Nicholas Everard: Mariner of England: "Storm Force to Narvik", "Last Lift from Crete", "All the Drowning Seas" v. 2

This long-awaited second instalment in a planned series of three omnibus volumes sees Fullerton's hero Sir Nicholas Everard and his sons enduring the grim days of 1940-2, when the Royal Navy seemed to take one dreadful pounding after another. Considering how closely Fullerton sticks to historical fact in the background of his yarns, there are times when one can hardly believe that human beings could take so much punishment and keep coming back for more. It is only thanks to their courage and fortitude that we are here today.

"Storm Force to Narvik" is the most upbeat of the three novels in this collection (from a British point of view). After a period of retirement between the wars, Nick has been given command of a destroyer and sent to patrol the icy seas off Norway. The book opens with a sharp encounter with a big German cruiser, in which Nick's ship is cruelly damaged and her companion destroyer sunk. Forced to limp into a fjord in search of repair facilities, she is overtaken by the German invasion - but with help from an unexpected quarter, she rises splendidly from the ashes. Meanwhile, Nick's son Paul - an ordinary seaman on another destroyer - witnesses the first battle of Narvik first-hand. Battleship fans will be glad to know that HMS Warspite's exploit is described in loving detail.

"Last Lift from Crete" tells the heartbreaking story of how British forces were driven out of Greece and then Crete by the overwhelming power of the German armed forces - especially the Luftwaffe. Forced to evacuate as many "pongoes" as possible from the doomed island, the Royal Navy took dreadful losses from German air power, including the dreaded Junkers 87 "Stuka" dive-bombers. Naturally, Nick and his son Jack are in the thick of it. Look for the cameo appearance by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham (ABC to his men).

In "All the Drowning Seas", the melancholy rises to a crescendo. The good news is that Nick has risen to command a cruiser. The bad news is that it forms part of the ill-fated, heterogenous collection of ships under the command of the Dutch Admiral Doorman, which tries to fend off the Japanese threat to Java. Meanwhile, Paul (who has decided to become a submariner) is on the way to Malta aboard a merchant ship, as part of a convoy modelled on the real-life Operation Pedestal.

While glorious triumphs are few and far between, this book gives an unparalleled insight into the Royal Navy's (and the Merchant Navy's) ability to defend seemingly hopeless positions, never admitting defeat. It captures the essence of war at sea.

Three terrific novels of the First World War at sea (11/12 people found this helpful)

This 690-page blockbuster comprises "The Blooding of the Guns", "Sixty Minutes for St George" and "Patrol to the Golden Horn". If you thought the First World War happened too long ago to be of any possible interest, think again! Fullerton's gift for writing, his eye for detail and his meticulous research put his books in a class with CS Forester. Moreover, unlike Forester - who never fulfilled his ambition to join the Navy - Fullerton saw action as a naval officer in submarines. These three are the first of a series of nine novels following the life of Nicholas Everard, who starts out as a wretched, unhappy midshipman in a battleship.

"The Blooding of the Guns" sees Everard transferred to a destroyer, where his native ability has a chance to shine through. "I suspect you may have been partially misinformed. This officer is neither wholly ignorant nor pathologically insubordinate. Only time will tell us whether or not he's lazy..." Three Everards fight at the battle of Jutland - Nick in his destroyer, his brother David in a cruiser, and his uncle Hugh as captain of the battleship Nile. This triple view gives us an outstanding three-dimensional experience of the greatest naval battle ever fought, which fills in a lot of the blanks in the history books.

"Sixty Minutes for St George" is set against the background of the "Dover Patrol" in 1917-18, culminating in the famous assault on Zeebrugge. Once again Nick Everard is climbing the greasy pole of command, now getting some recognition from senior officers as well as the routine discouragement from unimaginative captains. The amazing action scenes are nicely blended with vignettes of life ashore, from the riotous bars of Dover to Mullbergh, the home of Nick's baronet father and abused stepmother.

"Patrol to the Golden Horn" has everything a lover of naval novels could wish for - an exciting plot, lots of action, character development, and so much closely-observed detail that you really feel you are breathing the choking, stinking air of that apparently doomed sub. Set in and around the Bosphorus, shortly after the infamous Gallipoli landings, this book revolves around the German battlecruiser Goeben and British attempts to neutralise its threat.

World Wars at Sea (4/4 people found this helpful)

Thrilling and realistic tales of life aboard Royal Navy ships in WWI and WWII. Follow the Nicolas Everard, and family, from junior officer (destroyers) in WWI (Vol. I) through commanding destroyers and a cruiser in WWII (Vol. II). Take your Dramimine to avoid mal de mer, and don you helmet as shells and shrapnel rain down -- the detail and honest portrayal of war at sea is fantastic.

Nicholas Everard: Mariner of England: "Storm Force to Narvik", "Last Lift from Crete", "All the Drowning Seas" v. 2

Alexander Fullerton

Reader Reviews:

Naval action from the Royal Navy's darkest days (20/22 people found this helpful)

Three terrific novels of the First World War at sea (11/12 people found this helpful)

World Wars at Sea (4/4 people found this helpful)

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