Percival Keene

Frederick Marryat

Feb 2010 · Fireship Press

About this ebook

In Percival Keene Marryat goes back to a character-style that he first introduced in Frank Mildmay. In both books, the "hero" is a bit of a low-life-proud, rebellious and, many times, downright mean. He was criticized for that style when Frank Mildmay first came out, so he stayed away from it for a dozen years; but, with Percival Keene, he reverted. Keene is the bastard son of an upwardly mobile captain in the Royal Navy. For social reasons, his father will not recognize him; but, instead, works behind the scenes to help him along. The book is full of the usual Marryat high-seas adventures in which the young officer is lost during a battle and thought dead, then finds his way back; confrontations with pirates, storms at sea, and so forth. But the fascination is with Keene himself. He is noble one moment, and mean-spirited the next. He shows unbelievable courage and integrity in one set of circumstances, but not in another. He is, to be sure, a low-life; but but he is an intriguing one. In many ways the book is a refreshing departure from the hero as a cross between Superman and Dudley Do-Right. Keene has flaws. So do we all. But couple that realism with Marryat's unquestioned ability to tell a sea yarn, and you have a very interesting read.

About the author

Frederick Marryat was born on July 10, 1792 in London, England. He entered the Royal Navy at the age of 14 and served with distinction in many parts of the world before retiring in 1830 with the rank of captain. From 1832 to 1835, he edited the Metropolitan Magazine. His first novel, The Naval Officer, was published in 1829. His other adult novels include Mr. Midshipman Easy, The Kings Own, Newton Forster, Peter Simple, Jacob Faithful, and The Phantom Ship. He also wrote a number of children's books including Masterman Ready, Settlers in Canada, The Mission, The Children of the New Forest, and The Little Savages. He travelled in Canada and the United States from 1837 to 1839. Afterward, he recorded his impressions in A Diary in America. He died on August 9, 1848.