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Before the Wind: The Loss of Valiant
Before the Wind
The Loss of THE VALIANT
The war with France has followed Captain James Pike across the Mediterranean, and this time it leads him to the one place no captain wants to a hostile coast, watched and watching in return.
Off Alexandria, French ships gather in numbers no ordinary garrison could explain. Pike's orders are simple. Watch, count, report. But nothing about this station stays simple for long. A night attack from the dark water. A becalming that leaves his ship helpless and exposed. A storm that very nearly finishes what the French cannot.
And when Pike finally turns for home, one last French frigate stands between him and Gibraltar; a ship he cannot outrun, cannot outgun, and will not surrender to.
What follows will cost him his ship. It will not cost him his victory.
Sharp with the salt and smoke of the age of fighting sail, Before the The Loss of Valiant is a story of duty carried past its breaking point. It tells of a captain who demands everything of his crew because he demands more of himself, and of the razor's width between disaster and glory that every command must eventually cross.
For readers of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester, The Loss of Valiant continues the voyage begun in Book One, a fresh trial by fire for Captain Pike and the men who serve under him.
The Loss of THE VALIANT
The war with France has followed Captain James Pike across the Mediterranean, and this time it leads him to the one place no captain wants to a hostile coast, watched and watching in return.
Off Alexandria, French ships gather in numbers no ordinary garrison could explain. Pike's orders are simple. Watch, count, report. But nothing about this station stays simple for long. A night attack from the dark water. A becalming that leaves his ship helpless and exposed. A storm that very nearly finishes what the French cannot.
And when Pike finally turns for home, one last French frigate stands between him and Gibraltar; a ship he cannot outrun, cannot outgun, and will not surrender to.
What follows will cost him his ship. It will not cost him his victory.
Sharp with the salt and smoke of the age of fighting sail, Before the The Loss of Valiant is a story of duty carried past its breaking point. It tells of a captain who demands everything of his crew because he demands more of himself, and of the razor's width between disaster and glory that every command must eventually cross.
For readers of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester, The Loss of Valiant continues the voyage begun in Book One, a fresh trial by fire for Captain Pike and the men who serve under him.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 28, 2026
An okay book, pretty flat really. this is the tale of Captain Pike in the Mediterranean during the Napoleonic Wars, spending most of the time in blockade off Alexandria. Its kind of a mixed bag, overall.
All the characters have very similar personalities and are difficult to tell apart. The events take place in sequence but are told with not a lot of drama or impact, like an AI summary of a series of events. There are a lot of "As you know Bob" moments where characters tell each other things that they knew very well and obviously would be aware of at the time. An entire sequence with a storm is repeated, like the author wasn't sure where to put that part of the story and forgot they put it in twice (although the second one is much more dramatic and severe).
That said, the book is otherwise well written: it flows well, has little padding, is internally consistent and the main character Pike is well developed. He has his flaws and is a mixed bag but overall well regarded by his subordinates. The events are plausible and reasonably told, and are historically valid.
So its okay but I can't recommend it. Again I think this is a book by someone else (Allen Brooks in this case) and edited by Perry Comer who acted as a technical advisor but its released as a Perry Comer book.
All the characters have very similar personalities and are difficult to tell apart. The events take place in sequence but are told with not a lot of drama or impact, like an AI summary of a series of events. There are a lot of "As you know Bob" moments where characters tell each other things that they knew very well and obviously would be aware of at the time. An entire sequence with a storm is repeated, like the author wasn't sure where to put that part of the story and forgot they put it in twice (although the second one is much more dramatic and severe).
That said, the book is otherwise well written: it flows well, has little padding, is internally consistent and the main character Pike is well developed. He has his flaws and is a mixed bag but overall well regarded by his subordinates. The events are plausible and reasonably told, and are historically valid.
So its okay but I can't recommend it. Again I think this is a book by someone else (Allen Brooks in this case) and edited by Perry Comer who acted as a technical advisor but its released as a Perry Comer book.
August 18, 2026
A Good Tale
Excellent period piece but confusing as it conflicts with prior volume. Both would have worked as stand alone novels, but they create confusion if this will be a series.
Excellent period piece but confusing as it conflicts with prior volume. Both would have worked as stand alone novels, but they create confusion if this will be a series.
August 12, 2026
excellent read
a somewhat different slant on life at sea that made for a good readable yarn from a reliable author of such tales
a somewhat different slant on life at sea that made for a good readable yarn from a reliable author of such tales
September 21, 2026
fun read
Nice character development that started out a bit strained.
Having sailed though a multi day storm, the description revived a few unpleasant memories.
Well done
Nice character development that started out a bit strained.
Having sailed though a multi day storm, the description revived a few unpleasant memories.
Well done
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews