SeaHorse

Apparently a new book is planned in the series entitled SeaHorse

This book is now available. More info on the website here

I just finished Sea Horse and was disappointed. Aye writes well enough and his characters are reasonably distinctive but I never really felt engaged. Part of the problem is that while there is conflict in the story, it seems to get swept aside. Backstory set up in a previous book is never developed, so sub plots about several attempted murders lack any real punch. Much of the books seems to be how happy everyone is to be serving with each other in the Royal Navy an how much they really care for each other. Oh yes, there is a battle with the French.

A few nitpicky things - the book in set in 1778 but one of the characters has "established ties to the Duke of Wellington." In 1778 Arthur Wellesley was 9 years old and won't become the 1st Duke of Wellington for another 36 years. Aye also makes reference to stacked cannon balls and cannon ball monkeys on deck, which is a fun story but has no basis in history, unless I am mistaken.

One other problem was not the fault of the author. I read the book on my Kindle. The Kindle version of the book was very badly done, with repeated needless page breaks and lots of unnecessary hyphens. Aye's publisher, Boson Books, has not done Aye or his readers a service in their sloppy presentation.