The Fox and the Faith

Patrick Dalton #1

by Dan Parkinson

As a junior officer in Admiral Lord Howe's expeditionary fleet sailing against the rebellious American colonies, Patrick Dalton distinguished himself both as a seafarer and a leader -- until he returns to fleet headquarters to find himself a marked man. Accused of treason against the King in wartime, he was banished to die aboard a rotting prison hulk. Dalton's only chance for escape was the captured American schooner Faith, in command of a ragtag crew of British convicts and Colonial adventurers. With drumming sails spread full, Dalton steers a course for the Delaware coast to match wits and guns against the British frigate Courtesan commanded by the captain who has sworn to see Patrick Dalton die. It is the Faith's seven cannon against the 44-gun man-of-war on a swelling sea of iron-grey water that will soon foam red with blood...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Maritime

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Par...

Reviews

[Allison TeVelde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rollicking good tale of sailing and honor in colonial America. Not sure if I will continue the series, but not bad for a $2 book sale find. Definitely not everyone's genre, but I do enjoy a good battle at sea.

[Elizabeth Braden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good adventure on the high seas. I read this 30 years ago and it was a good time to re-read it. It's a simple tale of good guys, bad guys and men who are scamps but will do the honorable thing. Throw in a pretty woman who can fire a cannon, and it's a fun read. My husband and I found we had a fondness for sailing literature when we were dating. There is a lot of sailing and tactical language, so this good vs. evil tale won't be for everyone, but if you want to learn a little sailing jargon and remember bits of the American Revolution, pick up this book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of my most favorite books of all time. Sea battles? Check! Romance (in small doses)? Check! Fantastic story line? Check! This also goes for the whole series...purely amazing!

[River · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely stumbled upon this book by pure chance; thinking its cover was neat and the plot one which could be very promising. Man was I right!

The pacing of this book is basically spot-on in my opinion. I've mentioned this before but it seems like a lot more novels are longer than they really need to be, and meander for little to no reason. Though a typical paperback size, I kept thinking "wow, so much has happened and I'm only half way through!?"

Did not expect myself to end up adoring the Wolf and it's captain as much as I did (though how it ended off I was a bit sad about). How many times can you run your ship aground? I don't know but it was hilarious. And then as soon as the captain walks into the room after Hart had just been in there... perfect. Aside from that, the characters are well written and a ton of fun for the most part.

The only thing that held this book back (for me) was its intensive use of nautical terms. I'm glad that a good chunk of the time they worded things with enough context that I could figure it out, or sprinkled it in here and there without lingering too long. It never became a bother, but it easily could have.

Great read, it's definitely on my top favourites shelf now.

[sarg · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Fox and the Faith" by Patrick Dalton

Swashbuckler in the genre of Hornblower, Aubry, or Ramage though not quiet up to their grade was still pritty interesting. Gave this 4 stars. The Royal Navy during Americas revolutionary war with England.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

cheap but entertaining "historic" naval war story.