JESTER'S FORTUNE

Prepare to come about! Alan Lewrie, captain H.M.S. Jester, is bound for the Adriatic in Lambdin’s (A King’s Commander, 1996; etc.) eighth installment of his hero’s adventures at sea. This time, we find Lewrie still hot on Bonaparte’s trail as the little Corsican embarks on his Italian campaign. Despite his defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar, Napoleon still, in 1805, controls nearly the whole of Europe and is resolved to destroy the British through economic warfare. With the greatest army since the Caesars” at his command, the Emperor is invincible on the Continent—but the British rule the waves. That’s where Lewrie comes in. The Alps make overland supply routes impossible, so the Jester and three ships under her command are sent to blockade the Italian coast. Lewrie quickly realizes that the job is beyond them on their own. But where can they turn for help, in enemy waters thousands of miles from home? Well, who do sailors always turn to when the odds are against them? No, not God (this is the 19th century, after all) but pirates—in this case, a flotilla of Serbian outlaws. All the Lambdin hallmarks—adventure, politics, betrayal, and courage—are here, and it doesn—t give the game away to say that Lewrie manages to carry the day as usual, but not without leaving enough fight in the French to generate another book or two.