Floating Gold
By Margaret Muir
Captain Oliver Quintrell is hoping for a ship, but the recent Treaty
of Amiens and his equally recent injuries make this rather unlikely.
But even if he cannot sail off to war, there are other uses for
a naval captain and his is to ensure safe passage for a convoy of
merchantmen. He also has some sealed orders that have to be
opened when he has reached a certain place…
I think Ms Muir is that rarest of rare birds, an author who can
fill a fat novel with a long story. Unfortunately she does
not get the chance this time, but there is a feeling in this book
that despite its comparative brevity what we are getting is a shortened
version of a much longer tale. I enjoy naval fiction and was
impressed with this tale of sealed orders, adventures, uncharted
waters and mysterious happenings. As sea stories go this one
ticks all the boxes, and it isn’t even set during wartime.
Ms Muir is adept at characterization, plotting and descriptions
as well as showing that she knows one end of a ship from the other.
We are promised on the flyleaf “unknown dangers and unspeakable
horrors” and although I can promise some of these, I wonder
what the book would have been like if it had been twice, or three
times as long. We will never know, but I reckon it might have
been a contender for my top ten books of the year. As it is
this is highly recommended, and I do hope the first in a new series.
|
The
Book |
Robert Hale |
31
May 2010 |
Hardback |
070909051X / 9780709090519 |
Historical/Nautical / 1802 Various locations in England and
worldwide |
More at Amazon US
|| UK |
Excerpt |
NOTE: A few gory moments |
The
Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed
2010 |
NOTE:
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