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Richard Bolitho #13
The Flag Captain
April 1797, Falmouth Bay. As France continues her bitter struggle for supremacy on land and sea, the Royal Navy receives a crippling blow at home: the Great Mutiny. Returning home after eighteen-months' service, Flag Captain Richard Bolitho finds himself at the center of the crisis.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
105 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Kent
226 books198 followersA pseudonym used by Douglas Reeman.
Series:
* Richard Bolitho
* Adam Bolitho
Series:
* Richard Bolitho
* Adam Bolitho
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 5, 2021
En esta entrega nuestro amigo Bolitho y sus hombres siguen en esa eterna cruzada contra los franceses que están apoyados por los españoles. Su misión vuelve a ser estar de comandante del barco de referencia de la pequeña escuadra británica bajo el mando de otro almirante bastante dubitativo. Tendrán que acudir a conquistar un puesto fortificado en la costa del norte de África para arrebatárselo a los españoles, hecho que se saldará con bastantes pérdidas y disgustos para algo que finalmente no tenía gran importancia.
A la vez se está acabando de dirimir un motín general en la marina británica por las terribles condiciones que vive la marinería. Fruto de ello una fragata británica se pasará al bando francés sin luchar. Todo esto creo gran tensión entre el almirante y Bolitho que piensa que los marineros tienen razón. En el transcurso nuestro comandante será herido y parece que volverá a tener la oportunidad de enamorarse (cosa nada fácil estando en un barco prácticamente siempre (de una mujer)) e ir cerrando la que creo que es su segunda viudez (cosa aún más sorprendente que estando continuamente a cañonazos y al abordaje, el que se muere no es él, si no sus mujeres)
A la vez se está acabando de dirimir un motín general en la marina británica por las terribles condiciones que vive la marinería. Fruto de ello una fragata británica se pasará al bando francés sin luchar. Todo esto creo gran tensión entre el almirante y Bolitho que piensa que los marineros tienen razón. En el transcurso nuestro comandante será herido y parece que volverá a tener la oportunidad de enamorarse (cosa nada fácil estando en un barco prácticamente siempre (de una mujer)) e ir cerrando la que creo que es su segunda viudez (cosa aún más sorprendente que estando continuamente a cañonazos y al abordaje, el que se muere no es él, si no sus mujeres)
February 19, 2023
🌊 ⚓️Naval fiction is a genre set in the era when tall ships with their plethora of sails ruled the high seas. By and large it is a romance fiction - the romance of the high seas, of exotic locations, of love between naval officers and their ladies, of the high drama of warfare at sea with the tall ships firing their rows of cannon at one other. Yes, dramatic. But also brutal and horrific.
🌊 ⚓️CS Forester was one of the grandfathers of the genre with his Hornblower novels. Dudley Pope with his Ramage series was another. Then we had Patrick O’Brien and his marvelous series that began with Master and Commander (filmed with Russell Crowe). And here is Alexander Kent’s long series with Richard Bolitho as the naval hero. This particular book is, I believe, #13.
🌊 ⚓️My first book in this genre was read when I was 21. I learned to sail that summer too. The boat was about 40 feet in length. It was a dream summer for a young man. I worked all week and sailed the Pacific Ocean on Saturdays and Sundays. I came away lean and tanned with God’s own sparkle of life in my eyes. Unforgettable.
🌊 ⚓️My Masters thesis focused on this era - Trafalgar, Nelson, Waterloo, Napoleon, Wellington, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the War of 1812 ….. My thesis was on the fight to end Britain’s slave trade, so Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, William Pitt, Charles Fox, John Newton (who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace). This part of world history is with me forever. All I need is my own ship.
🌊 ⚓️The book? No, I didn’t talk about the book. I wrote about the genre and era it’s part of instead. In that spirit I recommend the Bolitho series to you. Weigh anchor ⚓️
🌊 ⚓️CS Forester was one of the grandfathers of the genre with his Hornblower novels. Dudley Pope with his Ramage series was another. Then we had Patrick O’Brien and his marvelous series that began with Master and Commander (filmed with Russell Crowe). And here is Alexander Kent’s long series with Richard Bolitho as the naval hero. This particular book is, I believe, #13.
🌊 ⚓️My first book in this genre was read when I was 21. I learned to sail that summer too. The boat was about 40 feet in length. It was a dream summer for a young man. I worked all week and sailed the Pacific Ocean on Saturdays and Sundays. I came away lean and tanned with God’s own sparkle of life in my eyes. Unforgettable.
🌊 ⚓️My Masters thesis focused on this era - Trafalgar, Nelson, Waterloo, Napoleon, Wellington, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the War of 1812 ….. My thesis was on the fight to end Britain’s slave trade, so Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, William Pitt, Charles Fox, John Newton (who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace). This part of world history is with me forever. All I need is my own ship.
🌊 ⚓️The book? No, I didn’t talk about the book. I wrote about the genre and era it’s part of instead. In that spirit I recommend the Bolitho series to you. Weigh anchor ⚓️
February 14, 2019
Another great sailing sea story of the British vs the French.
November 3, 2009
With this and the previous book, the series really fell off a cliff for me. Same plot 3x over (bad admiral needs Our Hero to tell him what to do, but he's a jerk about it). The ham-handed sex really made up for it though. Woof.
October 17, 2021
I've been reading this series in chronological order and these books in the middle of the series are all run-on like it's one big book chronicling Bolitho's career from a Flag-Captain to an Admiral. I've been binging them like a TV series and there isn't much to separate one book from another. In fact I'm several books ahead now and I can't really remember much about this particular book. Even the book names are someone nondescript so I'll just give a general summary of the writing of the books in this time frame.
The writing is easy to read and follow. There is usually a lot of action, at least 1 ship to ship action. Apart from that, there's sometimes cutting out action. The action scenes are very well done if bloody and officers are not spared, quite a few die. Kent spends a lot of time on the characters and they are often well done and memorable. This is what I like about the books.
What I don't like: The hero worship gets a bit cringy at times. Not as bad as the Ramage books but sometimes close. CS Forester does a much better job of creating a hero and we don't need to be reminded every few pages how great Bolitho is.
What is worse is Kent's romance scenes. He is incapable of creating chemistry between the lovers and they often fall deeply in love after one meeting. The Ramage series is even worse and to be honest I'm not here to read romance.
There is sometimes recurring element of conflict, a plot device I dislike because it limits the plot and is predictable. In some of the books in this time frame, it's Bolitho's superior, either a commodore or admiral, who is grossly incompetent and Bolitho has to save him.
The writing is easy to read and follow. There is usually a lot of action, at least 1 ship to ship action. Apart from that, there's sometimes cutting out action. The action scenes are very well done if bloody and officers are not spared, quite a few die. Kent spends a lot of time on the characters and they are often well done and memorable. This is what I like about the books.
What I don't like: The hero worship gets a bit cringy at times. Not as bad as the Ramage books but sometimes close. CS Forester does a much better job of creating a hero and we don't need to be reminded every few pages how great Bolitho is.
What is worse is Kent's romance scenes. He is incapable of creating chemistry between the lovers and they often fall deeply in love after one meeting. The Ramage series is even worse and to be honest I'm not here to read romance.
There is sometimes recurring element of conflict, a plot device I dislike because it limits the plot and is predictable. In some of the books in this time frame, it's Bolitho's superior, either a commodore or admiral, who is grossly incompetent and Bolitho has to save him.
November 18, 2021
A Matter of Trust
In this next installment of this excellent series, The Flag Captain continues with plenty of action at sea. There is drama and betrayal, and a good measure of treachery as well.
This story touches on a real historical event. There was a mutiny by sailors of the Royal Navy. Years of abuse of the sailors on Royal Naval vessels during the Napoleonic War period resulted in the mutiny that is part of the storyline here. The mistreatment of these sailors, many of them forced aboard these ships against their will, led to mutiny and revolt.
The lack of trust between the sailors and their leadership, the cruel capricious mistreatment of these men forms the backbone of the story. The larger lesson here by the author is the importance of trust in leadership by those who exercise command. Trust must have an earned quality for men who are ordered to go to war. Regardless of whether you are high-born nobility or a commoner in command, you must lead by example, honesty, and fair treatment.
In this next installment of this excellent series, The Flag Captain continues with plenty of action at sea. There is drama and betrayal, and a good measure of treachery as well.
This story touches on a real historical event. There was a mutiny by sailors of the Royal Navy. Years of abuse of the sailors on Royal Naval vessels during the Napoleonic War period resulted in the mutiny that is part of the storyline here. The mistreatment of these sailors, many of them forced aboard these ships against their will, led to mutiny and revolt.
The lack of trust between the sailors and their leadership, the cruel capricious mistreatment of these men forms the backbone of the story. The larger lesson here by the author is the importance of trust in leadership by those who exercise command. Trust must have an earned quality for men who are ordered to go to war. Regardless of whether you are high-born nobility or a commoner in command, you must lead by example, honesty, and fair treatment.
November 25, 2009
One of the Richard Bolitho series, much better than the Jack Aubrey series.
October 23, 2015
Last battle was epic, worth the wait!!
August 25, 2025
Six-word Review: Much detailed action, too many coincidences.
Longer review later.
Longer review later.
July 6, 2023
After completing my second circumnavigation of the marvellous "Aubrey and Maturin" series by O'Brian, I was looking for similar Napoleonic nautical fare. I found a number of books of the "Bolitho" series by Alexander Kent in a local junk store and picked up two of these: "The Flag Captain" and "Colours Aloft!".
If "The Flag Captain" is typical for the "Bolitho" series, the contrast in quality and believability between it and the "Aubrey and Maturin" series could hardly be greater. To illustrate my meaning, I will re-tell what happened in a few closely-packed pages somewhere in the beginnning of the book:
BANG! On this page Bolitho shouts at an admiral! BOOM! Next page our hero overcomes an enemy vessel. BLAM! But oh no! The vessel is badly holed and full of passengers! And a storm threatens! KABOOM! Flag Captain Bolitho is sent to the prize to wrap up emergency repairs! Instead of minding his squadron! ZA-WHOOP! Bad weather blows the squadron away leaving Bolitho and a few men alone on the captured vessel. ZOUNDS! Most of Bolitho's men get drunk on rum in the hold and a dastardly Frenchmen from among the passengers takes over command of the prize! BUT WAIT! Pirates appear on the horizon and the French captor frees Bolitho to take temporary command to stave off the barbarians! BIG BADABOOM! Bolitho and his men manage to sink two of the pirates' five Xebecs and engage in bloody hand-to-hand battle on the sloping deck! ZOIKS! A large man wielding an axe is ready to split Bolitho's skull... BUT WAIT AGAIN! A shot fired by the dastardly Frenchman fells the giant just in time!
And so on, and so forth, 384 exhausting pages long. I would not be surprised if Michael Bay picked-up the art of script writing from our author.
It may be good for some, and it certainly avoids the ponderous words and long sentences that riddle O'Brian's books, but it ain't for me.
If "The Flag Captain" is typical for the "Bolitho" series, the contrast in quality and believability between it and the "Aubrey and Maturin" series could hardly be greater. To illustrate my meaning, I will re-tell what happened in a few closely-packed pages somewhere in the beginnning of the book:
BANG! On this page Bolitho shouts at an admiral! BOOM! Next page our hero overcomes an enemy vessel. BLAM! But oh no! The vessel is badly holed and full of passengers! And a storm threatens! KABOOM! Flag Captain Bolitho is sent to the prize to wrap up emergency repairs! Instead of minding his squadron! ZA-WHOOP! Bad weather blows the squadron away leaving Bolitho and a few men alone on the captured vessel. ZOUNDS! Most of Bolitho's men get drunk on rum in the hold and a dastardly Frenchmen from among the passengers takes over command of the prize! BUT WAIT! Pirates appear on the horizon and the French captor frees Bolitho to take temporary command to stave off the barbarians! BIG BADABOOM! Bolitho and his men manage to sink two of the pirates' five Xebecs and engage in bloody hand-to-hand battle on the sloping deck! ZOIKS! A large man wielding an axe is ready to split Bolitho's skull... BUT WAIT AGAIN! A shot fired by the dastardly Frenchman fells the giant just in time!
And so on, and so forth, 384 exhausting pages long. I would not be surprised if Michael Bay picked-up the art of script writing from our author.
It may be good for some, and it certainly avoids the ponderous words and long sentences that riddle O'Brian's books, but it ain't for me.
April 10, 2020
Though I mostly read fantasy or science fiction, I sometimes enjoy a good naval adventure--mostly C.S. Forester novels. This is the first time I've read Alexander Kent, and I really liked it. (It was a discard at the high school where I taught, but it was in depressingly pristine shape for its age.)
Books like this mostly rise or fall on the action, and the action here is well done. Exciting, dramatic battles are followed by strategizing and cooling off, and then we're back into the action. The pacing is excellent, making it more of a page-turner than I've enjoyed in a long time.
The characters are largely sympathetic and realistic. With a big cast, many of the characters are mostly sketches, but effective for all that. The main characters have a lot of personality, making them real enough that the reader is pulling for probably a dozen of them before the end.
The setting is well realized, and the themes of justice and injustice, the role of chance, and the value of loyalty, friendship, and courage give the novel excellent flavor. It lacks female characters, not surprisingly, and some of the cultural content smacks of unexamined colonialism, though less than one might expect for a book written in the 1970s. Taken together, it's a well crafted novel, a lot of fun to read.
Recommended.
Books like this mostly rise or fall on the action, and the action here is well done. Exciting, dramatic battles are followed by strategizing and cooling off, and then we're back into the action. The pacing is excellent, making it more of a page-turner than I've enjoyed in a long time.
The characters are largely sympathetic and realistic. With a big cast, many of the characters are mostly sketches, but effective for all that. The main characters have a lot of personality, making them real enough that the reader is pulling for probably a dozen of them before the end.
The setting is well realized, and the themes of justice and injustice, the role of chance, and the value of loyalty, friendship, and courage give the novel excellent flavor. It lacks female characters, not surprisingly, and some of the cultural content smacks of unexamined colonialism, though less than one might expect for a book written in the 1970s. Taken together, it's a well crafted novel, a lot of fun to read.
Recommended.
February 9, 2021
Really enjoyed this installment of the Bolitho story arc. Almost gave it 5 stars but that would be a bit overboard. This one is all about trust. The backdrop is the famous mutinies at Nore and Spithead but the bulk of the action takes place in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Bolitho trusts his men and they trust him. The Admiral doesn’t trust anyone and his rigid battle plans lack our hero’s imagination and flair so of course there is conflict. There are Barbery pirates and slavers, there is an impenetrable fortress, a noble adversary and a treacherous ally. All good stuff. But where this one stood out is in its battle scenes on sea and shore. The battle on the limping prize against the pirates with drums and cannon pounding was especially good.
December 19, 2020
At last after many months of asking the Library they finally got the Bolitho books in e versions, unfortunately one of the two they didn’t get was book 12 which was the next for me to read. Luckily reading this one I didn’t miss a whole lot. Bolitho is a flag Captain to an Admiral sent to investigate the French’s intentions in the Mediterranean. They end up in North Africa where one envoy’s goals differ from those of the British Navy. He also has some conflicts with the Admiral over treatment of sailors and tactics. Not the best but not the worst of the series.
August 27, 2024
The Flag Captain
I’m speechless, Andrew Kent has done it again. Another high action stunning and absorbing tale of our hero Richard Bolitho’s experiences at sea. Full of action the story roles effortlessly and I had to stay up to 1.30am to finish this fantastic story. I have loved every page of these books and it will be a sad day when I finish the final one. Andrew Kent’s writing is fluid and clear and I must say he is one of the best authors of this type of story I have ever had the pleasure of following. Highly recommended.
I’m speechless, Andrew Kent has done it again. Another high action stunning and absorbing tale of our hero Richard Bolitho’s experiences at sea. Full of action the story roles effortlessly and I had to stay up to 1.30am to finish this fantastic story. I have loved every page of these books and it will be a sad day when I finish the final one. Andrew Kent’s writing is fluid and clear and I must say he is one of the best authors of this type of story I have ever had the pleasure of following. Highly recommended.
July 23, 2025
Although I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, it was an enjoyable read that didn’t require knowledge of the other abolition books. Set in Early Napoleonic times, it charts the mission of a small flotilla of naval ships in the eastern Med and their battles with pirates/slavers and the French and Spanish. A nice easy read for a holiday and has an authentic feel for life aboard ships in those times. Also has a great hero as lead protagonist!!
March 6, 2018
More action
Bolitho suffers again under an admiral who sticks rigidly to old tactics. The story is good as usual, but the book suffers from an excessive number of typos. I would have hoped that Random House was a more professional publisher than appears the case. Stopping to decipher "curdy" and work out it should read "curtly" really diminishes the impact of the prose.
Bolitho suffers again under an admiral who sticks rigidly to old tactics. The story is good as usual, but the book suffers from an excessive number of typos. I would have hoped that Random House was a more professional publisher than appears the case. Stopping to decipher "curdy" and work out it should read "curtly" really diminishes the impact of the prose.
June 18, 2017
Pretty standard addition to a good series. Guilty pleasure read from my childhood when I first discovered Bolitho. Lots of battles, some intrigue and romance, friendship and swashing of many buckles. Very formulaic but great adventure story and nice to get lost in.
October 30, 2018
This isn't usually the type of book I read, but I found I loved it. Seriously, I couldn't put it down, and I learnt a surprising amount about ships, the work it takes to keep one working, and the way people live aboard it. The story was excellent. It is definitely worth a read.
May 9, 2021
Number 13, lucky for some, but I still like the flow of the story even though there is a 'sameness' in parts, which I put down to reading the series one after the other.
Regardless, I am still enjoying the series, perhaps due to the comfort zone affect. :- o)
Regardless, I am still enjoying the series, perhaps due to the comfort zone affect. :- o)
June 20, 2024
Finally, a broad pennant...
A great read. Very insightful of the great mutiny, it's causes and aftermath. Loved the naval action in the Mediterranean and North African coast. Will start on the next volume shorthy.
A great read. Very insightful of the great mutiny, it's causes and aftermath. Loved the naval action in the Mediterranean and North African coast. Will start on the next volume shorthy.
October 10, 2017
Wonderfully engaging story. It's right up there with the Horatio Hornblower saga.
March 6, 2018
Once again Bolitho must operate within the constraints of a rigid superior officer. However, he manages to teach the Admiral to earn respect his must respect his men.
November 21, 2019
If you are into historical naval fiction, the Bolitho series is excellent. Fastpaced and lots of action.
May 10, 2020
Excellent - this ‘Bolitho’ series could arguably be seen as an excellent man management guide as much as historical fact/fiction novels!
September 4, 2020
The storyline is as good as ever but I had to mark it down as there are so many typo's in the Kindle version. It needs a radical overhaul and correction
May 2, 2022
A good solid read of naval fiction. It is not C. S. Forester level, but it was enjoyable. Plenty of drama, ship actions in battle, and a small romance.
June 19, 2022
A Mediterranean diversion for Bolitho, with yet another vaguely incompetent (but at least not maliciously incompetent) flag officer. Another excellent additon to the series.
July 8, 2023
Entertaining read
August 29, 2023
Very focused story of Richard Bolithos climb thru the ranks of the British Navy as his life matures. Great story.
August 13, 2022
Most of these sea sagas are very similar, so once you have read one there are few surprises.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews