The King's Chameleon

Kit Faulkner #3

by Woodman

A thrilling Kit Faulkner naval adventure, set in turbulent historical times
England, 1659. Captain Kit Faulkner’s house is prospering; his eldest son, Nathaniel, has recently returned from a profitable trip to Jamaica in the good ship Faithful, and his daughter, Hannah, has made a suitable match with a young sailor. But the resignation of the Lord Protector, Richard Cromwell, throws England into uncertainty. Will the republic flourish, or will a King return to the throne?

Kit is content to let matters take their natural course, but his younger son, Henry, is an idealist with political ambitions. It soon becomes clear that Henry is in much deeper than Kit first realised, and Henry’s actions may threaten everything that Kit holds dear . . .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Nautical

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2013

Reviews

[David Eppenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third installment of Richard Woodman's Kit Faulkner trilogy and it is the best of the three books. While I enjoy this author primarily for his sea adventures he also writes good historical fictions. While these books have a fair amount of naval activity and the protagonist is a naval officer I would feel more comfortable calling this trilogy more of a historic fiction than an Age of Sail adventure. The entire trilogy covers the period in English history from the ascension of King Charles I through the restoration of Charles II and a brief period thereafter. If you are familiar with this period then the names of George Monck, Samuel Pepys, Prince Rupert, George Downing (of Downing Street in London fame), Okey, Barkstead, and Corbett will known to you and they make their appearances in this book as will others active in this period. The author's fiction is artfully meshed with the history to produce an entertaining story and I was totally pleased with the reading.

In this climatic entry of the trilogy Cromwell has been dead for 2 years and the leadership of his son Richard has been a failure. Monck acts to save England from anarchy by restoring the monarchy. While this is going on Faulkner undergoes a Monck-like transition from royalist to republican and now faces the unknown future of a restored monarchy as well as the reconciliation with his wife and family. The tension in the book takes place on parallel platforms of the nation and the personal as all revolves around actions of loyalty, betrayal, duty, forgiveness, revenge, reconciliation, and resignation. Woodman creates characters that are human and believable and this is especially true of his heroes who are the most human of all his characters. This trilogy is an enjoyable and quick read as all of the books are under 300 pages of text so have a look if this period interests you. Enjoy.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This trilogy of sea adventures does not take place during the Napoleonic wars but from 1618 to 1672. It covers the English civil war , the restoration and the two Anglo-Dutch wars. Great read and you will learn a lot about this sadly neglected era.

[Anne-Mammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd volume of a trilogy covering the life and work of Kit Faulkner. Although it could be read as a stand alone, it is much better to have tread the previous 2 books as Kit's past history is only alluded to and it would be difficult to understand fully how the characters evolved over the years. It is historical fiction in as much as the main characters did not exist, but the political background and its main actors are as close to reality as primary sources will allow.
The conflict between Puritans and Cavaliers, supporters of the 2 King Charles as well as the tensions the different approaches caused in ordinary families is at the heart of the book and is vividly described. Less convincing is the focus on being bewitched or being a witch. It is true that it was a particular focus of Charles I but somehow here it does not carry conviction.
There is very little taking place on board ship and if you are looking for a naval adventure as in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series, you will be disappointed.
However, I liked Kit Faulkner, struggling to do the best he could for his family and for the country. There is such a warmth emanating from his extra marital relationship with Kathryn Villiers that I could not think of him as a wicked adulterer!
Overall it is an entertaining trilogy covering a tumultuous period of British history. If you are intrigued by Georges Monck , Duke of Albemarle, I can warmly recommend you read the books Richard Woodman has written about him.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never really works to read the third in a trilogy first but for all that, it was OK.

[David Slee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting mix between a novel and a history.