Review: A good,satisfying,believable, quick read that neither bogs down in too much detail or relies on stick figure characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 14, 2013
I have now read the three volumes, so far, in this nautical SF/Alternate History series--"Westerly Gales," "The Cruise of the Albatross,"  and, the most recent volume, "Into Uncharted Seas"--and I found all to be well-written, exiting, easy reads, and very satisfying."Gales" protagonist has the basic can do attitude, and the primarily nautical storyline is somewhat reminiscent of several different series--straight fiction--the Hornblower books,  of course, in a SF vein--David Weber's largely nautically themed Safehold series, and veering more into SF/Alternate History--S.M. Stirling's excellent Nantucket-based "Change" trilogy that starts with "Island in the Sea of Time," and, as well, the recent Taylor Anderson "Destroyermen" series.I very much liked the Hornblower books, but I like SF and Alternative History better than straight fiction, and of these other somewhat similar series that come to mind I found the volume "Off Armageddon Reef" that is part of David Weber's SF Safehold Series to have echoes here.  However, I found Stirling's series to be much more interesting, complex, and better written that Gales, with Destroyermen becoming less and less interesting as it became way too deeply involved in just too much detail.The "Gales" series maintains a nice balance, well written, if not up to Stirling's literary standard, length, and complexity, but not so mired in details, multiple characters, and plot lines that it kills interest, as I found happened in the case of Anderson's Destroyermen series.