Victory

The sails are mostly slack in Stockwin's latest Thomas Kydd sea adventure. It's 1805, and as the British prepare for Napoleon's expected invasion of England, Kydd, a rising star in the Royal Navy, is given command of a frigate and ordered to join admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's forces in the Mediterranean. Much of the story is taken up with historical naval activity such as the British blockade of French ports and Nelson's pursuit of the French fleet across the Atlantic and back, with all of the sailing leading up to the Battle of Trafalgar, where the British defeat the combined French and Spanish fleets. Unfortunately, Kydd plays no part in the epic sea battle. In fact, Kydd and his ship spend most of this tale patrolling and carrying messages between fleets. Stockwin is a master of vivid, accurate narratives of seamanship and Napoleonic era naval warfare, but the lack of suspense and uneven bouts of action leave this series installment feeling limp. (Oct.)