I admit that reading adventures during the Age of Fighting Sail is a guilty pleasure of mine. I have read several authors in this genre but Richard Woodman seems rather unique. While his adventures are as entertaining as those of any of the best he does something no other has done. His hero, Nathaniel Drinkwater, is introduced to the reader as a young boy entering naval service as a midshipman. Over the course of Woodman's books this young man's character is developed and portrayed like no other hero of this genre. Woodman gives Drinkwater the virtues and vices of a real human being. Drinkwater does not win every contest and even when he does win he usually pays a price. Drinkwater is injured, he is scared, he is tormented, he is guilt ridden, he is depressed and worried. In this book Drinkwater is now plagued by age and its aches and pains. He is confronted by younger officers that think him over the hill. He is also facing the demons of doubt and guilt for past as well as present actions and their cost. I have now started to enjoy the portrayal of this character's depiction more than the adventures he engages in. I look forward to reading how Woodman handles Drinkwater's aging while engaged in a career in the 19th century British Navy.
