The Bolitho series has been among my favorites in the sprawling genre of naval fiction. The protagonist, Richard Bolitho, is a towering figure among fictional British navy men, and author Alexander Kent has surrounded him with believable, reliable and sympathetic characters who keep the action moving along and, sometimes, tug at the heart strings.

It's been a few years since I paid a visit to the long-running Bolitho series, and I was eager to get back into his story. My mistake.

I hate to say that this latest book is, for the most part, a bloody soap opera.

Bolitho is in love, and he's sad to be recalled to active duty because it means being apart from his beloved mistress. His nephew, Adam, was in love, and now he's in mourning. A loyal captain in his service had lost his love, but now maybe she's interested again? A lieutenant's romance seems to be going badly. A devoted coxswain won't be parted from his commander, but he's depressed to be away from his wife and young daughter. And everyone seems to have a lot to say, or think, about how lucky they were to have served with the great Bolitho, how he has united them in a loyal band of brothers, and how he deserves some time off with his lady.

Could somebody fire a cannon or something?

The book is heavy with sorrow and memories. It's ponderous and, dare I say, tiresome. Kent has replaced the excitement of sea battles and stratagems with lovelorn sighs, significant glances, meaningful gestures, love letters and sex scenes. Melancholy dampens every page as characters ponder the unfair nature of a service that tears poor Bolitho from the arms of his lover.

The fact that there are pirates on the north coast of Africa, or that Napoleon has gone into exile on Elba -- leaving the future of the British navy in question -- might have offered some intrigue, but the Bolitho saga doesn't leave room for such trifles. The battle that ends Sword of Honour seems more of an afterthought than a plot device, and the well-telegraphed "surprise" ending brings more relief than sorrow.