A Ship for the King

After more than 30 books, British author Woodman begins a new series of historical novels set during the English civil war in the 17th century. This clever swashbuckler, spanning 27 years, chronicles the adventures of a starving orphan turned prosperous merchant and captain of a king’s ship. In 1618, 12-year-old Kit Faulkner is living by his wits on the docks when he’s taken in by two sea captains. Over the years Kit becomes a competent sailor, then an officer on merchant vessels and warships, fighting pirates and privateers. He marries a good woman, raises a family, and is inexorably drawn into the conflict between King Charles I and Cromwell. Kit tries to avoid taking sides, but an impassioned appeal and his own conscience forces him into a fateful choice and sends him off to war again. Although there’s little suspense, this story is a gripping history lesson of the bitter, bloody conflicts between the Roundheads and Cavaliers. Add an illicit romance with a noblewoman, sea chases, a vicious sea battle, and a narrative filled with period lingo (”it is not beyond his importunity to thrust himself into the royal regard”), and Woodman spins an exciting tale of naval warfare, seaborne commerce, piracy, royal intrigues, and civil war. (Dec.)