The Jackass Frigate

This second book in Alaric Bond’s Fighting Sail series is another excellent read. Featuring tense battles, great characters and a cruel First Lieutenant who will make your blood boil, this is a worthy follow up to His Majesty’s Ship. Along with Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin, this is by far my favorite nautical historical fiction series. I highly recommend it!

This is the second book in Alaric Bond's "Fighting Sail" series. I previously reviewed the first book in the series, His Majesty's Ship, on this blog. Like His Majesty's Ship, Mr. Bond does a fine job with this tale of the voyage of Pandora (the jackass frigate herself). What is a jackass frigate, you ask? I will encourage you to read the book to find out. There are many series of novels in the sub-genre of Age of Sail fiction. However, I have found only a few whose first book encouraged me to read further in the series. Mr. Bond's first effort, however, did so entice me to travel onward. The Jackass Frigate did not disappoint, and I look forward to the rest of the series. What attracts me the most to the "Fighting Sail" series is Bond's attention to the men of the lower deck. So much of this genre is populated by characters who are officers in the Royal Navy, so Bond's approach is refreshing. While he does not neglect the upper ranks, the common jack tar gets equal billing. Like the first book, The Jackass Frigate has multiple viewpoint characters, sometimes changing within individual scenes, but Bond has the ability to keep the reader's focus clear. His relatively short scenes and forward flow of narrative makes the book an easy read. One of the sub-plots I enjoyed was the "ghost" who appeared here and there throughout most of the story, though I admit I almost wished that thread had run a bit longer. However, I can see why Bond revealed the truth behind the "ghost" because shortly thereafter is when the book crescendos to its climactic scene-a fleet action with the Spanish, during which the Pandora serves as signal ship for the British line-of-battle ships. I'm not someone who reads historical fiction to "meet" real-life people as characters, but I did enjoy Bond including the famous Lord Nelson in the final battle. This was the first time I had seen an author rise to that challenge, and Bond does a seamless treatment of the fabled naval hero.

Alaric Bond's Jackass Frigate is comfortable and familiar while managing to be fresh and distinctive at the same time, not an easy trick to pull off. More than anything else, it is simply fun to read. I picked it up and literally had a hard time putting it down. While that may be a cliché, in my case, it was indeed true. Virtually every work of naval fiction since Marryatt has followed a young officer; whether as midshipman, lieutenant, captain or admiral. Jackass Frigate is different. Bond uses a wide range of characters and perspectives from the gun deck, to the cockpit, to the quarterdeck. Eighteenth century men-of-war were the most complex, technologically advanced machines of their day, requiring a wide range of skills and abilities to function It took far more than the officers on the quarterdeck to sail and to fight. Jackass Frigate gives the reader a glimpse at the ship in action, from top to bottom. Bond gives voice to topmen, gunners, surgeon's mates, landsmen and idlers, as well as to the midshipmen, lieutenants, the master and, of course, the captain. The danger to this approach is that the voices can become jumbled, which to Bond's credit somehow doesn't happen. He has the enviable skill of making each sufficiently distinctive to stand out while under way or in the heat of battle. The shift between the various voices and perspectives is remarkably smooth and seamless. Jackass Frigate follows the newly fitted out HMS Pandora from her maiden voyage to join the Mediterranean fleet in 1796 to the battle of Cape St. Vincent. Along the way, the captain and crew they find themselves surrounded by a French fleet, the First Lieutenant is murdered, rumors spread of a specter aboard ship, and they must fight in desperate single ship combat and assist in a brutal fleet battle. We also rub elbows with Admiral Jarvis and a young Commodore Nelson. Lively, fast paced, and cinematic in scope, Jackass Frigate is a truly entertaining read.

This is the second volume of a Napoleonic War naval saga, and most of the characters from the initial volume have duly reappeared. In this book, they are on board a light frigate (28 guns) during the time of the naval mutinies of 1798 and in operations off the Dutch Coast, culminating in the Battle of Camperdown. The author knows his history and this volume is noticeably longer than his first. This has resulted in a longer story line, as well as more about the individual characters. There is also a romantic interest, albeit an improbable one - but these are pc times. On the down side, the author's treatment of Admiral Duncan verges on worship, one of the inciters of the Naval Mutiny delivers what sounded very much like a Marxist rant well ahead of Marx's birth, and some of the internal monologues are less than convincing. That said, the book reads very well and i am looking forward to buying the next volume.

Having devoured the Hornblower and Richard Bolitho series I thought I had read the best in this genre. However, Alaric Bond is right there with the best of Forester and Kent. The Fighting Sails Series is different in that it does not focus on a single "hero" but sees things through different characters' viewpoint. Usually I am not so fond of this style of writing but Bond does it so well I think I almost prefer it in this type of historically realistic fiction. This installment is slightly less focused on action but has a very interesting story. Bond really succeeds in bringing to life existence on the fighting sail ships around 1800, through the eyes of the common seamen and officers alike. If you enjoy this genre, it is a must read!

The books of this series are quite good yarns of the days of fighting sail, good for occupying a lazy afternoon; however, as another reviewer has noted, they cannot stand in the same rank as Patrick O'Brian's masterpieces or even C.S. Forester's work. There are a few trite and unrealistic characters who crop up with no real development and who come across as quite one-dimensional. There's even a ship's surgeon who doses himself with laudanum...how original. I bet Patrick O'Brian wished he'd thought of that...oh, wait a minute! Also, as a student of the naval history of the period there are some glaring technical errors and inaccuracies, such as a crucifix mounted on the quarterdeck of a Royal Navy ship. This at a time when it was illegal for an officer in the Royal Navy to be a Catholic and all religious references (even chaplains) were viewed as bad luck omens by sailors. HMS Pandora is the frigate in this book which we are led to believe takes place circa 1795-1797. There was a Royal Navy frigate named Pandora; however, she foundered in 1791. Another Pandora was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1795, but she was a 14-gun brig and there couldn't have been two ships in the Royal Navy named Pandora at the same time. Some poor editing too with lots of ships "healing" to the wind, rather than "heeling".

I mean this as no disrespect. I've eagerly gobbled up all three of these books, and I enjoy them a great deal. Looking forward to the next. The characters are well-done, with a lot more depth than you'd initially suspect. The plots are engaging, with some intriguing twists. The tarry-handed nautical detail is there in spades. But let's be honest here. 5 stars is just grade inflation. In this entire genre (a genre I love dearly), there's only one writer that's 5 stars. I think we all know who that is. If I'm not being clear, his first name starts with Patrick, and his last name starts with O'Brian. Think about what 5 stars means. It's the greatest of the great. Don't inflate. Hey, that could be a rap.

There are now numerous authors of naval fiction set during the Age of Fighting Sail and I've read most of them. Alaric Bond ranks among the best. Instead of following one protagonist 's career from midshipman to admiral, he instead gives the reader the perspective of life in the Royal Navy from the lowerdeck, gunroom, wardroom, and captain's cabin. Indeed there are some characters that appear from book to book, but Bond's work is more a story of a community than one particular hero. There is also an element of suspense in Bond's writing that keeps the pages turning. Plot lines don't always resolve in a predictable manner. Really good stuff.

This has it all, great characters, great story built around real events and people and great pace. The only disappointment was that it ended so soon. Mr. Bond has me hooked.

This book is rather different in that there is NO single hero (progressing from Cabin boy to Admiral). Well researched it is the story of members of the ship's crew and personages of the day. The author keeps the reader interested and carries one with him throughout the tale. It is significantly different from other stories of its ilk - though it shows the harshness of those days not a single seaman is flogged and the story rather promotes the spirit and cooperation necessary to make a successful fighting ship in those days. A super read with plenty of action.

Although the action is somewhat more 'subdued' compared to O'Brian or Kent, there is still Lots to be had! The story being told from the various ranks and crew members allows the reader to feel they are one of the crew. Looking forward to where we sail next!

A very good story with an even better narrative. But perhaps not one for someone with no knowledge of sail.

another good read in this series