Decision at Trafalgar

The Royal Navy spent most of 1805-06 on tedious blockade duty against a French invasion threat. Woodman portrays that tedium rather too well, despite his crackling authenticity. Frigate captain Nathaniel Drinkwater (Arctic Treachery) and his crew aboard H.M. Antigone do their duty, fighting mainly the weather and the occasional ""Frog.'' On the eve of a likely confrontation between the British and Combined fleets, Drinkwater is given command of a ``74,'' but is capturedon landby the Spanish and turned over to his old enemy, Edouard Santhonax, spy and aide-de-camp to Napoleon. The climactic battle of Trafalgar is witnessed by Drinkwater on board the flagship of French Admiral Villeneuve. It's an interesting point of view, but fans looking for Drinkwater's usual naval derring-do may be disappointed. Woodman knows his history, however, and the realistic details, especially those of shipboard gore, ring true. (November 11)