The King's Coat

By: Dewey Lambdin

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

It is 1780, and 17-year-old Alan Lewrie is a brash, rebellious young libertine. So much so that his callous father believes a bit of naval discipline will turn the boy around. Fresh aboard the tall-masted Ariadne, Midshipman Lewrie heads for the war-torn Americas, finding - rather unexpectedly - that he is a born sailor, equally at home with the randy pleasures of the port and the raging battles on the high seas. But in a hail of cannonballs comes a bawdy surprise.

©1998 Dewey Lambdin (P)2010 Random House

A fun rouges tale!

A great book. If you love naval history, the character of Alan is a true rogue, but still likable and relatable. The history is fantastic, and a lot of work is put into describing naval terminology and warfare.

Patrick O'Brian's Doppelgänger

The Aubrey–Maturin series (by Patrick O'Brian) is, after listening to 1,500 audio books since 2007, still my favorite series. Howsoever, Dewey Lambdin's Alan Lewrie books, read by the esteemed John Lee, are right up there with the best swashbuckling fiction available on Audible.

What the listener gets is fiction, history, thrills, and intrigue with a dash of corruption and jealousy to boot. There are occasional saucy vignettes that are less pornographic than historical bawdiness. Napoleon, too, gets his due eventually as is the tradition with historical British naval fiction.

I like this main character. When I was in the Peace Corps (Liberia) in the 1970's I met men like Alan Lewrie (our protagonist). They were cocksure, vengeful, and righteous all in one package.

I am on book #6 and will go the distance with this great horde of sea treasure.

Loving this series.

I'm glad to see the pricing of this series has been adjusted. I wrote the previous review warning that later books in the series were arbitrarily priced at 2 credits. Now that they've fixed that, I've purchased the next two in the series, and halfway through The French Admiral, I can say it was well worth the wait.

Couldn't stop listening - interesting and exciting

What did you love best about The King's Coat?

While there is definite continuity across the entire storyline, it is largely a series of episodic adventures. This plot structure conveniently enables short listening periods (30 minutes to an hour) during which the listener can enjoy some real excitement. Even still, there is enough character and plot development that I was left craving for what would come next. The plot is great at both macro and micro levels. Additionally, the author includes a wealth of subject knowledge, securing both my attention and respect.

What other book might you compare The King's Coat to and why?

I happened to listen to 'Genghis: Birth of an Empire' around the same time. Genghis simply had none of the structure or subject knowledge necessary to keep my interest.

Loved it, great story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have been on a Napoleonic era British Navy listening binge for the last 10 months listening to the Kidd series by Julian Stockwin and the Hornblower series by C.S. Forester which were very enjoyable, and I started right into the King's Coat. I have to say that I enjoyed it more than the others so far . The writing is very good and the narrator John Lee was fantastic. His dry, snarky, delivery had me laughing out loud constantly as I listened whether it was driving or working around the house. Highly recommended!

Good Sea Yarn

This book gives a glimpse of period life aboard a tall ship. The language is appropriate for the time and initially seems awkward but feels more and more authentic. The narrator gives a good approximation of the different accents of the various levels of British society. The story is, well, entertaining enough. Overall, I enjoyed a colourful portrait of nautical adventure.

More bedroom action than naval

What made the experience of listening to The King's Coat the most enjoyable?

Different take on the subject than other period naval books - definitely more focus on the conquest of women, than on other ships. This could be a really offensive treatment to some.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

a bit dissatisfying - as part of series, there doesn't need to be a resolution, but this element is completely lacking - fortunately I'm going to continue listening

Worthy competition to the Aubrey-Maturin series

What did you love best about The King's Coat?

The King's Coat is a great introduction to Alan Lewrie series. Despite the evil machinations of others Alan always seems to rise up, if only barely. Lambdin has given Lewrie a charming self-deprecating sense of humour that is very endearing. A scoundrel but a lovable one with a streak of decency hidden just below the surface.

What did you like best about this story?

As an ex-Tall Ships officer, I loved the attention to nautical details.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

John Lee is a great reader. I loved him reading Ken Follet's Cathedral series and he is equally as good reading this series.

Any additional comments?

I am looking forward to working my way through the other books in this series. It is a shame that not all the books are not available.

Not Patrick O'Brian, but a ripping good story

As a huge fan of the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian (I have lead the whole series twice), I was looking for a good substitute. This filled the bill nicely. Less subtle, more fun and good-natured sex, and the naval warfare not detailed with the same erudition, but over able, an enjoyable read.
Marred slightly by some mispronounced nautical terms.

Great yarn - looking forward to the rest in the series.

Lewry is such a rogue but also an outstanding seaman. The juxtaposition is very engaging. Like any good book I was disappointed when it end. Episode 2 next……