Patrol to the Golden Horn

Nicholas Everard Saga #3

by Alexander Fullerton

In an exciting war novel set in 1918, a British naval hero finds himself at the center of a joint submarine mission with France designed to intimidate Turkey from withdrawing from the war.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

229 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1978

About the author

Alexander Fullerton (1924–2008) was a British author of naval and other fiction. Born in 1924 in Suffolk and brought up in France, he was a cadet during the years 1938-1941 at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth from the age of thirteen. He went to sea serving first in the battleship Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean, and spent the rest of the war at sea - mostly under it, in submarines.

Fullerton's first novel SURFACE! sold over 500,000 copies. Then he worked on the 9-volume Nicholas Everard series that made his reputation.

Series:
* Nicholas Everard Saga
* Rosie Ewing

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholas Everard is part of a submarine crew sent, in the waning weeks of the First World War, to the Bosporus Straits to help bottle up the Turkish fleet in harbor there.

[Rupert Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It must be said that I have always been a bit hazy about the war against the Turks in World War I. Other than Galipoli I have never really looked into it, so this book was as much an education as a diversion.

I read "Thunder and Flame" by this same author many years ago. So long ago that when I bought this book I did not realise it was the same chap. But this is now the second book by Alexander Fullerton that I have enjoyed, so I will have to look out for more.

The book really comes in two parts. The first two thirds is all about the submarine warfare in the eastern Med and Sea of Marmara in 1918 - as the war for Turkey was drawing to a close. I had no idea the fighting was as savage and widespread as it was. This section is well written and fast paced. The chracters are well drawn and believable. There is also a fair amount of techinical detail about submarines of this date which I found interesting. There was no asdic and no radar, nor any bomber aircraft operating, apparently, so much of what we are accustomed to read about submarine warfare in WW2 is not present.

The second and shorter section is all about the espionage war in Turkey, the internal politics of the Ottoman Empire and the peace negotiations. All jolly enjoyable and a cracing little adventure story in its own right. But, in my view, it was weaker than the naval part of the book. The plot line was a bit far-fetched in places while teh supposed cliffhanger was no such thing as we know that the main character survives to star in the next book in the series. Nevertheless, quite a serviceable ending to the book.

If you have never read any Alexander Fullerton, but enjoy war novels, then buy this book. It is a good read.

[Charles Nordstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in this series. The author does an exemplary job of describing the period British submarines. That being said, this particular book lacks the exhilarating pace of the previous 2 books in the series. The book comes across as a literary version of the Film Noir style of movies. He seems to get lost in the minutiae of the story at the expense of the fast paced drama in the previous two books. The reader can become quickly bogged down in plodding details. Still, the book is worth reading if, for no other reason than for a better understanding of the lot of submariners in World War I. At the end of the book, the author provides an excellent summary of the historical events that actually occurred. It brings to life the characters by relating them to real events.

[Robert M. Roth MD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great one

I have become hooked on Fullerton's Nick Everhardt series about naval warfare during World War I. If you are a fan of naval history filled with suspense, this is for you.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fullerton has done it again. His Navy background, plus meticulous research, has created a book that evokes the feeling of serving on a claustrophobic WWI submarine. I only wish he were still around to create more amazing nautical tales. Highly recommended.

[Michael Shaoul · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK but burdened by too much jargon (I realize that this is some of the appeal for a certain type of reader). The plot also fell into an unfortunate degree of silliness towards the end which undermined the tension that had preceded it.

[clinton Littlefield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good action, but way to much detail on his thoughts and the other characters.

[James Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting insight into WW I anti-submarine tactics.

[M A Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adventure.

A rattling good yarn full of nailbiting suspense. If only the cover pictures were the right historical period, it would be perfect.

[Albert A Kleyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite.

Well researched as expected, but there is so much detail in the characters that it makes the story hard to read.
But....you might enjoy it more than I did.

[gerald morson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cracking read

A very good submarine book ,a lot of detail of E57 , enjoyed it no end the action fast and gripping ,

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally, a great book to read. I enjoyed the dialog / banter between the characters mostly. After reading this book; it was interesting to read the true life events which contributed to the story. It was nice to get a good 'picture' of the underwater challenges of WW1. The book seemed well researched and offers the reader page after page of action and suspense.

[ricky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

The main character of this series takes more of a back seat for much of this story but it is still very enjoyable. I really got the sense of how it must have been in submarines, especially trying to get through nets and minefields.