young man learns of noble parentage and struggles to please father in service in British navy

Long story, but worth taking the time to read! Follows the life of Percival Keene thru life from birth to marriage. Gets harder to put down as it goes along! ( )

Captain Marryat wrote in the 1840s, so of course his captains will not be engaging in extramarital affairs like Hornblower or court-martialing a seaman for sodomy with the ship’s goat like Aubrey; instead both the officers and sailors are prone to erudite and demure speech and impeccable on- and off-shore behavior. However, when it comes to battle or storm the descriptions are just as exciting as anything narrated by Forester or O’Brian.


Marryat displays a social consciousness perhaps a little in advance of his time. His protagonists are often illegitimate or orphans who make their way in the world by talent and determination rather than wealth or blood. He shows sympathy with those of less than perfect morals – smugglers always end up having a Heart of Gold and are True Sons of England despite their dubious relationship with Customs Officers, and in Percival Keene one of the main characters is an escaped American slave who has turned to piracy but who nevertheless has a sense of honor (although he roasts captured slavers alive now and then, Marryat seems to concur that they had it coming).


Captain Marryat isn’t the caliber of Dickens, but his works do have a similar feel – a sort of pleasant literary archaeology. They’re quick and fun reads and are recommended. ( )