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    The Time of Terror: A Novel
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    The Time of Terror: A Novel
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    The Time of Terror: A Novel
    Ebook467 pages11 hours

    The Time of Terror: A Novel

    By Seth Hunter

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Patrolling the south coast of England in 1793 for smugglers, Commander Nathan Peake finds himself unhappy with his commission and desperate for some action. After revolutionary Frenchmen kill their own king and declare war on England, he gets his opportunity. Peake is entrusted with a vital mission to wreck the French economy by smuggling millions of French banknotes across the English Channel and into the heart of Paris. As he reluctantly embarks on the task of undermining the Revolution, opposition to the terror mounts, and he is soon forced to leave Paris and find the British squadrons in the storm-tossed Atlantic. Perfect for fans of nautical fiction, this humorous and well-researched tale portrays an upper-class, highly educated officer who values both action and reflection.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMcBooks Press
    Release dateApr 1, 2010
    ISBN9781590134887
    Unavailable
    The Time of Terror: A Novel
    Author

    Seth Hunter

    Seth Hunter is the pseudonym of London-based Paul Bryers, the author of the highly acclaimed Nathan Peake Novels, a series of naval adventures set against the canvas of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. One of his children’s stories, In a Pig's Ear, was named as one of the Guardian's six best novels of the year. He has written and directed many historical dramas for British television, radio, and the theatre.

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    Reviews for The Time of Terror

    3.5/5

    29 ratings28 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The first of a new swashbuckling series in the company of [Horatio Hornblower] and [Aubrey Maturin].Nathan Peake broods less than Hornblower but has a better sense of humor, with dry, wry comments that sometimes don't do him any favors. He's also engaged (in this story, at least) with more intrigue than Maturin gets up to.This was an enjoyable read, with shipboard combat, smuggling, politics and subterfuge set during the Time of Terror in Paris. Several historical characters play important parts in the fiction, which is always a plus for me.I am happy to see three more available in the series and am purchasing them on the strength of this story. Note: I received a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, but unfortunately misplaced it for several years so didn't get to read it until this past week. Under the terms of the program I am obligated to write a review, but with no restrictions on the content.
    • 4/5
      This novel is an exciting, swashbuckling tale set in the months after the French Revolution. Well-written, the characters are engaging, has a fantastic pace, and has many adventurous twists and turns. Highly engaging, I found myself rooting for Peake, desperately hoping he could find a happy ending in the midst of the blood-crazed French Republic.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 
    • 4/5
      The first volume of a planned trilogy, British documentary writer and director Seth Hunter introduces a new fictional hero set in the era that gave us Jack Aubrey, Horatio Hornblower, and Richard Sharpe. Nathanial Peake is the Master and Commander of the brig Nereus. The offspring of a retired admiral, we are introduced to Peake as he is doing duty assisting the revenue department chase smugglers around the English Channel following the French Revolution. When his ship is fired upon along the French coast, Peake believes he may have become the casus belli for a new war against what England considers to be a rogue, illegal government. Upon arriving at the Admiralty, however, he finds France had, in fact, formally declared war and hostilities were well underway. Peake is offered a covert mission delivering a cargo to France in a recently captured American sloop under the guise of being an American trader. In the course of the mission, he is acquainted with several people working underground against the Terror; Robespierre's regime which seeks victims for the guillotine under the slightest pretext. Peake's introduction to Paris, for example, finds him captured by a mob and being dragged to his hanging for the crime of wearing a hat without a tricolor pin. He is, of course, rescued by those he came to find.Peake has a surprising number of adventures, including 4 trips to Paris. Ala Aubrey, he achieves a stunning capture of a French frigate with his small ship. Ala Sharpe, he has a liaison with the widow of an outlawed aristocrat. Also like Sharpe, he becomes a favored tool of powerful historical figures. in this case, the brothers John and William Pitt. A side adventure has him chasing an American grain convoy and serving aboard the flag ship of Admiral Howe during the battle The Glorious First of June. I think for all of the homages paid in this book, perhaps the greatest would be to Ian Fleming. Peake is less a military figure than he is an 18th century version of James Bond. Peake encounters many major historic figures during the terror: Robespierre, Georges Denton, Thomas Paine, Mary Wollenstonecraft just to name a few. The historical setting is quite authentic, and aside from Peake and his crew, Hunter limits the number of fictional characters introduced. Events are either a matter of the historic record, or plausibly extrapolated from available data. However, just like a Bond adventure, the sheer number of unlikely situations pushes the limits of a plausible tale. Perhaps Hunter will show a little more restraint in the next book, The Tide of War.
    • 4/5
      A rousing adventure in the style (although not achieving quite the heights) of Patrick O'Brien. Nathan Peake is an appealing character, with the right blend of smarts and charm. The atmosphere of revolutionary Paris is authentic and compelling. And the portraits of real-life figures such as Gilbert Imlay and Mary Wollstonecraft are well-rendered. I look forward to the sequels.
    • 4/5
      A wonderful historical novel. Seth Hunters' marvelous prose makes you taste the sea air on the English Channel and feel the chilling terror of the French Revolution. His story is anchored excellently in historical fact with documented notes at the end of the book detailing his deviations. The characters (specifically main character Peake) grow in there development as the the plot moves along. The story does start slowly but builds with suspense and excitement to a satisfying ending. Enjoyed it much and I'm looking forward to other novels in the series. Strongly recommended.
    • 2/5
      Never could grasp me and pull me in to finish it. Maybe it will at a later time
    • 2/5
      Those who expect a nautical adventure book will find that this book is mostly about the French revolution and takes place mainly in Paris. Yes, there are episodes in the English Channel and elsewhere, and some famous naval battles are there, but this book does not rise to the level Patrick O'Brian's best efforts, and I disagree with the blurb that says otherwise. Perhaps subsequent books in the series will be more nautical and less gruesome. The title says it all.
    • 4/5
      For all those Horatio Hornblower fans who are looking for more, this is the book for you! Nathan Peake patrols the waters of the English coast, looking for smugglers. Then he is called in to undergo a special mission to bring goods into France on an American ship. His mission brings him to the streets of Paris during the French Revolution and he meets many famous people of the time as well as fighting to save the woman he loves.
    • 4/5
      Nathan Peake is a commander in the British Navy who spends his days chasing smugglers along the English coastline. This is not really Nathan's idea of fun and he longs to have some real adventures. He gets his chance in the year 1793 when, with England and France at war, he is asked to run the blockade in the English Channel and deliver some important documents to the American minister in Paris. Unknown to Nathan, however, his ship is carrying a cargo of counterfeit banknotes - putting his life in serious danger!Although it's not necessary to be an expert on French history to understand this story, you will get more out of it if you have some prior knowledge of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. So if names such as Georges Danton and Robespierre mean nothing to you, it might be a good idea to do some research before beginning the book.Readers who enjoy historical fiction novels that focus on real historical figures will be pleased to know that throughout the pages of The Time of Terror you'll meet the author and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, the American agent (and Mary's lover) Gilbert Imlay, the revolutionary writer Thomas Paine and many more - so many, in fact, that I began to feel Hunter was just trying to drop as many famous names as possible into the story. The sheer amount of historical detail in this novel was slightly overwhelming, though usually interesting. There were dinner parties with Camille Desmoulins and Lucile Duplessis, visits to the waxworks (including a brief appearance by the young Madame Tussaud) and vivid descriptions of the guillotine. However, other parts of the story that interested me were barely touched on. The romantic storyline, for example, is very weak, and I would also have liked to have seen more of Nathan's American feminist mother who had the potential to be a fascinating character.If you're concerned that there'll be a lot of unfamiliar nautical terms and difficult-to-understand naval battles you'll be right to some extent, but the story can still be followed even if you find yourself confused or bored by the seafaring aspects. The sea battle scenes, although very well written, actually contribute very little to the plot and the book would have worked better as a more conventional historical fiction novel in my opinion. However, there was probably too much land-based action to satisfy fans of nautical fiction so I think the book suffered from not really knowing what it wanted to be or what kind of reader it was aimed at.
    • 2/5
      As I love historical fiction and have enjoyed many series set in this time period (Hornblower, Sharpe, etc.), I was looking forward to this book.Unfortunately, it simply did not match up to the level of writing of those other authors. The characters were largely forgettable, the action none too gripping, and the overall plot, while promising, also not terribly compelling. While (for example) Hornblower can be said to have a arc to success based on his abilities and fortunate patronage, Peake seems to have bumbled into his top-secret mission because of his father, and because, presumably, he happened to be there and not needed elsewhere. And he was expendable. So it wasn't a case of "send our best man" it was "send someone we can lose". Not a promising start.Overall, it wasn't a "must read" and took weeks of picking it up, reading a few pages, and dropping it for a while in favor of something else to get through it.
    • 3/5
      A fun little summer read and jaunt into the past. I had been hoping for more time on the seas, but ended up dashing through the streets of Paris, trying to avoid the mob. The cover art/suggestions of a sea-focused adventure left me disappointed at the lack thereof. That being said - it was a fun read.The atmosphere of Paris during the revolution was captured well, with London and ship-time being sketched in as supporting characters. Not the read if you're after pirates or sea faring tales, but if your just looking to dip your toe into a historical time and go for a frolicking ride -this is the stuff.
    • 3/5
      Summary: Nathan Peake is a captain in the British Navy in 1793, whiling away his time chasing down smugglers in the Channel. After one such mission leads to his ship being fired upon by French guns - an act of war - he is summoned to the Admiralty, where he receives a new mission: he must pose as an American captain, aboard a newly-captured American ship, and deliver a mysterious cargo to the French, as well as various communiques to British agents in Paris. Peake agrees readily enough, but soon finds himself smack in the middle of French politics - not a safe place to be during the middle of the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution... particularly not for a British spy.Review: I really enjoy historical fiction as a genre because, amongst other things, it teaches me about historical times, people, and places in a way that's more interesting and more memorable than the lists of names and dates we get in school. In the case of The Time of Terror, however, I felt like the story really never gave me an "in," instead expecting me to know the history already. My knowledge of the French Revolution is spotty at best, though, so for much of the book I was mildly lost: understanding what was happening in the story, but being mostly ignorant of the broader context. Sp many key players of the Terror show up so briefly that they never really emerge as characters, and instead of bringing the history to life, it just started to feel like one of the name-dropping history lessons from high school. Perhaps it's because fictionalizing events in the lives of well-known historical figures is difficult; perhaps it's because Nathan doesn't really interact with important political figures more than obliquely. Whatever the reason, I felt like this book relied on a background that I didn't have.There were also a few subplots that didn't quite connect for me; the romance in particular felt a bit rushed and thus not entirely credible. That's not to say that there wasn't anything enjoyable about this book. Nathan's a sympathetic protagonist, and individual scenes and vignettes were quite good: Hunter's good at evoking a setting, has a good ear for dialogue, and can write exciting naval battles. (I do love me some boys on boats, although this book didn't have as many as the cover had led me to believe.) I just wish he'd focused more on the things he was good at, and less on trying to encapsulate the entirety of the Terror into a single novel. There's definitely the potential there, and I'd be interested to read Hunter's next book to see how he develops the story, but this one didn't manage to hit everything it was aiming for with me. 3 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Readers with a stronger background in French history may have better luck with it than I did; for me, while it certainly had potential, it wasn't quite what I wanted it to be.
    • 3/5
      This book suffers.Sorry to say, for most of the books I get from McBooks Press are really good. McBooks knows the genre that they publish, but Hunter has written a book that just touches the genre and is more concerned with, as the title states, the Terror, rather than as the cover and McBooks would have us think, a Napoleonic Era naval saga.On those merits, as a historical novel it succeeds better than as an Age of Sail novel. Our hero, who is not heroic, but drifts on the sea without any knowledge of how to lead his life, is taking a tour of what occurred during the time of Danton and Robespierre and of course we are to meet these men. As well as Mary Wollstonecraft, and others like Howe, Pitt and Chatham.But did we need a historical novel that reads more as a travelogue of the times. There was a significant event during the Terror, let us find a way to weave it into the story. So if the story is weak, let us try and make it stronger. But it does not become stronger. Hunter has some qualities that make him worthwhile, but not enough to make this a great read. Not enough to want us to see the protagonist again.It feels that the story started to be Age of Sail, and lost its way when the author decided to make his hero the James Bond of the revolutionary (French) era. But Nathan Peake is not a James Bond, nor is Seth Hunter an Ian Fleming.I would not be able to read it again. The love story is cliché and the ending, predictable, moreso since we all know about the Guillotine. Even the introduction to Madame Tussaud is predictable. Too many people of history populate this work to make the storyline believable. That one would meet all these people is too far fetched. A tighter storyline would have made this more palpable.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program. It took me a while to settle in to the story, but in the end it was an enjoyable, if light read. The protagonist seemed to wander through the story and forever get out of impossible situations. In reality, he would likely not have survived the first trip to Paris, let alone the subsequent trips. One striking oversight seemed to be the last time he was captured. He had stuffed counterfeit money in his pocket prior to being captured and tortured, yet the fact never comes up, even though it was an obvious indicator to his nemesis as to why he was there. I thought the author did a creditable job of making the haphazard way people were chosen for execution during the Reign of Terror, and of how the beast ultimately ate its parents, but overall the story line was predictable and too formulaic. The author could have done with a few less characters and given them all a bit more flesh and blood. I think my biggest quibble with the book was that it didn't seem to know what it was--a political/spy novel or a naval story. The sea battles really did nothing to move the story along. It was more of an after thought, or perhaps it was the author's real love and he needed to find a way to work it into the story. This is a light summer, sitting by the pool or on the beach read, but not something I would likely put on my bookshelf to recommend to others as a "must read" book. I will pass my copy along for others to read.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the story, but it is certainly not the best I've read. The romance was weak, although it was admittedly not the point of the book. However, I never really felt like Nathan cared about what happened to Sara, or the other people he met in France, for that matter.I felt that the sea battles were fairly well-written, but nothing in the story really built suspense or anticipation for me. I might read another in the series to see if they get better. I think there is potential.
    • 3/5
      There’s a lovely full-rigged ship on the cover, and the jacket promises sea-battles, undercover derring-do, and romance, giving me hopes of an updated C.S. Forester’s Hornblower, or a less self-destructive Patrick O'Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin saga. However, the meat of the matter is a land-based political-thriller wambling through the aftermath of the French Revolution: the power vacuum and subsequent Terror. (Well, right, the *title* indicated that.) Perhaps part of the problem was that the author was not clear on exactly what book he was writing. The writing is quite good in places; in others, it seems to need some editing. Within two pages, about half a dozen minor characters are described by the formula of “a man called X, who was (a) Y”, which format appears elsewhere in the book. Not bad for one or two, but clumped all together, mildly distracting. Some of the major female characters are well drawn and engaging, especially the hero’s rather eccentric mother, and novelist Mary Wollstonecraft; the historical figures of the French Revolution, particularly Danton and Robespierre, are convincingly ominous and obsessive, but I found the protagonist a little unconvincing. Somehow, neither he nor anyone else seems to care very much about what is going on around them.Spoiler Alert: at the end of the book, we are left with the impression that the heroine has met her end via guillotine, but since we didn’t actually see her expire, it’s fairly obvious that she’ll be back in a book or two, possibly after the hero has become involved with someone else.Yes, there’s derring-do on the high seas, and romance, danger, violence, action – but for me, it never came alive. I doubt I’ll follow up on the series.
    • 4/5
      I can't say that I loved this book, but I did like it. This genre (historical, nautical fiction) is one of my favorites. While I was slightly disappointed that the nautical scenes were a little less then what I'd hoped, I highly enjoyed how the author used the backdrop of the French Revolution and interwove it into the story. The characters were enjoyable and believable but I can't say that I cared that much what happened to them until the last quarter of the book. Prior to this they were merely incidental characters brought into the backdrop of the Revolution. To me, the Revolution was the "star character" in the story but I'd rather it was Nathan. The author's writing style was enjoyable and I did find myself unable to put the book down at certain points but overall, I don't think I will continue to read these adventures if this is the first book in the series. I'm not sorry I read it, just wasn't what I was expecting. Again, I liked it, just didn't love it.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. I was expecting something like Patrick O'Brian but was pleasantly surprised that it illustrated the French Revolution in all its violent glory. Bits of it were composed with real insight and left me turning the page for more, other bits were...well, meh. Hunter is a good writer, but still needs to work out his characterization and pacing. The love story in particular left me wanting more: why are they in love again? What are these hints about her past? I wanted to get to know both of them better, and felt the ending was too abrupt. All that said, Hunter knows how to write a page-turner and I'm definitely wondering what happens in the sequel.
    • 3/5
      My feelings on this book are mixed. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for reading Horatio Hornblower and the French Revolution. This book had its moments of excitement and a few moments when I was just skimming pages to get to the next plot point. When I started reading the book, my boyfriend asked me who the love interest was and I said I didn't think there was one. Well, I shortly learned that there was a love interest, but it really wasn't much of a romance. If you like the French Revolution or Horatio Hornblower books, you might like this book. As for me, I'll stick to a different time.
    • 4/5
      The Time of Terror takes place shortly after the French Revolution during the Terrors when people were still losing their heads over politics. Seth Hunter did an excellent job bringing out the fear and uncertainty that must have pervaded Paris at the time. Never knowing if someone will whisper your name to the Committee of public safety and subsequent incarceration followed by a short trial, or worse mob justice.We follow Nathan 'Turner', a British navel officer pretending to be an American Blockade runner smuggling supplies into France. He has many different experiences while trying to do his duty for his country, and like all espionage endeavors, he risks his life more than once and has several narrow escapes. This was an excellent book showcasing the Time of Terror in post Revolutionary France. The writing was great the storytelling wonderful and you were kept wanting more looking to see what was going to happen next or wondering how Nathan was going to get himself out of this fix, (some of which he should have seen coming and avoided). The ending was very suspenseful and I was taken by surprise. Well worth the read.
    • 2/5
      This wasn't quite the book I was expecting to encounter. I thought it would be a naval adventure along the lines of Forester, Kent or O'Brian. Instead, while the main character is a naval officer and there is a small bit of naval action, most of the story takes place on land as Nathan Peake gets involved in espionage in the Paris of 1793...more Richard Sharpe than Jack Aubrey. I found this a pleasant adjustment since the "naval officer's career" series have been done often and well.Hunter also did a good job of evoking his setting, weaving Mary Wollstonecraft, Gilbert Imlay and the Pitt brothers in as important characters. He inserted several small scenes that particularly conveyed the senseless insanity of the Terror, when people were dragged off the streets and killed for no reason. For all that, however, I didn't particularly enjoy this book. The characters were not well-developed. We never get a real sense of who Nathaniel Peake is, let alone understand why Gillet is so malevolent and omnipresent. Robespierre and Danton are drawn with more depth than the people the author has created...and, while I understand that they were colorful figures in history, bursting with substance, it represents a failure of imagination on the part of the author that his own inventions should seem so pale in comparison.I also found the story's pace herky-jerky. No scene was ever really developed; they are simply thrust upon the reader in rapid succession: Peake is in Paris undertaking a clandestine mission, a few pages later he's suddenly back in England having a conference with the Prime Minster, only to have another few pages place him back in France participating in another desperate undertaking.I wanted very much to like this as I enjoy this type of book, but I don't envision trying the forthcoming second book in the series.
    • 4/5
      Seth Hunter crafts a story of the horrors of the French Revolution that is full of action on land and sea. While there is a modicum of naval action in this Age of Sail story, much of the action takes place off ship in England and in Revolutionary France.Historical characters are fleshed out realistically, especially those of Pitt, Danton, and Robespierre. Fictional characters are well-crafted with the protagonist, Nathan Peake, being a character who I look forward to following in future novels.This book follows the tradition of McBooks Press..... engrossing, action (often naval) that makes their publications real page turners. Seth Hunter surely doesn't disappoint!
    • 4/5
      Seth Hunter makes the time and place come alive. You can almost see Robespierre and the people of the revolution, feel the menace of them and the power that they wielded. There is danger in the streets and violence everywhere. You can feel the terror of the time when you could be killed for not having a tricolor in your hat. It is a very vivid picture of the turmoil of the politics and the capricious nature of the people that Nathan Peake was thrust into. It is a story of the French Revolution and the war with England but it is more the story of Nathan Peake. It follows the course of this one man as he tries to navigate safely though all the perils, handle all his personal conflicts and still do his duty to his country. It makes it a very personal story while still giving a detailed and interesting account of the history that is all around him. It is an exciting tale with naval battles, trips through the catacombs and sewers, near hangings, beheadings, and intrigue. The tension builds as you wait to see how the story will unfold for our hero. And all of it told with a touch of wit that I thought was a wonderful counterpoint to the horror. It is a wonderful historical novel with a likable hero and lots of action and suspense. You’ll want to know what happens to Nathan next.
    • 3/5
      This is a historical novel set primarily in revolutionary-era Paris, with a plot involving counterfeit currency, the Parisian catacombs, cross-Channel smuggling, and all sorts of other fun stuff.I'm pretty sure (based both on the publicity blurbs and the fact that I got this book to review at all) that it's being marketed as a Patrick O'Brien-type book. The comparison didn't strike me as particularly accurate; Hunter's prose isn't anything like O'Brien's, and while the protagonist is a naval captain the focus of the book is not nearly as nautical as most of the Aubrey-Maturin novels.That said, it was an entertaining read, with mostly well-realized characters and a plot that only went off the rails once or twice. I'd buy it in paperback if not hardcover.
    • 4/5
      I've recently discovered Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels and have had a great time reading them. I've always enjoyed maritime fiction, from the Sea Wolf to Two Years Before the Mast. So I was glad to have won this Early Reviewer book and I looked forward to it. I had not realized that it was about the French Terror period of 1793 though you'd think I might have guessed from the title. This period is fascinating to me.The book's well-written and I enjoyed the real people that filled its pages - Mary Woolstonecraft, Tom Paine, Gouverneur Morris, Robespierre, Danton, Camille des Moulins, the Pitt brothers, Admiral Howe... all rendered very well and quite lifelike.I'm a French major and I studied in Paris for a year at the Political Science Institute. I've always been fascinated by the French revolution and it was great for me that this book took place in 1793. I had recently finished reading Les Miserables as well, and was feeling like I recognized the various Paris places that were mentioned. I thought it was interesting that, like Hugo, Hunter has his characters spend some time in the sewers.As others have mentioned, coincidences came a little fast and furious - at one point I thought "more like Dickens than O'Brian." However, I actually really enjoy this type of thing and found the plot satisfying and not too overwhelming to my ability to suspend disbelief.I'm glad it's the first book in a series. I am looking forward to reading them as they come out. I recommend them to anyone who likes historical fiction and maritime books, and is interested in the French revolution and its aftermath.
    • 4/5
      This review is of a book received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.The first few pages of The Time of Terror had me concerned that it might tend towards melodrama, as so much French Revolution fiction tends to do. Happily I was mistaken. It settled down quickly into a gripping adventure full of historical events and details. In spite of the standard Age of Sail cover, the action is as much or more on land and in politics as on the sea, which was a pleasant surprise for me (who loves Master and Commander but loves The Scarlet Pimpernel even more), but may be a disappointment for those whose interest is more specifically naval. Minor characters such as Peake's revolutionary-sympathetic mother are also intruiging; since the LibraryThing page indicates this is the first of a series, I will be looking forward to seeing her again.
    • 4/5
      The Time of Terror is a strongly-written novel that pulls the reader into the world of revolutionary France and Britain's attempts to come to terms with the new republic. Lieutenant Nathan Peake, in command of the brig-sloop Nereus, tracks a smuggler as far as the coast of France only to receive the opening shots of the newly-declared war between Britain and revolutionary France. It is January 1793 and Peake is launched on an adventure which will take him deep into the reign of terror. Peake's father is a retired admiral; his mother -- half American and half French -- hosts a republican salon in London that boasts such luminaries as Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft. Who could be more suitable for the Admiralty to send to do its bidding in Paris? Peake, posing as an American merchant captain and aided by the mysterious Gilbert Imlay, finds himself in the company of all the important participants of the Convention. In particular, he is thrust into the conflict between Danton and Robespierre. Given a mission as fluid as the changing times, he variously tries to destroy the French economy, find a faction which will favor peace with England, save Thomas Paine from the guillotine and bring an end to the Terror. He also falls in love with the beautiful widow of a French aristocrat.Peake travels back and forth between France and England several times, and with each return to his ship comes a naval adventure. One trip brings him aboard Howe's flagship just in time for the Glorious First of June. Hunter handles the naval passages well, and they make for engaging reading, but his passion seems to be for the city of Paris and the labyrinthine politics of France's revolutionary government. Here the descriptions are rich and detailed, the characters fully fleshed out and the terror genuine. From salons to prisons and from the spectacle of the guillotine to the darkness of the catacombs, the reader is treated to a vivid experience of late 18th Century Paris. Still, as most of the book is taken up with action ashore, I would have preferred a more even balance with the naval scenes. It takes a particularly strong suspension of disbelief to imagine a junior naval officer taken into the confidences of the prime minister and the first lord of the Admiralty (the brothers Pitt) on one side of the Channel, and of Danton, Robespierre and the leaders of the Convention on the other side (not to mention Lord Howe in between). I was happy to go along with these conceits for the sake of the story, but I did feel the stretch. Quibbles aside, no reader of historic naval fiction should miss this book. There is a second novel in the Nathan Peake series, The Tide of War, where the action largely shifts to the New World, and a third volume, The Price of Glory, due for release in July, 2010.
    • 5/5
      This book was a random selection from the library shelves, chosen solely on the strength of the clue in the title, but the gamble paid off. A well written, engrossing blend of fact and fiction, combining naval adventures like the Hornblower books of C.S. Forester, espionage, and my favourite historical era - the French Revolution. (The old idiom is wrong - you can judge a book by its cover, very successfully!)Commander Nathan Peake is roped into smuggling counterfeit money into France by the British government, but his mission is far more complicated and dangerous than he knows. Along the way, he finds himself involved with Thomas Paine, the doomed Georges Danton, Mary Wollestonecraft and various other historical figures, not to mention a beautiful French widow. Weaving 'cameo' roles into stories doesn't usually work for me, but I warmed to the lesser known Imlay, and got a vivid sense of Robespierre and Thomas Paine.The plot isn't exactly convoluted, but the intrigue grows, and doubles back on itself, with every chapter. The ending, perhaps, is weak, and should focus more on Nathan's story and not the downfall of Robespierre, but the temptation to retell history was probably too strong to resist. Part of the story is set at sea, sailing back and forth across the Channel, and Hunter does not pause to explain the various nautical terms used by the characters. The action is not impeded by this jargon, however, and the usual recourse when faced with unfamiliar terms is always available : a dictionary. Apart from touching base in England occasionally, the rest of the book takes place in suspicious, violent revolutionary Paris, and although there is more exposition in these scenes, the information imparted is educational and not patronising (depending on prior knowledge of that era). The trip through the Catacombs is facsinating, befitting the gothic portrayal of the city, and whole of the author's research underpinning the story comes across with subtle accuracy. Part of the enjoyment to be found in reading historical fiction is learning new trivia and achieving a better understanding of the past, and I truly got a sense of both the drama and procedure of a life at sea, and the brutal reality of the Terror.Nathan Peake is a stock hero, thoroughly masculine but charming enough, yet I enjoyed his company so much that I would love to read the second and third books in this series. Seth Hunter has a droll sense of humour that comes through in his writing, which I found to be amusing and yet still appropriate to the era in which the story is set.