In Fortunes's Favorite Christopher Valin puts forward a balanced and convincing case for greater recognition to be attributed to Sir Charles Douglas, both for his action at the Battle of the Saints, and as the instigator of many refinements to naval gunnery; improvements that certainly gave the British an edge in future conflicts.

Douglas come across as an interesting character; certainly as complex as any found in fiction. He spoke six languages, was married three times, lost the use of his left arm relatively early in his career, spent a good deal of time serving in the Dutch Navy, and was partially responsible for reorganising the Russian Navy for Catherine the Great. He also influenced the lives of several notable naval officers who grew to prominence on his interest.

Fortunes's Favorite grabbed my attention from the start and the authors passion for his subject came through clearly. I have read a few non-fiction books recently where the the Battle of the Saints has featured and credit for the Breaking the Line manouvere has been given either to Rodney or Clerk of Eldin and this book brings together all the evidence, including extracts of many contemporary letters, that makes it clear Sir Charles Douglas has not received the credit he deserves.

The impact of Trafalgar has long had the effect of concentrating the world upon Nelson as our greatest sailor but at the same time it has pushed many other brave, skilled and deserving officers into the shadows. It would seem Sir Charles Douglas must be added to this list.

I've just finished the first book in the trilogy, The Eaglet at the Battle of Minorca and I am happy to report a successful mission. Mariner* is a talented writer who draws the reader into the the story of Winchip's first missions in command of the Eaglet during the months leading up to the Battle of Minorca, while skillfully interweaving short flashbacks, bits of narrative and dialogue to reveal Winchip's back story without boring the reader.

In this tale, we witness several of Winchip's encounters with Admiral Byng, who is presented in a very favorable light, despite the incongruities of an admiral expressing dissatisfaction with his superiors to a subordinate. This I forgave, attributing it to a bit of artistic license that allowed Mariner to reveal the admiral's inner thoughts without subjecting us to reading boring letters, or having to unrealistically place Winchip in the position of over-hearing conversations between Byng and his confidants. In any event, we are left with a picture of Byng as a courageous, honorable leader who is intent on doing his best for his king and country.

This is the diary of a British seaman, and as such probably has little place in a fiction forum. However the editor, C.S. Forester, makes it plain in his introduction that parts of the original three volume manuscript are not to be relied upon; apparently it contained a good deal of fiction, as well as later embroidery and occasional borrowings from contemporary newspaper reports. Wetherell was shipwrecked, and his current draft lost, many times, leaving him to rely on memory and a rather too vivid imagination when rewriting. For roughly ten years he was relatively safe, however, and his work survived in the original draft with few corrections. Consequently Forester chose this section, which covers Wetherell's service in HMS Hussar, her loss, and his capture and imprisonment by the French, for reprinting when the book first appeared in the 'fifties.