Rare serious PPS - the more I look at the Parkes painting and the photograph in the IWM, the more convinced I am he used it as his reference. Always neat when you find stuff like that.
My introduction to Reeman for some reason ended up being his midget submarine books and they sorted got tired fast, then I discovered all his other stuff and they're a lovely buffet of naval fun. Except for what looks like a posthumous novel set in small boats in the Med, it reads like James Joyce.
Yes, there’s plenty of variety there: carriers, destroyers, submarines, AMCs, MTBs, battleships, minesweepers, even U-Boats and German cruisers. I reckon I must have read pretty much all of them at one time or another, most more than once. They do get a bit same-y after a while, though.
That’s fair enough, the writing style matures over the span of the Kent books I thought. If you compare ‘Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger’ with his later books I think there’s an improvement. But I’d also say they’re a gateway for me which got me in to the Aubrey & Maturin books.
His last "The Glory Boys", was a big disappointment especially since my in-laws were Maltese.
I started with HMS Saracen, as others have said Reeman's works can get a little samey but I find breaking them up rather than reading four in a row helps.
Yes, I read most of his books in my early teens. I think Winged Escort was my starting point. Got into naval warfare after reading Alistair Maclean’s HMS Ulysses when I found it in the school library.
I can’t find the quote online to early in “A Private War” something like Maria Colvin’s (ex-Husband?) says to her “I’m having trouble with how to end this book”
She replies “usually the hero gets the girl”
Him “it’s about Naval Warfare”
Comments
I would also suggest Ship of Force by Alan Evans. FWW big gun monitor and a TBD in the channel engage a heavy cruiser.
It's not the historical era as I enjoy Pope, Woodman, Donache, et al.
I think it's just I never got Bolithio
I started with HMS Saracen, as others have said Reeman's works can get a little samey but I find breaking them up rather than reading four in a row helps.
I enjoyed his other little boat stuff, and that last one just jarred.
He and Alexander Kent were the same person weren't they?
She replies “usually the hero gets the girl”
Him “it’s about Naval Warfare”