First book in the Bolitho age of sail series. I read this one in French. The translation is quite good much better than the O'Brian books (which I stopped reading in French after 100 pages in the first book). The age of sail era has a lot of good novels to offer readers. Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Mathurin series; C.S. Forester's Hornblower series; Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's series. Alexander Kent's Bolitho series has some competition indeed. It would be unfair to Kent's series to compare it to O'Brian because they are, in my opinion, offering opposite views of the same universe. We discover the Royal Marine thru Aubrey's eyes. Master and Commander opens with Aubrey taking his first command. In Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho Midshipman we are taken on the journey of this young man taking his second posting at the bottom of the officer ladder. Kent's series has more in common with Forester's Hornblower series. In both we follow the young man from the beginning. I prefer Kent's style to Forester's. I think I was spoiled by seeing the Hornblower series on DVD before reading it. Forester wrote in the first half of the 20th century for the most part. The translation just sucked. Big time. First impressions last for quite some time but I'm glad to have found a new series to read.

Bolitho confronts pirates, hateful and jealous crewmen, his first command, navy discipline and commanding with compassion, smugglers and wreckers. I like the insight given into the loneliness of command and the Royal Navy rank structure.