Table of Contents

IN

Reviews

In this fourth book of the series begun with The King's Coat ( LJ 5/1/89), Lieutenant Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, continues his adventures in the Far East. Assigned to a ship disguised as a merchant vessel to check on French activities among local pirates, Alan finds plenty of action in Canton, Calcutta, and the islands of the South China Sea. He even runs into his hated father, Sir Hugo, but the two old enemies gain mutual respect as they are compelled to work together. Lambdin provides a well-rounded plot and fascinating, well-researched evocations of late 18th-century Oriental trade cities, but the graphic gore of the frequent battle scenes becomes increasingly unpleasant. More glory and romance, coupled with the already accurate descriptions of period tactics and weaponry, would go down better with readers of this genre than the welter of blood and guts. Recommended with this one reservation for public libraries.-- C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, Ind.