The Guineaman

by Richard Woodman

Overview

Fear and fighting on the High Seas.

When William Kite runs away to sea to escape a charge of murder, he finds himself aboard the Enterprize, a Liverpool Guineaman, or slave ship, destined for the coast of West Africa. Once loaded with slaves, the ship then crosses the Atlantic, bound for the sugar plantations of the West Indies.

Despite the accusation hanging over him, Kite’s compassion for the slaves’ helplessness finds him serving as a surgeon on the ship, exposed to the dreaded yellow fever. But as the Seven Years’ War looms on the horizon, Kite’s life will be threatened by more than just sickness…

The first in the William Kite Naval Adventures, The Guineaman is perfect for fans of Patrick O’Brian, Julian Stockwin and C.S. Forester.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788632171
Publisher:	Canelo
Publication date:	12/06/2023
Series:	The William Kite Naval Adventures , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	276
Sales rank:	439,477
File size:	584 KB

About the Author

Richard Woodman is a prolific author of historical fiction, and was born in London in 1944. He became an indentured midshipman in cargo liners at the age of sixteen and has sailed in a variety of ships, serving from apprentice to captain. In 1978 he won the Marine Society's Harmer Award. This experience gives his naval fiction a rich authenticity, and spurred him to write over forty historical novels, as well as a series on the history of the British Merchant Navy, alongside many other non-fiction historical books.

Editorial Reviews

Author of over 30 naval military books, including the Nathaniel Drinkwater series about the Napoleonic Wars, and the encyclopedic The History of the Ship (a well-received $60 coffee-table giant, 1998), Woodman now sets sail with a new series featuring William Kite at the start of the worldwide Seven Years War (1756—63). These are the days of the slave trade, and Kite, fleeing a charge of murder, hires onto the Enterprize, a Liverpool Guineaman, or slave ship, and finds himself bound for Africa. On the return voyage to the West Indies, yellow fever strikes the crew, who fall left and right, and Kite finds himself moved to care for the chained creatures below deck. After unloading in the Indies, the Enterprize heads for Jamaica with a consignment of slaves and load of rum and molasses for England when a hurricane strikes. Woodman is no Bernard Cornwell, and often has long background paragraphs that barely nudge the plot along. But you don't want to miss the diabolically barebreasted black Puella with her brace of pistols blowing down enemy boarders.

Kirkus Reviews

A historical seafaring novel is set during the Seven Years’ War of the eighteenth century. Fleeing a false charge of murder, William Kite, a pharmacist's son, joins the crew of a slaver (Guineaman) as ship's doctor. The humane young man chooses from the "cargo" a mistress with whom he falls in love. In the subsequent trials and adventures, this "blackamoor" proves a woman of rare intelligence and character, as well as physical beauty. The prose nicely reflects period usage without being so authentic as to confuse modern listeners. Narrator Dunlop shines in the dialogue but reads narrative flatly. Y.R. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 04 - AudioFile