The Tempest is the fifth book in the ongoing series by Christopher C Tubbs, each focused on the eponymous Dorset Boy, Martin Stockley, who is rescued from a life of a Dorset clay miner when a caring teacher sends him to sea, where he quickly rises in the ranks and makes his fortune.

In this book, Marty goes undercover, temporarily retiring his commission in the Royal Navy to pose as a privateer in the Caribbean and disrupt piracy against British interests by various French, Spanish, Dutch and American adversaries. He rapidly amasses a small fleet of ships and a large core of loyal followers, snapping up valuable prizes and destroying enemy vessels with little effort.

Early on in The Tempest, there is an opportunity to set up a true nemesis, but instead the threat is resolved in less than a page. And when the tide finally does turn against Marty, he is quickly saved by a seemingly impossible series of coincidences.

There's a Spanish treasure fleet to capture and, somewhere out of view, the British defeat their foes at Trafalgar and Horatio Nelson dies in the battle.

Despite my criticisms, I'm actually a little sad to have finished this book. Tubbs sent me the first five books of the Dorset Boy series for review, and my critiques of the first four books certainly have not been so favorable that I would expect him to send me more for similar treatment. My reviews, although certainly justified, haven't necessarily been glowing.

Even so, I have grown rather fond of Marty, indestructible and unflappable though he be, along with his band of merry men and his formidable wife, the Lady Caroline. Tubbs certainly was not well served by his lack of editorial guidance, and it's a shame because with a stronger hand on the reins I think these books could have been really good. As it is, I am still curious to see how Marty's story resolves, and I wish the author luck with his future endeavors.

Tubbs tells some exciting stories, and his characters are interesting people. I just wish he had found a good editor, and made his protagonist a little less superhuman. Some human failings would be refreshing.

[ visit Christopher C Tubbs online ]