A Brig of War

When we join Nathaniel Drinkwater he is aboard the brig Hellebore. Admiral Nelson has ordered Lieutenant Drinkwater to deliver an urgent message to the British squadron in the Red Sea and hunt for Edouard Santhonax. On the professional front Drinkwater is responsible for settling disputes no matter how trivial. The power struggle dynamic between Drinkwater and Rogers builds tension throughout the plot. But Rogers is not the only enemy. Morris, Drinkwater's nemesis in An Eye of the Fleet comes back to taunt Drinkwater with his higher rank and mind on revenge.
In his personal life, Nathaniel has since married Elizabeth (which was kind of a shock to me since the last time I knew, Nathaniel and Elizabeth had only seen each other the once. show more Confessional: I had forgotten there was a whole other book, A King's Cutter, between An Eye of the Fleet and A Brig of War.). In my world it appeared that Woodman, not one for sentimental fluff, sailed right over their courtship and wedding. Now Elizabeth is expecting their first child (by not reading A King's Cutter maybe I was forced to skip right over the romance, too?).
Woodman continues to educate his readers on nautical terms and superstitions. Words like binnacle, capstan, fo'c's'le, catheads, jackstay, futtocks, spanner, and cascabel are common throughout A Brig of War. Woodman addresses the taboo of homosexuality and women aboard a ship. show less

'Twould be a better book without Lt. Morris. Except for that, an excellent tale of the Royal Naval's little war against Napoleon in the Red Sea. Based on fact, but only loosely so.

This short review was also published on a dabbler's journal.

This book covers the period from February 1798 to January 1800. We follow 1st Lt Nathaniel Drinkwater as he sells on the War brig hawthorne to the Red Sea. I have not read any other book in the series and found this enjoyable. I actually felt like I was on the ship. This is a true action book. And the author must really know his seamanship and history of the period to develop his world. A fun read.

In A Brig of War, Richard Woodman has hit his stride as an author. The rough edges of the first novel in the series have been smoothed in this accomplished second installment.

new lieutenant is sent to Red Sea against French

In A Brig of War, Nathaniel Drinkwater is promoted lieutenant of the brig Hellebore. He finds routine convoy escort duties end abruptly when Admiral Nelson, pursuing the French fleet to Egypt, sends Hellebore to the Red Sea with an urgent warning to the British squadron More...there. However, Nelson's apprehensions over French ambitions in the East are more than justified. Edouard Santhonax, Drinkwater's old enemy, is already preparing for a French descent on India.

The hunt for this elusive Frenchman and his frigate is combined with British naval operations on the flank of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. It is during the attack on Kosseir that Drinkwater is left for dead. His escape and the subsequent desperate attack on Santhonax leads show more to a still more dangerous situation under Augustus Morris, former tyrant of the midshipmen's berth on HMS Cyclops.

Drinkwater's fight to bring a half-armed ship safely to the Cape of Good Hope is beset with personal enmity, the activity of the French and the violence of the sea. show less

1798. Napoleón prepara un ejército para conquistar Egipto. El almirante Nelson cree que lo utilizará como cabeza de puente para atacar la India con la ayuda del rebelde Tipoo Sahib. Rápidamente, decide enviar al bergantín Hellebore, del que es teniente Nathaniel Drinkwater, al Mar Rojo, en una misión urgente. Deberán contactar con la flota de la India y destruir las fuerzas navales francesas de la zona. Pronto, el Hellebore se encontrará en medio de una operación naval a gran escala acosando el flanco de las tropas francesas.