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    A Ship of War
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    A Ship of War
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    A Ship of War
    Audiobook14 hours

    A Ship of War

    Written by Sean Thomas Russell

    Narrated by Nick Boulton

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Charles Hayden sets off aboard the ill-fated HMS Themis with orders to destroy a French frigate and to gather intelligence from a royalist spy. On discovering French plans for an imminent invasion of England, Hayden must return to Portsmouth to give warning before it's too late. But the enemy have been lying in wait for him, and so begins a dangerous chase out into the Atlantic and into the clutches of a powerful French squadron… Hayden and his men try in desperation to warn the Lords of the Admiralty. Failure will mean the invasion of England - and the guillotine for Hayden.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd Audio
    Release dateOct 1, 2012
    ISBN9781471208737
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for A Ship of War

    3.5/5

    40 ratings17 reviews

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    • 4/5
      It has been awhile since I read the previous volume of this series, but I found "Take, Burn or Destroy" a good addition to naval fiction. The nautical knowledge, humor (if occasionally vulgar), and characters are well fleshed out and made the book enjoyable as a whole. Certainly the tenseness of the action was well played indeed. That said, a bit more spent on how and when Hayden informed his superiors about his supposedly vital information - now horribly delayed by several weeks - would have been helpful. There are other loose ends (including the fate of several important characters) which I assume will be covered in the next book. However, there were frustrating breaks in the action for Austen-like scenes on shore. I have nothing against the author's female characters - they're unusually engaging actually (though curiously modern in sensibilities) but it broke up the action horribly, and I can't see most readers of this kind of work enjoying such breaks. It was a fairly solid 1/3 of the story, and could have been condensed into fewer chapters easily. Overall, this was a solid offering in a naval series, and I look forward to the next volume.
    • 4/5
      Fans of the Patrick O'Brien will wonder if any seafaring fiction can match his masterful work. Probably nothing can, but this novel is good and an enjoyable read. Charles Hayden is the ship's commander at the onset of the war with the French. Hayden's mission goes awry and he is captured by the enemy. He speaks perfect French so he is able for a time to portray himself as a shipwrecked French sea captain. He is eventually discovered, but is returned to England in gratitude for his efforts to save French seaman from a foundering ship. Likely? Doesn't seem so. He has a sort of romantic interlude while in France which also seemed to stretch believability a bit.Hayden has romance problems at home which are ultimately resolved, but this, too, seemed added just for balance. This part pales when compared to Aubrey's and Maturin's female relationships in O'Brien's novels.These criticisms, however, are offset by the seagoing scenes in this book. They are detailed, vivid and exciting. (You might want to have your lexicon of naval terms handy as you read these adventures.)Although not as good as the incomparable O'Brien, all in all, quite a good story. I would still read others in this series.
    • 4/5
      Not the best entry in the series. Light on action and long on relationships, failed and those hopefully successful, Still like the series and will read the next installment.
    • 3/5
      Though this is the 4th book in the Charles Hayden series it was my understanding that it could be read as a stand alone novel. In most regards this is true. I have not read any of the other books and for the most part I could follow what was going on and get a general feel for the characters. Though there could definitely have been more detail in this regard, I understand that I am the one coming late to the party and wouldn't hold it against the author. If you have read the other novels you will probably fall right in line with the story.The other major hurdle for a reader new to this genre is the naval lingo and understanding of sailing in general. Before this book I couldn't tell you port side from starboard side, and after this book I still can't. However, it is not a hindrance to enjoy the book. The author keeps it understandable enough that even if I don't understand the exact sailing technique being performed I was able to get the jist of what they were trying to do.Overall this was a somewhat fun action and adventure story that was decently written and probably technically accurate. I enjoyed it enough to finish it and come to the realization that I will not read another book like it. However, if you are into this genre then please give this author a try and not listen to my landlubber biased review!
    • 3/5
      Let me start by prefacing this review that I love historical fiction. I have loved Russell's previous books. However, TBD was not a favorite. The story was very slow moving, positively glacial in some parts! The action really needed to be stepped up. The plot was also completely unrealistic, unbelievable, fanciful in some parts. This was very surprising compared to his other novels. Still, it was an enjoyable read if you suspend reality for a bit and skim over some parts to get to the action.
    • 4/5
      S. Thomas Russell continues the adventures of Charles Hayden in this third novel of sea adventure in the glorious British Age of Sail. As in the first two novels, the author displays depth of knowledge of sea faring in this historical time period and writes with great self assurance.Unlike the first two novels, Russell spends a substantial amount of time dealing with the onshore dealings of the woman who holds his affection, Henrietta. While adding a different aspect to the tale, this venture seemed to add little to this book and, in fact, slowed the pace immeasurably. While apparent resolution occurs, the amount of pages devoted to this side- story does little to advance the total Hayden narrative unless the author plans a reintroduction of Henrietta in future books. In short, too much time was spent on this aspect of the story in relation to the apparent outcome.That being said, it must be admitted that Russell is a superior narrator of seagoing adventures, whether it be description of the chase, the tragedy of shipwreck, or the bravery and horror of military action aboard seagoing vessels during the English and French conflict. His action sequences hold the reader entranced and involved and more importantly, are satisfying in that they are never over or under written.Russell's characters have the authenticity of those of Patrick O'Brien and C. Northcote Parkinson, the humaneness and flaws of Dewey Lambdin's and offer the best of those of Mack and Connery. Lovers of adventure and tales of the British navy in the Age of Sail will be enthralled by this author's books.
    • 2/5
      I have mixed feelings about "Take, Burn or Destroy" by S. Thomas Russell. On the positive side, Mr. Russell clearly knows his sailing and ship handling and his battle scenes are well done. But there were times I thought I was reading a novel by Jane Austin with the Bennet sisters chattering with each other. When I get a book about a Master and Commander, I don't expect 20 page breaks to discuss the Carthew family. I found myself at one point checking that I was on page 136 and we were still on the first running battle of the book. Another negative was that I felt that I didn't know many of the characters because I hadn't read the previous books in the series. I have read O'Brian and Forester extensively and I think they do a better job as stand alone books.Mr. Russell also neglects part of his plot, nothing is said in a court martial about Hayden's failure to report vital information when that is his primary mission.That said, TBD picks up smartly in the second half and I enjoyed that much better than the first half. I would recommend this book to readers of naval fiction, but just prepared to read quickly through some sections.
    • 3/5
      This is the first book that I've read in the series and I found that the book lacked action and that the sections related to the captain's home life/finance back in England were a little lack luster.
    • 3/5
      Russell has dropped the ball, and I don't know if he is going to recover it. This series started strong with a lot of action. But since then it has become encumbered with long passages that take for ever to resolve. It often seems like we are watching water boil, waiting for the period Russell is guiding us through to move on.Here we have two sequences, a battle, well handled at the end of the book, but before that, in the early part, a storm. And this interminable. Russell has had this trouble before and perhaps he is just not aware that we can only keep engaged for so long until we want to pull our hair out. As readers we know a few things. When we get to the end of the book, our hero will be alive. So often life and death sequences are charged, but we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. With the way Russell handles 80 page long chapters, the tunnel extends so long that we stop caring.Further, there are a few asides that we really don't care about, and by investing us in them, takes away from what we do want to know. He has his female lead on stage as a POV character, and her cousin/confidante as well. This is all good if the time we invest in them has something for us, that they will emerge as leads as well, but they aren't. They are supporting and their ultimate actions end up not supporting our hero. We could have had all we needed from them in third person without long sequences of what was happening in their lives. This series needs an injection of action and planning if it is to continue. I hope that Russell can pull things around and make our hero and his companions achieve something better in the fourth book.
    • 2/5
      When I was young I discovered CM Forrester's Horatio Hornblower Series. My mother was also reading the same series and I could not figure out why as the books seemed to be about the naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars. When I got into the later volumes of the series, instead of war, the novel were about intrigue and romance. I never did finish the series. I tried t reread the series a couple of years ago and found that they did not hold up well with time.A few years ago I came across Patrick O'Brien's Jack Aubrey Series. True there was a complicated romantic relationships and intrigue the books were more modern in nature and I read most of the series and enjoyed the books.The latter set of books have influenced two other series in the Military Science Fiction genre, Mike Shepard's Kris Longknife series and David Weber's Honor Harrington (Honorverse). I liked the first few books of the Kris Longknife series, however the quality of the writing and the quality of the plot rapidly deteriorated. David Weber's series has had a few stumbles, however I still look forward to further books in the series.I excited to learn that S. Thomas Russell was writing a new series based on the naval battles of the Napoleonic wars. This book is the third in the series and I have not read the early books in the series. I found the first two or so chapters interesting and then the book comes to a screeching halt when a chapter, apparently written by Jane Austin (on one of her worst days) is before me. I can say that after reading the book that the Carthew family is the most boring group of people that I have ever read about and Henrietta is a twerp. Capt. Hayden should be ecstatic they he lost her love instead of mooning about his loss.Normally I would not have finished this book, however I slogged to the end. Removing all the chapters with the Carthews I would give this book three stars. The chapters containing the Carthews add absolutely nothing to the story and I give those chapters 0 stars. I will stick with the Honorverse series.
    • 4/5
      This was an ER book and the third in S. Thomas Russell's Hayden Series, which are Napoleonic era naval novels. And like the previous two, it's different from many other Age of Sail series because, while there is some on-ship descriptions and a few action scenes, a lot of the book is not about either. The cover of the book states "An Epic Novel of Naval Adventure" but this book was not. In this book, the author spends probably 1/3 of it focused on the captain's fiance back in England. While I enjoyed the previous books because they were a nice mixture of on-board and on-land interactions, I enjoyed this one less because even I felt he spent far too much time away from the ship. The book was in danger of becoming a romance novel in several sections.The action scenes -- and there really is only 2 -- are long and somewhat boring. In one sense this is an accurate portrayal of a naval battle -- lots of waiting and wondering and preparation -- with a very short and intense fight, but as storytelling, I found it to drag in spots. I get the feeling he wrote this one only to set up the next book, which then left this one a bit lacking. I'll continue to read the series, because it is one of the few new naval series out there, but I will hope the author focuses more on the naval adventure than romance.
    • 4/5
      The search for the next Jack Aubrey or Horatio Hornblower continues. I haven't yet read the first two books in this series, so some moments in the book have more back-story than is conveyed in this book. Unfortunately, most of the moments I suspect would be dull as dishwater regardless. Hayden seems to follow O'Brian's formula, interweaving the captain's professional life with his domestic life. As in the Aubrey series, though, those periods spent at home were largely forgettable and an unwelcome break in the action.Captain Hayden, a Master and Commander of a frigate (a rather large ship for any but a post-captain), is carrying word of Napoleon's gathering invasion force back to England when he is waylaid in fog, his ship captured, and then the French ship who captures him itself is wrecked by a subsequent storm. Hayden's crew by and large survives and is rounded up in France. Because of their efforts saving French sailors in the wreck of the French ship, they are released to a ship that repatriates them to England. In spite of losing his ship, Hayden is promoted to post-captain, given a refurb 64-gun ship of the line, and charged with carrying dispatches to Admiral Lord Howe, last seen cruising off Ushant. The story climaxes with the inconclusive battle known as the Glorious First of June.Meanwhile, Hayden's domestic life falls apart, and is largely abandon the last third of the book. No big loss as those characters were uninteresting, weak characters. I might go back and read the earlier books when I have opportunity; it remains to be seen if Thomas is the real deal or a pretender to the nautical fiction throne.
    • 4/5
      Russell does a good job weaving together the naval action and home front stories. It's quickly paced and my only complaints concern a few forced plot points and a couple underdeveloped characters but otherwise I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      With 'Take, Burn, or Destroy', Russell masterfully delivers the slow burn and building suspense associated with the sea-chase in the Age of Sail. As a fan of historical naval fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and was sad to find (to the credit of the author) that I will have to find conclusions to many of the plot threads in the next installment of the series.Although the language is at times more colorful than that in similar works, and Russell can be a trifle didactic in spots when trying to introduce the reader to certain sailing concepts, overall the book is a great fun to read. The only consolation I have in waiting for the next book, is that I was unaware this is a part of a series - and I can go read the previous books while waiting.I disagree with the reviewers who disliked the chapters populated by the Carthew family - I felt this aspect of the book contributed to making Hayden a three-dimensional character and were consistent with the mores of the period.Recommended!
    • 3/5
      The continuing story of Charles Hayden and his naval career during the Napoleonic Wars, plus his personal battles to win the hand of Henrietta Carthew. The naval action is well-described and, I imagine, true to the actuality of warfare at that time. I found these elements less engaging than they should have been because they are too technical; Russell knows his fore jib from his fo'c's'le ladder, and it shows. The land-based episodes I found more appealing (perhaps I am too much of a 'girly-man'!?!) if a little sub-Austen. A few too many loose ends in the narrative and a couple of incidents that should have been given greater prominence but faded into the background. Perhaps these threads will be taken up in later episodes.
    • 5/5
      Not as good as Kydd but a good listen and hope there are more book written as the next I believe is the last !
    • 4/5
      Take, Burn or Destroy is my first S. Thomas Russell novel. I did not realize that this book is third or fourth (depends on whose reviews I read) in a series when I chose to read it. With that said, I did not feel as though I jumped into the tale in the middle or that I really needed to have read the initial books to enjoy this one. Having no background of Captain Hayden, I feel this book makes a fine stand alone novel.As for the story itself, I am ambivalent. I wanted to read a naval adventure and ended up reading both a naval adventure and a romance. While I enjoyed the adventure portion (Russell definitely knows sailing in this time period), the romance portion fell flat. It seemed disconnected and it actually distracted me. I was thankful that the land-bound romance chapters were short so I could get back to the adventure! I suppose the romance story line began in the previous books so needed to be carried on here.Overall, I enjoyed Take, Burn or Destroy. Russell’s writing style, descriptions of the settings and sea battles, and his development of the characters are skillful. Reading it has sparked my interest to read Russell’s other novels.