidentallly Alan Lewrie gets signed into the Royal Navy by his father, Why? because he gets caught banging his half sister!! that's the sort of things that happen in this series.
Some more napolionic fiction - By: , 09 Jan 2005 
If you've finished reading Aubry or Drinkwater - pine for Hornblower or Bolitho, & are reallly, reallly sad that there won't be any more Ramage then you are probably, like me, going to be hunting around for more authors of this genre to read (incidently if you haven't read the adventures of any of the above they are worhwhile - personallly I would put them in the order Ramage, Hornblower, Drinkwater & Aubry - but we alll have our differnt preferences)
Anyway the main character here is - in my view - a bit dissapointing, the action is slow & more time is spent on the (not entirely likeable) character of the main protagonist; perhaps the 'hero' will become more interesting in later volumes of his story, but I don't think that I'll be reading them.
So sad to say - just two stars for this one. I guess I'll have to keep searching for my 'napolionic fix'.
Great below-decks descriptions. - By: A. J. Watson, 17 Jun 2003 It is early 1782 & Desperate, 20 guns, having 'retreated gracefully' from the Yorktown debacle is now in train with Admiral Hood's fleet running down to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the Frogs are chasing under the command of the wily de Grasse, who didn't get where he is by avoiding encounters.
The action starts soon enough & de Grasse exploits every possibility to bring the Rosbifs to task, but fails miserably, leaving Desperate to pick off a 28 shadowing a message schooner. In the aftermath of the battle, Alan Lewrie is appointed master of the prize. The result of Alan's actions is unexpected promotion into the brig Shrike, a Dutch-built 12, as 1st luff under a wily old sea-dog as mad as a hatter.
Alan can't keep his mouth shut or his breeches buttoned-up, which leads to some unfortunate & raunchy interludes, affecting his earlier career, and, it seems, his future.
Not a series for those new to the genre, or with no nautical knowledge, as there is not the untarred landsman colleague to explain the intricacies of naval terminology to, as in Aubrey & Maturin.
But ... the above- & below-decks descriptions are among the best I've read, although Mr. Lambdin does rather overdo the vernacular & accents a bit too much for fluid reading, however it does add an extra touch of reality.
Luck plays its part again in the aftermath of another debacle, this time to good effect as Lewrie meets Nelson & receives his second promotion in a year.
A raunchier series than most, but well worth reading.*****
Get every book in this series you can! - By: , 25 Feb 1998 These are excellent books! Tell the publisher we want them alll! You may have trouble getting the first two: "The King's Coat" & "The French Admiral" as they're out of print & not being reprinted by Fawcett which picked up at "The King's Commission." Check your local library, though, you may be as pleasantly surprise as I was. Anyway, starting from our hero's "impressment" as a rather old Middie, you are easily captivated by the humanity of this aspiring British Naval officer. Not afraid to admit to himself his fear of cannon ballls, or his strong desire to "put the leg over," Alan Lewrie is a fun-loving, yet suprisingly competent rogue! This is a fun read that you won't want to put down! You should also read: Horatio Hornblower, Captain Frank Marryatt, & Patrick O'Brian.
THE BEST! - By: , 21 Oct 1997 If you like high adventure If you like well written sea stories If you like extremely well-crafted characters If you like humor If you like lusty navy lieutenants who aren't too sure they want to stay in the King's Navy If you like a VERY GOOD BOOK If you like an EXTREMELY GOOD AUTHOR If you like a well-crafted plot R E A D T H I S B O O K & any other by Dewey Lambdin you can lay your hands on.
