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Hellfire Corner
Autumn 1941 and a fierce war rages amid the treacherous waters of the Dover Strait. It is fought by the gun and torpedo boats of Britain’s Coastal fast, frail vessels that do battle against the best of Germany’s Kriegsmarine. The crews are mainly volunteers; men plucked from civilian life and new to the maelstrom of brutal combat. Each take a different route to meet such a personal challenge and prove every bit as powerful, and vulnerable, as the craft in which they serve. The gripping naval action in Hellfire Corner is set against a backdrop of war-ravaged Dover, a town reeling from the terrors of nightly air raids and daily artillery bombardment. Authentic detail, tense personal dynamics and tales of individual heroism combine to give a rare and compelling insight into a fascinating aspect of World War Two history.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 19, 2020
226 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Alaric Bond
24 books39 followersAlaric Bond has written for television, radio and the stage but now focuses on historical nautical fiction with twenty published novels, fifteen of which are in his acclaimed ‘Fighting Sail’ series.
Set in ‘Nelson’s Navy’ of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, these have no central hero but feature characters from all ranks and stations; an innovative approach that gives an exciting and realistic impression of life aboard a warship of the period.
Hellfire Corner is the first in an intended new series and marks a change in emphasis, although future ‘Fighting Sail’ instalments are planned.
Set in ‘Nelson’s Navy’ of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, these have no central hero but feature characters from all ranks and stations; an innovative approach that gives an exciting and realistic impression of life aboard a warship of the period.
Hellfire Corner is the first in an intended new series and marks a change in emphasis, although future ‘Fighting Sail’ instalments are planned.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 22, 2020
Hellfire Corner, Alaric Bond’s latest nautical adventure, departs the Age of Fighting Sail where his other 13 novels are set and instead goes aboard MTBs (Motor Torpedo Boats) and MGBs (Motor Gun Boats) of the Coastal Forces in the English Channel during WWII. MGBs were made of wood and powered by two or three massive petrol-drinking internal combustion engines. The boats were lightly armed with half-inch Vickers and 20mm Oerlikons and their wooden hulls had no armour whatsoever.
Fast but vulnerable, MTBs and MGBs were in the main manned by men with little sea time or experience prior to the outbreak of war. Bond accurately depicts the struggle to fight both the elements and the enemy, as well as the constant need to maintain and repair the boats and their hard-pressed engines. He accurately catches the “business as usual” heroism of such men who simply got on with their dangerous and at times near suicidal jobs. Unlike novels based in the age of Nelson, these people talk like us, and Bond catches their voices.
Where the historic great sea battles wounded or killed men in horrific numbers, this Channel war at sea is intimate. Bond excels in generating suspense by depicting the randomness of combat, in which one man may live when another man beside him is killed or maimed. In Hellfire Corner, the eight men aboard MGB 95 are all fully realized characters. We feel we know the men because they are not faceless, nameless crew.
When not on sorties that typically lasted less than 24 hours, men in the Coastal Forces during WWII lived ashore in barracks, hotels or homes that were often under cannon fire from the German guns across the Channel. Their shore lives are therefore much more a part of Bond’s Hellfire Corner than are women characters in novels about the 18th Century. We meet members of the WRNS (Women’s Royal Naval Service), who served ashore in communications and the detection of enemy ships and planes.
There is no single hero in Hellfire Corner, waiting to appear in a sequel. Instead, we are immersed in the unpredictability of war, where success and survival can be earned, but are always partly a matter of chance.
Fast but vulnerable, MTBs and MGBs were in the main manned by men with little sea time or experience prior to the outbreak of war. Bond accurately depicts the struggle to fight both the elements and the enemy, as well as the constant need to maintain and repair the boats and their hard-pressed engines. He accurately catches the “business as usual” heroism of such men who simply got on with their dangerous and at times near suicidal jobs. Unlike novels based in the age of Nelson, these people talk like us, and Bond catches their voices.
Where the historic great sea battles wounded or killed men in horrific numbers, this Channel war at sea is intimate. Bond excels in generating suspense by depicting the randomness of combat, in which one man may live when another man beside him is killed or maimed. In Hellfire Corner, the eight men aboard MGB 95 are all fully realized characters. We feel we know the men because they are not faceless, nameless crew.
When not on sorties that typically lasted less than 24 hours, men in the Coastal Forces during WWII lived ashore in barracks, hotels or homes that were often under cannon fire from the German guns across the Channel. Their shore lives are therefore much more a part of Bond’s Hellfire Corner than are women characters in novels about the 18th Century. We meet members of the WRNS (Women’s Royal Naval Service), who served ashore in communications and the detection of enemy ships and planes.
There is no single hero in Hellfire Corner, waiting to appear in a sequel. Instead, we are immersed in the unpredictability of war, where success and survival can be earned, but are always partly a matter of chance.
April 15, 2020
Hell of a read.
Good book keeps u interested. Finished to fast.I want to read more soon nnnn nnn nnnnn nnnnnn nnnn nnn nnn
Good book keeps u interested. Finished to fast.I want to read more soon nnnn nnn nnnnn nnnnnn nnnn nnn nnn
March 17, 2020
Alaric Bond is well known for his sea-faring novels set during the times of Nelson, but here he makes a first foray into the second world war and specifically, the work of the Coastal Patrols based on the Kent coast, and it is a very good debut foray!
Robert Harris is the captain of MGB95 (Motor Gun Boat) where he is both competent and confident in his own abilities. But when his Sub Lieutenant is killed during a hazardous outing, he begins to wonder about his 'people skills', for he knows that he is not particularly popular with either the men or the Top Brass. He is very much a loner with no family and few friends.
His men are just what we would expect: the dedicated Mechanic and Leading Stoker, a gunner with a penchant for gambling. Most of them are volunteers including the new Sub Lt – Ian Anderson.
The tasks of the MBG are simple and two-fold: protect and escort British convoys through the English Channel or attack German convoys and their escorting counterparts.
When off duty, there are WRENS, pubs and illegal gambling houses to be found in Dover. And frequent bombing raids.
The technical details are fulsome and precise, a delight for any engineers; for us landlubbers there is a comprehensive glossary. The action is fast and furious yet neatly interspersed with leave ashore and the sub-stories taking place within the port. The author has indeed packed a lot of story into this novel which makes it difficult to put down once you have started.
I have one niggle: the prologue is over long and is so immediately pertinent to the story that it really could simply be Chapter One.
Nevertheless, this is a great read and fans of this genre will love it. As the first book in a proposed series, I really do look forward to more.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Robert Harris is the captain of MGB95 (Motor Gun Boat) where he is both competent and confident in his own abilities. But when his Sub Lieutenant is killed during a hazardous outing, he begins to wonder about his 'people skills', for he knows that he is not particularly popular with either the men or the Top Brass. He is very much a loner with no family and few friends.
His men are just what we would expect: the dedicated Mechanic and Leading Stoker, a gunner with a penchant for gambling. Most of them are volunteers including the new Sub Lt – Ian Anderson.
The tasks of the MBG are simple and two-fold: protect and escort British convoys through the English Channel or attack German convoys and their escorting counterparts.
When off duty, there are WRENS, pubs and illegal gambling houses to be found in Dover. And frequent bombing raids.
The technical details are fulsome and precise, a delight for any engineers; for us landlubbers there is a comprehensive glossary. The action is fast and furious yet neatly interspersed with leave ashore and the sub-stories taking place within the port. The author has indeed packed a lot of story into this novel which makes it difficult to put down once you have started.
I have one niggle: the prologue is over long and is so immediately pertinent to the story that it really could simply be Chapter One.
Nevertheless, this is a great read and fans of this genre will love it. As the first book in a proposed series, I really do look forward to more.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
March 17, 2020
Alaric Bond is well known for his sea-faring novels set during the times of Nelson, but here he makes a first foray into the second world war and specifically the work of the Coastal Patrols based on the Kent coast.
Robert Harris is the captain of MGB95 (Motor Gun Boat) where he is both competent and confident in his own abilities. But when his Sub Lt is killed during a hazardous outing, he begins to wonder about his 'people skills', for he knows that he is not particularly popular with either the men or the Top Brass. He is very much a loner with no family and few friends.
His men are just what we would expect: the dedicated Mechanic and Leading Stoker, a gunner with a penchant for gambling. Most of them are volunteers including the new Sub Lt – Ian Anderson.
The tasks of the MBG are simple and two-fold: protect and escort British convoys through the Channel or attack German convoys and their escorting counterparts.
When off duty, there are WRENS, pubs and illegal gambling houses to be found in Dover. And frequent bombing raids.
The technical details are fulsome and precise, a delight for any engineers; for us landlubbers there is a comprehensive Glossary. The action is fast and furious yet neatly interspersed with leave times and the sub stories taking place within the port. The author has indeed packed a lot of story into this book which makes it difficult to put down once you have started.
I have one niggle: the Prologue is over long and is so immediately pertinent to the story that it really should be Chapter One.
Nevertheless, this is a great read and fans of this genre will love it. As the first book in a proposed series, I really do look forward to more.
Reviewed on behalf of Discovering Diamonds Blog spot
Robert Harris is the captain of MGB95 (Motor Gun Boat) where he is both competent and confident in his own abilities. But when his Sub Lt is killed during a hazardous outing, he begins to wonder about his 'people skills', for he knows that he is not particularly popular with either the men or the Top Brass. He is very much a loner with no family and few friends.
His men are just what we would expect: the dedicated Mechanic and Leading Stoker, a gunner with a penchant for gambling. Most of them are volunteers including the new Sub Lt – Ian Anderson.
The tasks of the MBG are simple and two-fold: protect and escort British convoys through the Channel or attack German convoys and their escorting counterparts.
When off duty, there are WRENS, pubs and illegal gambling houses to be found in Dover. And frequent bombing raids.
The technical details are fulsome and precise, a delight for any engineers; for us landlubbers there is a comprehensive Glossary. The action is fast and furious yet neatly interspersed with leave times and the sub stories taking place within the port. The author has indeed packed a lot of story into this book which makes it difficult to put down once you have started.
I have one niggle: the Prologue is over long and is so immediately pertinent to the story that it really should be Chapter One.
Nevertheless, this is a great read and fans of this genre will love it. As the first book in a proposed series, I really do look forward to more.
Reviewed on behalf of Discovering Diamonds Blog spot
December 7, 2023
A good story of RN Coastal Forces in the Channel in 1941. Looks like it may be the first of a series, if so there's potential. Plenty of action, good character development and captures well what it must have been like to serve in small wooden vessels powered by high octane avgas ready to blow the boat apart if hit. Some relatively minor but annoying editing/proofreader errors (e.g.20 mm Oerlikon was the boat's principal- not "principle" weapon; same goes for a German heavy cruiser being a "principle" ship) cost the book a star IMHO. On the plus side, it's a bit longer than some others so you get your money's worth. A recommended read.
December 11, 2023
Standard actioneer done well.
An enjoyable read. Criticisms are minor. It suffers slightly from being formulaic, which is unavoidable and understandable, as all war stories are inevitably so. Maybe a bit too much time was spent on narrative musings and numerous subplots. Bond does a decent job of character development. They are human and relatable. I am a happy reader and look forward to the second book.
An enjoyable read. Criticisms are minor. It suffers slightly from being formulaic, which is unavoidable and understandable, as all war stories are inevitably so. Maybe a bit too much time was spent on narrative musings and numerous subplots. Bond does a decent job of character development. They are human and relatable. I am a happy reader and look forward to the second book.
March 28, 2020
Spellbinding
A fabulous tale about a small ship, it's free and their private and professional lives. The action scenes are exciting and very realistic, whilst the authors depiction of the characters is so in depth you start to feel you actually know them. This is an extremely well written and researched story and is an exciting and page turning story.
A fabulous tale about a small ship, it's free and their private and professional lives. The action scenes are exciting and very realistic, whilst the authors depiction of the characters is so in depth you start to feel you actually know them. This is an extremely well written and researched story and is an exciting and page turning story.
January 19, 2025
MGBs in the English Channel 1941
A forthright fictional account of the early Coastal Defence MGBs, Officers and ORs. Not of the calibre of OBrien, Foster, or Black, but interesting and of value.
A forthright fictional account of the early Coastal Defence MGBs, Officers and ORs. Not of the calibre of OBrien, Foster, or Black, but interesting and of value.
October 17, 2022
a real page turner
A great yarn, and hopefully a first in a series of books. Gives a good insight into the life in coastal command, a much overlooked service
A great yarn, and hopefully a first in a series of books. Gives a good insight into the life in coastal command, a much overlooked service
August 18, 2024
As always, Bond tells a gripping tale of some of the most harrowing naval warfare of World War II. This entire series is terrific.
November 12, 2024
Good storyline. Lots of historical detail. I enjoyed it, now onto the next in the series.
July 20, 2024
The "Little Boys", small heavily armed (sometimes) challenge each other in the English Channel—more like a gunfight in a bathtub than the usual big ship duels at 15+ miles. No admirals need apply here as the reservists and the recruits battle it out. Lots of action and character development make it a good but brutal story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews