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David McK (3791 KP) rated Crackdown in Books

Jan 18, 2026  
Crackdown
Crackdown
Bernard Cornwell | 1990
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The third of Bernard Cornwell's 5 so-called 'Sailing Thrillers' (comprising 'Wildtrack', 'Sea Lord', this one, 'Stormchild' and 'Scoundrel'), none of which ever really resonated as much with me - or, presumably, the author himself since the last of these was written in 1992! - as his more famous Sharpe series about a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars, or the Uhtred of Bebbanburg (also sometimes called The Saxon Stories) series, set in and around the time of Alfred the Great.

As with all the other sailing thrillers by the author, this is far more contemporaneous set: here, we're in the late 1980s, early 90s (I believe this was written in 1990), with this being set in and around the Bahamas where - like nearly all of Cornwell's other characters in just about any of his books - the main protagonist is an outcast of sorts: here, by their own choice, turning their back on their rich and famous father to spend their time sailing instead.

Hired by a rich senator for a convalescent cruise for said senator's drug-addict children, what starts out as a simple job soon turns anything but when Nick Breakspear and his small crew run foul of drug smugglers, leading to an action-packed finale - it's just a pity it took so long to actually get there, I felt!
  
40x40

ClareR (6225 KP) rated Babel: An Arcane History in Books

Feb 14, 2023  
Babel: An Arcane History
Babel: An Arcane History
R F Kuang | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Babel is a college in Oxford - the Royal Institute of Translation - where all of the languages in the world are spoken and learnt about. It’s also where all the power of the British Empire originates from. But not in the way that you would think.

Robin Swift is brought to England by a mysterious Englishman after he is orphaned in Canton. The Englishman educates him, and then sends Robin to Babel to continue his studies. But is Babel everything that Robin wants or expects it to be?

This truly imaginative novel looks at colonialism, the power of language, resistance and sacrifice.

I loved the narration as well, it really added to the story, I felt, particularly the footnotes that were inserted into the rest of the dialogue explaining pronunciation and etymology (I really liked these parts, more than is normal or socially acceptable, probably! 🤭). I’ll admit that there were some mispronunciations of the Oxford colleges which would have been easy to avoid (I have to admit to mainly learning how to pronounce them by watching University Challenge 😆).

If you love language, languages (I do!), fantasy and an alternative history, then this will really appeal to you.

I do feel that I should have finished the book having learnt at least one more language though. Ah well 🤷🏼‍♀️