Abstract
Reviewed by: Peter Raven under Fire Elizabeth Bush Molloy, Michael Peter Raven under Fire. Chicken House/Scholastic, 2005 [512p] ISBN 0-439-72454-6$16.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-9 Midshipman Peter Raven's first tour aboard his uncle's ship, HMS Torren, comes to an abrupt end when pirates attack and slaughter the entire crew, save for himself and Matthew Book, an ex-slave of many talents who served as one of Captain Benchley's most trusted crew members. Peter, who has trained for an ongoing assignment to British spy Commodore Beaumont, joins the espionage ring as they try to decipher Napoleon's alliance with the elusive Count Vallon, a sadistic lunatic whose privateering has amassed him a fortune. Napoleon has made a devil's bargain with Vallon, using his wealth to fund French expansion into the North American West and promising in return to make the madman a king within the empire. Foiling the plan entails, within the course of the hefty novel, sea battles, rescued maidens, shifting French loyalties, and innovative weaponry based on an amended version of a Robert Fulton steamboat. The copious cast and detailed political maneuvering demand considerable concentration, but readers who are [End Page 109] just engaging in the literary side of the Napoleonic Wars will find Molloy a lucid guide to British naval traditions and a deft hand at weaving historical and fictional figures into a fairly convincing whole. Moreover, they'll appreciate the satisfying climax, wherein Peter wreaks his revenge on the evil Vallon, taking out an entire fortress with valiant aplomb even Horatio Hornblower would envy. And best of all, a sequel is almost assured. Copyright © 2005 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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