The Continental Risque

On our drive up to LA for Thanksgiving this year Suzy and I were able to have a nice long conversation. How is that possible you ask? Well, the key was plugging in the boys. While visiting Jeff and Cassi last I revelled in the amazing peace and quiet of a car ride with children watching a video while wearing headphones. They are watching a video, so odds are they are not fighting (worse case scenario) or incessantly chatting (best case scenario). We had long ago discovered the benefits of video watching while driving, but Jeff and Cassi added the key piece to the pie of headphones. You mean it is possible to have a conversation with my wife? Uninterrupted? With the boys mere feet away? Really?

Yes, it is possible, and Suzy and I had a very nice conversation during the two hour drive Thursday morning while the boys watched Ratatouille. One of the topics that we covered was my envy of Suzy's focused abilities. She has a lot of broad based skills, but is particularly adept at anything having to do with visual arts. Thus her amazing skills while we worked together at designing user interfaces. She has a particular skill set, she loves using that skill set, and the results are what you would expect. I, on the other hand, have a reasonably broad based list of interests as well as skills, but have no focus. There is no one activity or past time that I am love, no area of skill that I excel at. Jack of all trades, master of none, kind of thing.

One of the things that I am interested in is history. I also enjoy reading, so combining my strong interest in history, with my strong interest in reading leads to an unusual, at least for me, attraction to historical novels. Sharpe, Hornblower, Aubrey, all characters who have made history a little more real to me. I have recently added Biddlecomb to that list.
The Revolution at Sea series covers the Revolutionary War from the perspective of the fledgling U.S. Navy. The Continental Risque is the third book in the series and in particular deals with the first fleet actions of the U.S. Navy. It is hard to call this motley group of converted merchantmen a navy, in particular when compared to the forces that the British navy could put to sea, but much like the early U.S. Army, you do the best you can with the hand you are dealt. The goals were modest for the Navy, but the valor required was not. This book also focused on the tensions that already existed between the Southern colonies and Northern ones. The Northern colonies were dominating what little navy existed, so the politicians, in order to maintain good relations between the northern and southern colonies, forced promotions and appointments. These promotions and appointments were based more on political expediency rather than skill at sea. The outcome was predictably bad.

As this is the third book in a series you are already familiar with the characters, and that for me always adds to the enjoyment of the book. The sense of getting back in touch with an old friend and picking up right where you left off. The book was interesting throughout and definitely had some exciting parts. A solid three and a half stars. If you are interested in historical naval novels, and who in their right mind isn't?, then this series is well worth your time.