Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is an interesting novel, the main character being Thomas Kydd, a seaman in the Royal Navy during the 1790s. The novel is a little weak when it comes to describing action against the enemy (some actions seem a little superficial) but gives good accounts of fighting bad weather and generally surviving aboard a ship of war. John Nicol's autobiography, "John Nicol Mariner," is a good account of a seaman during that time period.
In actual fact, during that time there were more losses from disease, storms, shipwrecks, and accidents in general, than there were from enemy action. The description of Kydd's survival after coming down with yellow fever would be typical for the location and time period. Frederick Hoffman in his autobiography, "A Sailor of King George," related his experience aboard a ship where he was one out of 16 midshipmen, and one out of two who survived a yellow fever epidemic. The survivors lived to tell their tales, so stories are naturally about survivors. There was reputedly an old toast in the Royal Navy for "a long war or a fever season," i.e., others misfortunes opened opportunities for promotion.
While it may seem a little unreal for a ship or officer to have one success after another, such officers did exist at that time and many, including Nelson, achieved rapid promotion by their successes.
There were young men from well-to-do families who ran off to sea for various reasons (just as some later joined the French Foreign Legion). Some survived and achieved success. The character of Nicholas Renzi is believable.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Seaflower: A Kydd Sea Adventure (Kydd Sea Adventures)
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