Prison Ship

A sequel to Powder Monkey and the further adventures of young Sam Witchall in the very early 1800s, first aboard a ship at the Battle of Copenhagen (led by Nelson himself) and then, because of the lies of some wicked shipmates, as a convict transported to Australia – after a stay of execution at the last possible minute. The detail, particularly during the battle sequence, is vivid and the pure drive of the story, in and out of desperate situations, makes this a strong attention-grabbing read for much of the time. Characterisation works in mostly simple two-tone style, good and bad, and the action veers between various life and death dramas in a plot structure which has that straightforward move from safety to danger to safety again. There’s a good dose of the historical facts woven in, which only occasionally give the feel of a KS3 history lesson, to give the strong feel of the past. Exciting, full of action, this is old-fashioned boys’ adventures against an historical background – C S Forester and Patrick O’Brian for the younger teenager.