Customer Reviews
Naval action from the Royal Navy's darkest days - By: T. D. Welsh, 16 Feb 2003 
This long-awaited second instalmentin a planned series of three omnibus volumes sees Fullerton's hero Sir Nicholas Everard & his sons enduring the grim days of 1940-2, when the Royal Navy seemed to take one dreadful pounding after another. Considering how closely Fullerton sticks to historical factin the background of his yarns, there are times when one can hardly believe that human beings could take so much punishment & keep coming back for more. It is only thanks to their courage & fortitude that we are here today.
"Storm Force to Narvik" is the most upbeat of the three novelsin this collection (from a British point of view). After a period of retirement between the wars, Nick has been given command of a destroyer & sent to patrol the icy seas off Norway. The book opens with a sharp encounter with a big German cruiser,in which Nick's ship is cruelly damaged & her companion destroyer sunk. Forced to limp into a fjordin search of repair facilities, she is overtaken by the German invasion - but with help from an unexpected quarter, she rises splendidly from the ashes. Meanwhile, Nick's son Paul - an ordinary seaman on another destroyer - witnesses the first battle of Narvik first-hand. Battleship fans will be glad to know that HMS Warspite's exploit is describedin loving detail.
"Last Lift from Crete" tells the heartbreaking story of how British forces were driven out of Greece & then Crete by the overwhelming power of the German armed forces - especially the Luftwaffe. Forced to evacuate as many "pongoes" as possible from the doomed island, the Royal Navy took dreadful losses from German air power, including the dreaded Junkers 87 "Stuka" dive-bombers. Naturally, Nick & his son Jack arein the thick of it. Look for the cameo appearance by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham (ABC to his men).
In "All the Drowning Seas", the melancholy rises to a crescendo. The good news is that Nick has risen to command a cruiser. The bad news is that it forms part of the ill-fated, heterogenous collection of ships under the command of the Dutch Admiral Doorman, which tries to fend off the Japanese threat to Java. Meanwhile, Paul (who has decided to become a submariner) is on the way to Malta aboard a merchant ship, as part of a convoy modelled on the real-life Operation Pedestal.
While glorious triumphs are few & far between, this book gives an unparalleled insight into the Royal Navy's (and the Merchant Navy's) ability to defend seemingly hopeless positions, never admitting defeat. It captures the essence of war at sea.
Three terrific novels of the First World War at sea - By: T. D. Welsh, 16 Feb 2003 This 690-page blockbuster comprises "The Blooding of the Guns", "Sixty Minutes for St George" & "Patrol to the Golden Horn". If you thought the First World War happened too long ago to be of any possible interest, think again! Fullerton's gift for writing, his eye for detail & his meticulous research put his booksin a class with CS Forester. Moreover, unlike Forester - who never fulfilled his ambition to join the Navy - Fullerton saw action as a naval officerin submarines. These three are the first of a series of nine novels following the life of Nicholas Everard, who starts out as a wretched, unhappy midshipmanin a battleship.
"The Blooding of the Guns" sees Everard transferred to a destroyer, where his native ability has a chance to shine through. "I suspect you may have been partially misinformed. This officer is neither wholly ignorant nor pathologically insubordinate. Only time will tell us whether or not he's lazy..." Three Everards fight at the battle of Jutland - Nickin his destroyer, his brother Davidin a cruiser, & his uncle Hugh as captain of the battleship Nile. This triple view gives us an outstanding three-dimensional experience of the greatest naval battle ever fought, which fillsin a lot of the blanksin the history books.
"Sixty Minutes for St George" is set against the background of the "Dover Patrol"in 1917-18, culminatingin the famous assault on Zeebrugge. Once again Nick Everard is climbing the greasy pole of command, now getting some recognition from senior officers as well as the routine discouragement from unimaginative captains. The amazing action scenes are nicely blended with vignettes of life ashore, from the riotous bars of Dover to Mullbergh, the home of Nick's baronet father & abused stepmother.
"Patrol to the Golden Horn" has everything a lover of naval novels could wish for - an exciting plot, lots of action, character development, & so much closely-observed detail that you really feel you are breathing the choking, stinking air of that apparently doomed sub. Setin & around the Bosphorus, shortly after the infamous Gallipoli landings, this book revolves around the German battlecruiser Goeben & British attempts to neutralise its threat.
World Wars at Sea - By: R. C. Chrisman, 25 Jan 2003 Thrilling & realistic tales of life aboard Royal Navy shipsin WWI & WWII. Follow the Nicolas Everard, & family, from junior officer (destroyers)in WWI (Vol. I) through commanding destroyers & a cruiserin WWII (Vol. II). Take your Dramimine to avoid mal de mer, & don you helmet as shells & shrapnel rain down -- the detail & honest portrayal of war at sea is fantastic.
