[Overread]

Well this book feels like it was partly based on the world created by Patrick O'Brian in his Aubry/Maturian series (Master and Commander) and this is a good thing. Laurence feels more like a character from the times than a modern man in a past setting and for a first book I consider it a major achivment. A like the book and the style of writing, it does feel a little unpolished in some places, but I have gone out and read the rest of the series and am keen to see it continued

As a side note Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings Jackson) is supposed to be interested in producing a film of the first book. from what I understand this project is likly to occur before he works on The Hobbit (no legal problems here)