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

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……

"Sex, Swords, Sailing Ships"

Fun series of books.

This is the first of the series.

Currently, the second and third books are two credits (a bit high priced). If you liked books by Bernard Cornwell (Sharp's Rifles Series), C.S. Forester's Hornblower saga, Frederick Marryat - Peter Simple saga, and Patrick O'Brian - Jack Aubrey series you will also like this series.

Some books of the series are a bit slow (at parts), and lots of sailing until the battles and sex... Dewey Lambdin writing is excellent but is not worth the extra credit with the choice of comparable books.

Tom Jones as Horatio Hornblower meets Fanny Hill

In the Tom Jones-esque prologue to Dewey Lambdin's The King's Coat (1989), the 17-year-old bastard Alan Lewrie is caught by an outraged posse--his natural father, his half-brother, his father's servant, his father's lawyer, and the new vicar--in bed in flagrento delicto with his half-sister. She immediately begins screaming that he has raped her (despite having been seducing him for two weeks) and Alan is in a fix. He is disowned, banished, and, what is worse, shipped off to sea to join the British Navy as a "gentleman" midshipman during the Revolutionary War. Alan, whose only notion of the navy has been that it is a floating prison with the added danger of drowning, nevertheless soon determines to learn and thrive there so as to get some measure of revenge on his scheming family.

Lambdin depicts Alan's reluctant entry into the navy and subsequent adventures with enthusiastic detail. Frigates, orlops, topgallants, fo'c'sles, kedges, 9-pounders, warrant officers, dog watches, and more. Along with Alan we learn about the ships, masts, sails, lines, knots, duties, punishments, foods, eating, sleeping, relieving, and cleaning arrangements, weapons, tactics, and men (and boys) of the 18th century British navy. I can't visualize which sail is being used when, etc., but the gist of what happens is always clear. And there are some exciting and horrific naval battles to experience.

In addition to vividly depicting the world of the navy, Lambdin has a sense of humor, as in this description of the father of the elfin and nubile Lucy Beauman:

"Pere Beauman was squat as a toad, crammed into a bright green velvet coat, a long skirted old style waist coat, awash in silver brocade, buff britches and hose, with calves as thick as tiller-heads, and the high-roached, elaborately curled bag wig he wore fairly screamed, 'Country!' of the worst hunting, shooting, riding, drinking, tenant-trampling, dog-loving, view-halloo variety."

Fans of C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series should enjoy The King's Coat, but should be aware that Lambdin relishes recounting Alan's sexual encounters with women, from lonely married ones to prostitutes, and also has him swear like, well, a sailor. A couple of sequences involving Alan's hedonistic pleasures on shore leave nearly had me wondering whether I'd entered John Cleland's Fanny Hill. Sex is as much a part of the human experience as violence, so if Lambin wants to spend as much graphic detail on Alan's amorous engagements as on his naval ones, why not?

Once in the navy, Alan exhibits a Hornblower-like knack for being in the right place at the right time and for reacting in dangerous situations quickly, courageously, and effectively (despite his confusion and fear). Alan is interesting because his temper and foul mouth sometimes get the better of him, but his sharp tongue may also ooze honey, and whenever he is loathing himself for toadying to some senior officer, one suspects that he really means his flattery because at heart he is a good person and an earnest midshipman. And at times Alan resonates with the wind in the sails, the sun in the sea, and the membership in a community of men who are diligently working in some of the most complicated and impressive things human beings have created, wooden sailing ships.

John Lee reads The King's Coat with his characteristic wit and manner, and fully enjoys himself with it, especially when voicing the snide or uptight characters.

I am looking forward to the other volumes in the series.

Blood and thunder, and a bit bawdy

Lambdin's Alan Lewrie novels have addicted me to the historic Royal Navy. Sea battles, encounters with historical figures such as Nelson and Hood, Napoleonic Wars, American Revolution, from Land's End to America's Eastern Seaboard, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean - this series is steeped in living history that you can't help but learn from. One can only take so much blood and thunder at one go though, and Lambdin does a great job of altering the pace by inserting Lewrie's on-shore adventures in a rather humorous, or at least lighthearted, way, complete with outraged fathers, husbands, and spurned shrews. He's not the perfect hero, but his heroics are perfect. I REALLY hope Audible adds more Lewrie novels beyond they 10 they already have. A great series, but not for the faint of heart!

Fantastic in every way!

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

John Lee the narrator is perfectly matched and made this a great listening experience! His portrayal of all the characters couldn't be better!

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

For me I guess The Hornblower series would be an obvious comparison but I don't think I have yet read something to compete.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are so many... At the start of the story... he (Alan Lewrie) was set up by "family" and was forced into Naval service. You would never think that it would turn out so well for him. From the start I was routing for our young hero to succeed at all he did! As the story continues there is a great bond between reader and the main character Alan Lewrie that develops. There are many exciting as well as very funny moments to enjoy not once was I bored with this great audio book!

Who was the most memorable character of The King's Coat and why?

Well Alan Lewrie of course stands out as he our young hero our main focus throughout entire book. I cannot wait to continue this series and see what life will to bring Alan!

Any additional comments?

This is so much more than a naval adventure! While you get your exciting moments of war and sea battle you get sea life in full. The good the bad and everything in between. You're made to feel you are experiencing life right next to Alan Lewrie. Put into the time and place and I can't ask for more from my audio escapes!!

excellent read.

Excellent historical fiction along the lines of the master and commander series. the rest of the series needs to be available on audible.

Sail with me.

I am a voracious reader of 18th century sailing novels and Mr Lambdin takes a backseat to no one. John Lee is primo as narrator with accent, inflection and sly wit in abundance.

Needs more adventure

Would you consider the audio edition of The King's Coat to be better than the print version?

yes

What did you like best about this story?

Excellent character development. Easy to listen to. (more nautical info than I could understand - very interesting)

Which scene was your favorite?

The action scenes are my favorite.

Who was the most memorable character of The King's Coat and why?

Alan - he is the focus and we get to know him best.

Any additional comments?

Not enough meat. The relationships could be expressed in a deeper sense. There isn't any closure to any of the events. If I weren't planning on reading more of the series, I would have been left with a very bland taste. But I like the reader and the way the story flows, so I'll try the next one.