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The Fighting Anthonys #1
The Reaper
Captain Gilbert Anthony has a lot on his mind. He has just been decorated for extraordinary bravery under fire, been given command of the fourth-rate Drakkar, learned from his father's deathbed that he as a fully grown illegitimate brother, and will soon be dispatched on a special mission chasing pirates in the Caribbean. . .and that's just in the first fifteen pages! Honoring his dying father, the eponymous "Fighting James Anthony," Vice Admiral of the Blue, Gil takes his half-brother Gabriel into the ship's company as a senior midshipman. As Drakkar sails, Captain Anthony soon realizes having his brother aboard might not be the family reunion he hoped for when he encounters the resentment of one of his officers, Lieutenant Witzenfeld. But the real conflict lies ahead with the menacing pirate raiders who must be captured to end the depredations against peaceful English merchants. There Drakkar will find the feared pirate frigate Reaper and have her entire crew tested in savage combat!
- GenresHistorical Fiction
270 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2005
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37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 20, 2018
After preventing pirates from capturing a convoy of East India Company ships, Captain Gilbert Anthony finds his life and career in the Royal Navy forever altered. Newspapers tout his bravery and honor throughout the kingdom. A grateful EIC honor him with gold coins and a ceremonial sword. The king bestows on him a knighthood. And his father entrusts him with training his half brother, Midshipman Gabriel Anthony, to become a naval officer. This last task also involves inheriting Gabe’s uncle, who seems to be Gabe’s protector, but Dagan is a skilled topman with sharp eyes, which make him as asset aboard Gil’s ship.
On his father’s death, Gil becomes the Earl of Deerfield, but the Admiralty has need of him far from England’s shores. Colonial grievances have been mounting and the possibility of war looms. A more immediate threat, however, are the pirates preying on merchant ships in the Caribbean and off the coast of America. With his recent success against such rogues, the Admiralty thinks he’s the best one to confront this menace. To aid in this endeavor Gil assumes command of HMS Drakkar, one of the realm’s largest frigates captured in 1759 from the French. Gabe will serve as the senior midshipman, and among the other gentlemen joining the crew are a young boy named Mr. Davy and Fourth Lieutenant Witzenfeld.
Soon after the frigate sails for Antigua, Witzenfeld reveals his true character – a cruel tyrant with a temper and a vulgar mouth to match. He continually persecutes Davy, which brings the lieutenant into contention with Gabe. Problems escalate, forcing Gil to find a tactful way to deal convince the crew that they can trust him while demonstrating no favoritism or permitting abuse.
A second complication comes when they sight two schooners plundering a barque. One woman who survives the attack is Lady Deborah McKean, to whom Gil finds himself attracted – a thought that irks him since she just witnessed the murder of her husband, as well as the brutal rapes and murders of the other women aboard the merchant ship. Turning his attention to his purpose for coming to the West Indies, Gil gathers what scant information he can of the attack, leaving him with more questions than answers. That trend continues after further encounters with the pirates, including rumors of a fifty-gun black ship with black sails. Might there be someone ashore in league with the pirates? Why do they rarely leave survivors, even those who might garner high ransoms? Or is there a more nefarious purpose behind the attacks? When a coded letter falls into Gil’s hands, he acquires vital information that might lead to answers . . . if they can decode the message.
First issued in 2005, The Reaper is the first book in The Fighting Anthonys series and this new edition has been revised. Readers are quickly drawn into this high seas adventure, rife with action and interwoven with romance. It even includes some original poetry by Aye. While no decisive indication of the time frame is provided, it occurs sometime after the Battle of Quiberon Bay (November 1759) and July 1775 when the epilogue takes place. If there is any drawback at all in the story, it is that it ends too soon, but The Reaper definitely snares the reader into wanting to read the second volume, HMS Seawolf. It is indeed a worthy addition to the growing collection of nautical fiction.
On his father’s death, Gil becomes the Earl of Deerfield, but the Admiralty has need of him far from England’s shores. Colonial grievances have been mounting and the possibility of war looms. A more immediate threat, however, are the pirates preying on merchant ships in the Caribbean and off the coast of America. With his recent success against such rogues, the Admiralty thinks he’s the best one to confront this menace. To aid in this endeavor Gil assumes command of HMS Drakkar, one of the realm’s largest frigates captured in 1759 from the French. Gabe will serve as the senior midshipman, and among the other gentlemen joining the crew are a young boy named Mr. Davy and Fourth Lieutenant Witzenfeld.
Soon after the frigate sails for Antigua, Witzenfeld reveals his true character – a cruel tyrant with a temper and a vulgar mouth to match. He continually persecutes Davy, which brings the lieutenant into contention with Gabe. Problems escalate, forcing Gil to find a tactful way to deal convince the crew that they can trust him while demonstrating no favoritism or permitting abuse.
A second complication comes when they sight two schooners plundering a barque. One woman who survives the attack is Lady Deborah McKean, to whom Gil finds himself attracted – a thought that irks him since she just witnessed the murder of her husband, as well as the brutal rapes and murders of the other women aboard the merchant ship. Turning his attention to his purpose for coming to the West Indies, Gil gathers what scant information he can of the attack, leaving him with more questions than answers. That trend continues after further encounters with the pirates, including rumors of a fifty-gun black ship with black sails. Might there be someone ashore in league with the pirates? Why do they rarely leave survivors, even those who might garner high ransoms? Or is there a more nefarious purpose behind the attacks? When a coded letter falls into Gil’s hands, he acquires vital information that might lead to answers . . . if they can decode the message.
First issued in 2005, The Reaper is the first book in The Fighting Anthonys series and this new edition has been revised. Readers are quickly drawn into this high seas adventure, rife with action and interwoven with romance. It even includes some original poetry by Aye. While no decisive indication of the time frame is provided, it occurs sometime after the Battle of Quiberon Bay (November 1759) and July 1775 when the epilogue takes place. If there is any drawback at all in the story, it is that it ends too soon, but The Reaper definitely snares the reader into wanting to read the second volume, HMS Seawolf. It is indeed a worthy addition to the growing collection of nautical fiction.
July 12, 2017
As a young boy in the early 50's I discovered C.S. Forrester's Hornblower and devoured everyone of those great books and through the years I have reread that series numerous times. Then I discovered Alexander Kent's Bolitho series, Dudley Pope's Ramage and Dewey Lambdin's Alan Lewrie and now Michael Aye's series "The Fighting Anthonys" set in the same era of the wooden ships and iron men of the Royal Navy.
Within the 1st chapter, the reader is quickly introduced to the traditional positions held by the author's characters as all the above did, but a bit slower perhaps. And yes the family has the seemingly traditional flaws but some of the potentially most interesting characters, each to be more fully fleshed out and revealed in the following books in this series. Did I mention that amongst these characters are several, one in particular, who possess deep mysteries and abilities completely new to me?
Yes, once again I'm hooked on a new series of Royal Navy fiction with this 1st book set just before the Revolutionary War. The author moved the story along exceptionally quickly with ongoing action and characters the reader anticipates a long relationship with killed in action, others gravely wounded in battles against well-informed pirates! Sadly, the book was a quick read with the table set for the continued reading of this series while I took the book as bait, hook, line, sinker, netted and landed. Unlike most short read books, when I finished it, I was not left with my normal disappointed feeling that the author had written the minimum length possible and strictly for personal financial gain. Instead, I laid it down with satisfaction; a bit surprised I had finished it in a single day of reading (after my other activities), failed to watch TV in the evening in order to continue reading this book. But, most of all, my normal short book feeling of having been cheated was absent! I sat there wondering and puzzled as to how the author had jam packed so much action, introduced so effectively the cast of characters and the number of characters, love and even Royal Honors at the beginning. All, while leaving me wondering about the main characters future career and what transpired before this point in his career!
Within the 1st chapter, the reader is quickly introduced to the traditional positions held by the author's characters as all the above did, but a bit slower perhaps. And yes the family has the seemingly traditional flaws but some of the potentially most interesting characters, each to be more fully fleshed out and revealed in the following books in this series. Did I mention that amongst these characters are several, one in particular, who possess deep mysteries and abilities completely new to me?
Yes, once again I'm hooked on a new series of Royal Navy fiction with this 1st book set just before the Revolutionary War. The author moved the story along exceptionally quickly with ongoing action and characters the reader anticipates a long relationship with killed in action, others gravely wounded in battles against well-informed pirates! Sadly, the book was a quick read with the table set for the continued reading of this series while I took the book as bait, hook, line, sinker, netted and landed. Unlike most short read books, when I finished it, I was not left with my normal disappointed feeling that the author had written the minimum length possible and strictly for personal financial gain. Instead, I laid it down with satisfaction; a bit surprised I had finished it in a single day of reading (after my other activities), failed to watch TV in the evening in order to continue reading this book. But, most of all, my normal short book feeling of having been cheated was absent! I sat there wondering and puzzled as to how the author had jam packed so much action, introduced so effectively the cast of characters and the number of characters, love and even Royal Honors at the beginning. All, while leaving me wondering about the main characters future career and what transpired before this point in his career!
June 29, 2017
I've found a new series 😀
An excellent read with good pace. Action is fast and characters well written. Would liked it to have been longer.
An excellent read with good pace. Action is fast and characters well written. Would liked it to have been longer.
March 30, 2019
Great read
Very enjoyable learning about the history. Live the author’s style and his descriptions brought the story to life! Look forward to the remaining books.
Very enjoyable learning about the history. Live the author’s style and his descriptions brought the story to life! Look forward to the remaining books.
October 23, 2019
Sorcery?
The book was classified historical fiction. The introduction of sorcery at the climax was an extreme disappointment. I quit reading with only a few pages remaining.
The book was classified historical fiction. The introduction of sorcery at the climax was an extreme disappointment. I quit reading with only a few pages remaining.
April 26, 2020
Great first book in the series
If you like Naval sailing stories, then this is the beginning of a good series. Look forward to reading the rest.
If you like Naval sailing stories, then this is the beginning of a good series. Look forward to reading the rest.
November 26, 2025
Would have given it a 2.4 if possible. Not a bad first effort for the author but definitely not up there with the greats of this genre.
March 31, 2024
A good start to what should be an interesting series as the Anthonys take to to sea in a new ship.
April 21, 2016
This is a lightweight version of the Forester or O'Brien nautical/English naval series, but still enjoyable. It is the first novel of a series; I don't know that I will rush out and start to collect the rest of the Fighting Anthonys series, but I have given it to my husband to read and if he likes it, then I may get the rest. He is fond of naval warfare novels (because of the ships, not the fighting). I personally don't like the "subservience" of women in this era, but it comes with the culture of the times (in just about any country). The flip-flopping of enemies and allies of this period (1770s) is certainly true to European history, and the rigors of a life at sea on a British warship is all too well described. The novel ends with the unrest in Colonial America, and the fearless Captain Anthony is in the line of fire.
June 28, 2015
Boring
This story has been written multiple times. No new twists were added to freshen the tale. The good, competent captain finds the love of his life. Even the love scenes as well as the dialogue was old hat.
This story has been written multiple times. No new twists were added to freshen the tale. The good, competent captain finds the love of his life. Even the love scenes as well as the dialogue was old hat.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews