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The King's Own

Frederick Marryat

92 ratings
The King's Own | Frederick Marryat

The King's Own

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ds were, however, shot away, and the yard and sail fell thundering down on the deck.

“Be smart, my lads, and bend on again; it’s quite long enough. Up with the sail, and we’ll return the compliment.”

In less than a minute the tie of the halyards, which had been divided close to the yard, was hitched round it, and the sail again expanded to the breeze. “Now my lads, remember, don’t throw a shot away—fire when you’re ready.”

The broadside of the lugger was poured into the cutter, with what effect upon the crew could not be ascertained; but the main-boom was cut in half, and the outer part of it fell over the cutter’s quarter, and was dragged astern by the clew of the sail.

“It’s all over with her already,” said the first-mate to McElvina; and, as the cutter payed off before the wind, another broadside from her well-manned antagonist raked her fore and aft. The cutter hauled down her jib, eased off her fore-sheet, and succeeded in again bringing her broadside to bear. The action was now maintained with spirit, but much to the disadvantage of the cutter, who was not only inferior in force, but completely disabled, from the loss of her main-boom.

After an exchange of a dozen broadsides, McElvina shot the lugger ahead, and, tacking under his adversary’s bows, raked him a second time. The commander of the revenue vessel, to avoid a repetition of a similar disaster, payed his vessel off before the wind, and returned the fire as they came abreast of each other; but in these manoeuvres, the lugger obtained the weather-gage. It was, however, a point of little consequence as matters then stood. In a few more broadsides the cutter was a complete wreck, and unable to return the fire of her opponent. Her fore-stay and halyards had been cut away, her fore-sail was down on deck, and her jib lying overboard, under her bows.

“I think that will do,&r

Elizabeth 01/17/2024
It does have some very interesting scenes, ideas, and aesthetics, but ultimately the book gets SO slow. I spent an eternity getting through half of it and I don't want to spend another. Might give Mr Midshipman Easy a go later.
Justin 01/16/2022
This 1830 novel was Marryat's second and I enjoyed it notably more than his first novel, which was dull and a mess.

This has some fine passages and a more lively narration. That said, it is also unfocused and poorly structured. You can sense him spinning it out for the commercial length required for
Balt 07/24/2021
The sentences are so long and uwieldy that it was sometimes an active struggle to read, but I understand that it was the writing style at the time, so ultimately I treated it as a learning experience. The amount of humor and levity, in contrast to the dark and tragic opening, suprised me pleasantly,
Daniel 04/26/2021
It is apparent that Marryat intimately knows the sea, its sailors, and its unforgiving nature. The scenes of naval conflicts are conveyed with a natural continuity that preserves the chaotic and horrific details of men fighting each other with cutlasses, on the decks of ships made of wood, and moved
Carl 11/24/2018
One can accept and enjoy a long and diverse journey if at the end there is at worst a quiet repreve, however, to travel so far on a wander trail only to fall a cliff,well!
I Marryat's books and given many positive reviews, but he were not dead and beyond my reach I would have to slap him for King &
James 06/01/2017
If you like Patrick O'Brian's Jack Albury series, read this to see where he got some of his ideas--the doctor who is a natural philosopher, rumination about the despotic power of a captain that makes normal friendships difficult, the friendship between the captain and the doctor, the crew member who
M. 07/23/2011
'King's Own' by Captain Frederick Marryat is a flawed but engrossing novel. Typical of Marryat's style, it is conversational, informal, and vivid. Marryat--who actually served as a naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars and Victorian period--was writing what he knew, and his portraits of character
Gilly 03/16/2008
From LJ, while I was reading it:


I'm eighty pages into "The King's Own" and so far little Willy has gone through four guardians and three names. I'm amused. I was worried it would be too serious a book, with not enough humour to set it off, but it's picking up wonderfully and M'Elvina's argument that

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