Band of Brothers (Richard Bolitho, #3) By Alexander Kent

Spoilers: though anyone who has read Stand Into Danger will anticipate them.

When I read Stand Into Danger, which McBooks Press labels as the second book in the Richard Bolitho series, I thought something was missing. Midshipman Bolitho had ended with Bolitho a midshipman and ready for his next adventure with his friend and fellow midshipman, Martyn Dancer. But Stand Into Danger starts with Bolitho now a junior Lieutenant, Dancer not there, and Bolitho in mourning about something. Clearly there was something missing between the first and second book.

What was missing was the novella Band of Brothers. McBooks published it as a standalone novel, but it's not numbered in the series (despite Goodreads calling it number 3). In it, Bolitho and Dancer pass their interviews and both are now eligible to become officers. They are then assigned to move a ship to Guernsey, what seems like a routine task. Except they run into murderous smugglers. Do in part to Bolitho's daring and his ability to inspire those under him, they take on the smugglers and capture their boat, preventing a large supply of arms from being sent to America. But in the process, Dancer is mortally wounded. The book ends with Bolitho's promotion to Lieutenant.

Overall, it's an enjoyable novella, and it introduces several new and interesting characters who I hope we'll see again later in the series. But it's mostly of interest as plugging the gap between the first two volumes of the series.

A note: it is apparently available in the omnibus volume The Complete Midshipman Bolitho, which includes Midshipman Bolitho, Band of Brothers, and Stand Into Danger. But since I already owned 2/3 of that volume, and the standalone Band of Brothers was out of print, I borrowed the latter from the library. 129 A very short book but filled with loads of great characters.

I did find myself getting lost a bit in the action sequences and having to reread them a few times to understand what was going on. I am not sure if this was due to the style of writing, my lack of understanding of the navy or just I was reading too fast! Still enjoyed the story despite this. 129 Spoilers ahead:

I've just started reading Bolitho (RB) after a hiatus of 40 years and quite enjoy it. This is a short book about 100 pages long vs the usual 250-290 pages. This book was published in 2005 and I'm not sure of the rationale behind it, maybe to document the death of Martyn Dancer? He was a good friend of RB in the first two short books and I guess he vanished off the face of the earth and this one was written to explain why. Edit 1*Later on I found out that the first 3 books are supposed to be a trilogy but have no idea whey they are so short or why the first two books were written in the 1970's and this one 30 years later.

Summary:
After RB's adventure with his brother in book 2, he is back on the Gorgon. However his captain immediately sends him off on another trip, this time to deliver the new schooner Hotspur to Guernsey and come right back. The other officers to go with him are the 1st Lt. Verling, the hated bullying new Lt. Egmont and RB's good friend Martyn Dancer.

On the way there, they discover that somebody is smuggling muskets which may be used in the upcoming rebellion in America. RB is landed with Egmont and a party. Egmont later leaves and RD comes across a beached lugger. He captures the lugger and sails it to an offshore brig which is to carry the muskets. The Hotspur appears, there is a fight and the brig is captured. Unfortunately Dancer dies in the fight.

RB goes back on the Gorgon. His lieutenant's commission is confirmed and he is to leave the ship but he is saddened by the loss of his friend.

This writing is generally easy to read since Kent doesn't use difficult words. However many events he writes about are difficult to understand because he seems to skip a lot of words or explanations. For example, I really have no idea what island RB was landed on or how they even found the smugglers other than seeing a light somewhere. It almost seems like the publisher deleted whole paragraphs that explained the situation. It's the same thing with book 2. I had a hard time understanding the last part.

But I like the characters and relationships between them. Kent spends a lot of time on the characters and it isn't wasted. This book only gets 3 stars because of the confusion regarding how they cottoned on to the smugglers. On to the next book.

*Edit 2: Another reviewer explained it better by saying the narrative was jumbled, badly written and plotted. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way! 129 This book showed it was just a fill in...need more so let the story continue in the next book! 129 As I just started the series, I have the luxury of reading it in chronological order -- not necessarily as the books were written. As such I get the impression that this entry is backstory filler that was written much later to flesh out some dispositions and origins that were either glossed over or edited out originally.

Anyway, Bolitho passes his Lieutenant's exam, meets a Lieutenant and Captain that may be future antagonists, gets noticed by several high-ranking officers, loses a close colleague, and begins to bond with a couple of swabs and a Middie.

The flow of the writing was jumpy and the entire effort felt like the fulfillment of a contract obligation with the publisher.

2.5 Stars 129

A disappointing 2 Stars

Band of Brothers is the final book in early Trilogy of the Richard Bolitho series. The trilogy deals with Richards early days as a midshipman. It appears this final book of the trilogy was written well after the first two books and after the majority of the whole series.

I have little positive to say about this volume. It was as if the author felt that he needed a final book of the midshipman series and then threw together some random thoughts. The result was a disjointed and confusing story about.... Well, I'm not sure what it was really about. Had I read the books as they were published, it might make more sense. It does deal with characters that I get the sense will appear in future books. This likely served as a prequel to show how Richard met these persons. Overall, it was of a much lower quality than the first two which were short, entertaining reads. 129 This one disappointed me. First it's short. 125 pages more or less. This concludes the Bolitho Midshipman series. I feel cheated somehow. The whole what happened to Martyn is not in the book. That's ... that's ... I don't know how to express my anger at this. I wanted to know how. Richard gets his lieutenant commission after this adventure after a very courageous act and finding out he can lead men. But he loses Martyn in the process and behind the scene because they aren't together during the last 3 chapters of the book. (Remember the book is pretty short). This lost has an huge emotional impact on him. It's almost the whole second book Stand into danger. So disappointed but looking forward to In Gallant Company. 129 Book Three of Thirty. Probably 3.5 stars rounded up.

It's the beginning of 1774. Richard Bolitho, along with his best friend and fellow midshipman Martyn Dancer, are testing for the rank of Lieutenant. Along the way they have to deal with a rotten first lieutenant, a new timid midshipman, and some unexpected adventures.

I won't spoil anything for anyone, but sheesh! That scene near the end really took me by surprise! I didn't see that one coming. It was quite the bummer.

This is a likeable seafaring series, and I'd recommend it to those with an interest in historical fiction, especially from the perspective of sailors.


129 “This was the past. Ahead lay a new horizon.” (1.5 stars)

Alexander Kent wrote a series of books about the Royal Navy set in the late 18th/early 19th centuries, publishing the first text in 1968. They followed the navel career of one Richard Bolitho. For some reason, Kent went back in 2005 and published a new book that chronologically became number 3 in the series. After reading that book, he should have left well enough alone.
I suppose that BAND OF BROTHERS was written to fill in gaps between the original numbers 2 & 3 in the series? If so, it fails, and is not needed.
The plot feels exactly like its predecessor’s (MIDSHIPMAN BOLITHO & THE AVENGER) because it is the same. The narrative is jumbled and poorly executed. The writing is weak. Key moments in the text are poorly plotted and explained.
In short, this novella should not have been written. It was not needed, and is a discouraging bump in the road. If you read this series, skip it. You won’t miss a thing.
At least it was very short. 129 I really enjoyed the first two midshipman Bolitho books, but this one was a travesty. It is worth noting that Band of Brothers was written decades later, when the author was 81. I'm sorry to have to say it, but the author seems to have lost his mental capacity to tell a story. The narration is disjointed to a ridiculous extent, difficult to follow and everyone acts out of character.

The only readable part is the beginning, when Bolitho has his examination for lieutenant. That may have been written earlier, from then on the book is painful to read. If you are a fan of the series, do yourself a favor and skip this one. At least it is very short (around 100 pages).

Sometimes I think that it is better to read a series in the order it was written, instead of following the internal chronology. If this had been the first book by Kent I had read I would have stopped reading this series. 129

The 26th, and final, Bolitho novel in this phenomenally successful and well-loved series.

In this, the long-awaited conclusion of Alexander Kent’s midshipman trilogy, the new year of 1774 seems to offer Richard Bolitho and his friend Martyn Dancer the culmination of a dream. Both have been recommended for promotion, although they have not yet gained the coveted lieutenant’s commission. But a routine passage from Plymouth to Guernsey in an untried schooner becomes, for Bolitho, a passage from midshipman to King’s officer, tempering the promise of the future with the bitter price of maturity.


From the Hardcover edition. Band of Brothers (Richard Bolitho, #3)

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