Eddie Cantrell, now married to the king of Denmark’s daughter, is sent by Admiral Simpson to the Caribbean to secure access to the most valuable commodity on that continent—not the gold and silver which the Spanish treasure, but the oil which up‑time machines and industry need. The admiral has also provided Eddie’s small task force with the new steam‑powered frigates that have just come out of the navy’s shipyards.
Even with the frigates, a giant obstacle stands in his way: the Gulf‑girdling Spanish presence in the New World. So a diversion is needed, carried out by an up‑time car mechanic and a down‑time mercenary colonel who also happens to be the last earl of Ireland. Their mission: grab the oil fields on Trinidad, and so distract the attention of Spain’s New World governors.
While the Spanish galleons and troops head for Trinidad, Commander Cantrell’s smallest and fastest steam sloop will make a run to the Louisiana coast. There, her crew will wind their way up the bayous to the real New World prize: the Jennings Oil Field.
But Cantrell’s plans could be wrecked in a multitude of ways. He faces often‑hostile natives, rambunctious Dutch ship captains, allied colonies on the brink of starvation, and vicious social infighting that can barely be contained by his capable and passionate new wife. When the galleons finally come out in force to engage his small flotilla, Eddie will discover that the Spanish aren’t the only enemies who will be coming against him in a fateful Caribbean show‑down.
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Excellent bookClearly inspired by Hornblower but an excellent read throughout
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Product ReviewI really enjoyed this latest offering from the 1632 series. It advances the story and develops in an exciting way. There is good action & character development plus a few new faces added to the already growing cast of characters that populate the 1632 universe. The only down side is that it ended so quickly. I wanted more, simple as that and it's frustrating to have to wait years before the next instalment. In a way setting the story in the Caribbean is vital as this was the place which defined empires back in Europe. To paraphrase a quote from Dune, he how controls the Caribbean controls the world.
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Product ReviewGood read, over all too quick. Im a bit confused that eddie is the only main character from the original books in this huge plot advance. Are the other main characters still locked up in the tower of london? I find it very difficult to keep up with everything thats happend so far, maby including a timeline with the book would be a good idea, to help people get caught up with whats happend.
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Product ReviewGood story, some appealing new characters, decent dialogues, some rather clumsy and/or unnecessary digressions into technical aspects, but above all things - a great and long delayed progress in the plot of the series. This is the book fans have been expecting since "1634 - The Baltic War".
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Product ReviewIt's a Wow!!
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Product ReviewVery good book. We finally get a lot of plot advancement in the universe and some real action from Spain and the Spanish colonies regarding the ring of fire. I can't wait for more of this story and the threatened Ottoman invasion that seem to have been sidelined for other plots.
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