THE ADMIRAL'S DAUGHTER
Julian Stockwin – 0340898615; £7.99
I should imagine that many of you are familiar with such films as Pirates of the Caribbean and Master and Commander, revelling in their action. But have you ever stopped to consider where the term ‘swash-buckling’ derives from – and how irrelevant it actually is to the sort of fighting that takes place on these ships? “Swash” is onomatopoeic and describes the sound of a sword cutting through the air, whilst a “buckler” is a small shield – a nicety rarely afforded to fighting sailors.
For those unfamiliar with the background to Kydd’s previous high seas adventures – and possibly to explain why he speaks such colloquial English – you should know that wigmaker Thomas Paine Kydd was press-ganged into the Navy in 1793 but has gone from strength to strength within its ranks, and is now a Commander. In common with Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe, he’s a young man that has done well for himself by valour and intelligence, in spite of his humble origins.
This is the eighth title from Julian Stockwin, recently published in paperback (with the next in the series – The Privateer’s Revenge – due in October) and finds Kydd sailing in home waters, where his challenges novel are also of a more domestic kind, involving the eponymous Admiral’s daughter, Persephone, and the trials that beset naval officers who have come up through the ranks rather than been born to high society. As a consequence, those of you familiar with the derring-do of O’Brien and Reeman might find the lack of swash-buckling (or whatever the more correct expression should be) in this episode a little unexciting. Anyone who has actually been at sea will be aware, however, that much of seafaring life is (metaphorically) treading water, awaiting the next crisis to occur, and so it is onboard HMS Teazer.
This is not to say that action is completely missing from the tale: Kydd may be contending with smugglers and spies around the south west coast rather than braving the perils of war, but a treacherous coastline can be just as difficult for a seaman. There is also a showdown with a renegade privateer, although that’s not quite the climax of the tale.... This is the Great Age of Fighting Sail brought to life, but also back down to earth with a bump.