The Sea Warriors by Richard Woodman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Sea Warriors
Book Review: Am rating this highly, but not sure that I should!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book, but one wonders if the French were as a bad as they are portrayed! Woodman is careful to debunk the fact that it is "gutter press" to say that one British sailor is worth ten French frogs, but he selects narrative accounts where the British predominate. Is this accurate, or biased? Frankly, I don't know.
But I am quibbling. This is an excellent book that taught me far more than I previously knew.
'Nuff said.
Five stars.
Book Review: History of George III's Navy.
Summary: 4 Stars
Considering the scope of its content, this book is remarkably compact; if any accusation can be made, it's that there is too much information ... Mr.Woodman manages to squeeze in details of almost every naval commander (including many rarely-seen portraits) and their exploits without repeating himself or losing one's interest. The downside is that his usually fluid literary style is curtailed somewhat, and the barrage of different names can be a little confusing at times. However, by giving us a comprehensive history of Britain's finest (and a few non-British), we see exactly where O'Brian, Lunn, Lambdin, Forester et al (incl. Woodman!) got their material and inspiration from ... recognising most of the actions, with names changed, in many of their books.
Nor is the action much diminished by reasons of space; the thrill of the chase and the bloody battles are all there, one following hard on the heels of the last, complete with the political and logistical rationale driving the events at sea and on land. One fact stands out from the rest:- the huge disparity in the numbers of killed and injured between the British and European forces, French losses often 5 times or more than the British, doubtless due to the French predilection for firing high, more than the British rate of fire.
This superb book illustrates exactly how and why Britain's Navy became master of the oceans - what a reference book!
This is history the way it should be told.
Book Review: This is history, not a story.
Summary: 3 Stars
If you are looking for an adventure at sea in napoleonic days you should read Lewis and Pope and Kent, Showell and O'Brian.
If you want to find out where these writers found their inspiration look no further than this book.
It is an account of the dashing frigate captains and small flotilla commodores who fought the small actions of the Napoleonic years. And there are hundreds of them.
Because there are so many actions this book does not flow easily. It leaps from description to description, and there is not room to map each engagement.
However, the research is excellent, the ships are well explained and for the budding historian or writer this book is an excellent resource for the library shelf.
Book Review: an intersting but somewhat biased view
Summary: 4 Stars
As a fan of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, I was interested to learn more of the history and times depicted in the novels. After reading the Sea Warriors, I found out where O'Brian got his material from!
The bold and skillful frigate and Line of Battle ship captains of the Royal Navy were able to maintain superiority at sea against the French and bring about Napoleons downfall, but I found it hard to believe that the French were that inept.....after all, it took the British 14 years to defeat the French Navy. One would think the British should have done it sooner!!! The book has a definite British slant to it. I was wanting after reading this book to find out more about the French commanders, but almost nothing is given.
Also, justice is not given the American naval effort, although a number of pages are devoted to Porter and the Essex cruise. I found this to be the most interesting part of the book. I wish the author would have included more.
The book does not flow well, and I found it took me weeks to finish this work. The author tends to skip from topic to topic without logical progression.
However, the book does have a large number of good points to it. The Appendix includes a great chronology of the conflict between France and Britain, a great sailing terminology and glossary at the end. A number of fine illustrations grace the pages as well as a number of detailed maps. No doubt the work was painstakingly and thoroughly researched. I would have given it 5 stars if more information was included on French and American naval commanders and actions.
Still it is recommended for fighting sail buffs and O'Brian fans as it will make one appreciate the British Naval effort more.