The tales of Ram Cat Lewrie continue and with the recent preceding novels I have gotten used to the format of learning more of the era of the early 1800s than watching Lewrie have his career at sea explored. The mainstay of this type of fiction is to generally have few reports of what happens ashore and more at what happens at sea, but now in the career of Lewrie, who for a few pages has a ship seconded to his command, we learn of what affects his career with court intrigue and affects his life ashore. We then see quickly again how he is not yet destined for hanging his broad pendant. But as so few of those he meets senior to him have the fighting spirit, or sea skill, if not the maths, for command, it surely will come.

If you like your Age of Sail series, this is one worth a read. It seems to have tamed a bit as the years have gone by, but then Lambdin and Lewrie both are now examples of middle age. ( )