Chains Of Albion (Reluctant Adv/Martin Jerrold 2)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Conn Iggulden, bestselling author of the Emperor series
'The Chains of Albion is a cracking book. Fast-paced, exciting and funny.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
July, 1806. Commanding a prison-hulk in the Medway guarding French captives, Martin Jerrold thinks his war can't get much better. He's far away from storm, battle and the other disagreeable elements of naval life, and he can keep his mistress, Isobel, close at hand; in fact, his most arduous duty is reining in the zealous Francophobia of his deputy. It seems too good to last, and so it proves. When one of the prisoners, goes missing, Jerrold's comfortable world is turned upside-down. Summoned to London, he is ordered by the First Lord of the Admiralty to recapture the Frenchman at any cost. Jerrold does not know it, but his pursuit will take him clear across England: from the slums of London to the stinking marshes of Chatham; from the wilds of Dartmoor to the newly fashionable seaside resort of Brighton. But who is this mysterious french man? At the Post Office, Jerrold's old friend, Mr Nevell, is curious; so too are politicians from the highest levels of the Whig government; as is the Tory opposition led by the cunning Spencer Percival. Even the seductive Princess Caroline takes an unexpected interest. As Jerrold - with his usual mix of bad timing, bad luck and bad behaviour - closes on his quarry, he begins to uncover an extraordinary tangle of deceit and treachery stretching back over twenty years, which reaches to the most exalted levels of society on both sides of the Channel. And which some men will stop at nothing to protect.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"Chains of Albion" is the 2nd Martin Jerrold adventure & is set 3 months after "The Blighted Cliffs". Having saved England from smugglers & a French invasion, Jerrold is "rewarded" by being given command of a prison hulk moored in the Medway. Almost as soon as he arrives one his prisoners escapes- dressed as Jerrold's mistress! As if this wasn't bad enough it turns out that the prisoner has some "papers" which could prove very damaging for the government. Martin is instantly relieved of duty. His only chance of avoiding yet another disgrace is too find the missing Frenchman fast. Needless to say the plot gets even more complicated as the story progresses. Whatever the prisoners secret is it intimately involves the Prince Regent (future George IV), and the Prince's lackey's want to hush up the whole affair by getting rid of the witnesses.....including Lieutenant Jerrold!
Whoever decribed these books as being "the next Flashman" did the author a great dis-service. Jerrold has very little of Flashman's sheer shameless cowardice. In reality he's just very unlucky. Jerrold passes up the chance to cheat on his mistress twice & refuses to shoot someone in the back- two things Flashy would never pass up! The books lack the depth, research & sheer class of the Flashman series- if you think you're going to get something to equal George MacDonald Fraser you'll be disapointed. This should not be held against the author as the Martin Jerrold adventures are actually very good books and deserve to be far better known. The depth of historical research is as good as Sharpe, the decriptions of Regency England are very atmospheric, but perhaps lack the real sense of oppresive danger that pervaded the "rookeries" of London. The "hero" is a great character... being neither as shameless as Flashman, nor as superhuman as Sharpe makes him very likeable indeed.
"The Chains of Albion" starts slowly, but builds to a truly exciting conclusion. Without spoling the plot, the prisoners "secret" is quite amazing... the fact that one of his "papers" still survives in the Royal archive at Windsor suggests that some of the plot is actually true and the implications of THAT are quite startling!
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Martin Jerrold has been referred to as "the nautical Flashman" - well, unless "nautical" is a euphemism for "charmless", somebody has got it wrong. Not to say it's a bad book, but I really didn't get involved with the characters - they just weren't likeable and/or villainous enough. I'd recommend this as something to read on the train, then if you leave it behind when you've finished it, you won't be that bothered.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
An Interesting Bumble
17 Feb 2006
Format:Paperback
Most first commands are relatively modest. A schooner, brig or perhaps a corvette for a real go-getter would be normal. Lt. Martin Jerrold gets a big first command. He gets a ship of the line, a prize normally going to senior captains. There is a catch. His command is a prison hulk and does nothing more than house prisoners and swing with the tide. That suits him just fine. It keeps him out of danger and conveniently close to his mistress. It's a nice little racket for a lazy bumbler.
Jerrold's world is upset when a prisoner escapes. This is not unusual except that everyone seems to be interested in this particular prisoner. Both political parties are adamant that his future depends on recapturing the escapee and the dangerous papers he carries but they will not tell him why this prisoner is important. When the crown prince's cronies and the intelligence service get involved, life gets positively dangerous, not to mention uncomfortable, as he chases after a prisoner he doesn't really care about.
This book is about on par with the first book of the series, THE BLIGHTED CLIFFS. It is reasonably well written and tells an interesting story. The character is not the cad some portray him to be. He is merely a bumbler and a strangely likeable one at that.
Jerrold's world is upset when a prisoner escapes. This is not unusual except that everyone seems to be interested in this particular prisoner. Both political parties are adamant that his future depends on recapturing the escapee and the dangerous papers he carries but they will not tell him why this prisoner is important. When the crown prince's cronies and the intelligence service get involved, life gets positively dangerous, not to mention uncomfortable, as he chases after a prisoner he doesn't really care about.
This book is about on par with the first book of the series, THE BLIGHTED CLIFFS. It is reasonably well written and tells an interesting story. The character is not the cad some portray him to be. He is merely a bumbler and a strangely likeable one at that.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Our Hapless Hero Returns!
20 Jun 2008
Format:Hardcover
Martin Jerrold is now a Captain... of a stinking prison hulk full of poor French prisoners of war. This wild adventure opens even more hilariously than the last one, with Jerrold quite happy to be safe from bodily harm and in possession of a large cabin where he can entertain his "cousin", the very capable Isobel. During such a visit, Jerrold is called away to see to a possible escape attempt, and then a true escape when his French translator is found missing. Also missing is Isobel's dress. And the razor blade Jerrold had loaned the privileged prisoner. And then an imperious Major of the Horse-Guards arrives, urgently wanting to see the escaped man--and he gets Jerrold's superior to demote him and order him to find the prisoner or face getting drummed out of the Navy.
Not that Jerrold doesn't think leaving the Navy would be a bad idea, but the humiliation and the problem with actually making a living at something else leaves him with little choice other than to chase the prisoner. He faces the First Lord of the Admiralty (who keeps Jerrold's uncle too cowed to rip into Jerrold), and muck and mire with only one set of clothes and one boot, and mysterious ladies and men of Carlton House and politicians of the opposition--all who want the prisoner, but none of whom are exactly sure WHY the prisoner is so important.
Fortunately, Jerrold has a friend in the Post Office!
As before, Jerrold is mostly on land, around Plymouth, Dartmoor, Brighton and London, and aside from his habitual state, only occasionally at sea. The politics and historical detail are very good. And Jerrold provides the comic relief without being a total buffoon. As before, he is not stupid and actually has curiosity that not only leads him into hazard, but is good in a sleuth. And he truly does not want the crazy adventures that he falls into, but Jerrold is definitely a man who will often not receive what he desires!
Although, he's survived, and he's got the unflappable and intelligent Isobel, so perhaps he is not quite as hapless and luckless as he seems.
I enjoyed the adventure and the mystery. I could guess at what the secret was towards the end, since I was somewhat familiar with the period, but it was all good fun and quite an enjoyable read.
Not that Jerrold doesn't think leaving the Navy would be a bad idea, but the humiliation and the problem with actually making a living at something else leaves him with little choice other than to chase the prisoner. He faces the First Lord of the Admiralty (who keeps Jerrold's uncle too cowed to rip into Jerrold), and muck and mire with only one set of clothes and one boot, and mysterious ladies and men of Carlton House and politicians of the opposition--all who want the prisoner, but none of whom are exactly sure WHY the prisoner is so important.
Fortunately, Jerrold has a friend in the Post Office!
As before, Jerrold is mostly on land, around Plymouth, Dartmoor, Brighton and London, and aside from his habitual state, only occasionally at sea. The politics and historical detail are very good. And Jerrold provides the comic relief without being a total buffoon. As before, he is not stupid and actually has curiosity that not only leads him into hazard, but is good in a sleuth. And he truly does not want the crazy adventures that he falls into, but Jerrold is definitely a man who will often not receive what he desires!
Although, he's survived, and he's got the unflappable and intelligent Isobel, so perhaps he is not quite as hapless and luckless as he seems.
I enjoyed the adventure and the mystery. I could guess at what the secret was towards the end, since I was somewhat familiar with the period, but it was all good fun and quite an enjoyable read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A pleasant historical mystery with a humorous bent
14 April 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This continues the hapless adventures of Lieutenant Jerrold. Imagine a less swashbuckling Flashman (by the late Great George MacDonald Fraser) with as much humor. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hooked by the mystery and found the ending particularly clever.
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