An Act of Courage

This is part of a great series by Mallinson. I enjoyed this book as much as the others. It is a good idea to read them in order though.

Although I find the claim referring to Mallinson as the heir to O'Brien and Forester a bit of a stretch, I have enjoyed this series. O'Brien had a subtle way of educating the reader to all the unfamiliar details of life on a British Man of War that Mallinson has not. It is a formidable task and other authors have bored me with out of place explanations as the story unfolded, so I am glad that Mallinson has not attempted it. However, not being well acquainted with the equine arts, I was often at a loss with the terminology of the horseman. Therefore, if you are not into horses you should not shy away from this series (I am not a sailor either), for the story still held me and I read it in as few intervals as time allowed me. I was moved by the way Hervey struggles with his duty to his personal life and his profession during his imprisonment. The shifting from the times of his earlier experiences in the war with Napolean to his more present situation in 1826-27 Portugal is aptly done. It is difficult for any author to keep it flowing back and forth and Mallinson does an admirable job of it. It is therefore a most pleasing read and well worth the time if you have read the earlier installments. Mallinson does not (appreciably at least to me), bore us who have read the earlier works with a lot of catching up, so I would urge the reader to seek out the earlier works in the series before beginning this one. I look forward to the further adventures promised.