David Hayes reviews Antoine Vanner’s Britannia’s Shark on his excellent Historic Naval Fiction blog:

Britannia’s Shark by Antoine Vanner continues the adventures of Commander Nicholas Dawlish, serving in the Royal Navy as the Victorian Era draws to a close. The series so far has explored the Turkish Navy and river conflict in Paraguay and this time we move to conflict with the Finian movement for Irish independance and their involvement with John Philip Holland who invented the first practical submarine.

The Finian’s are a threat to British interests but as they are operating in the US diplomatic neccessity means that no overt action can be taken. Dawlish soon finds himself headed for New York undercover with orders to stop them using the submarine against Britain. When he is unsuccesful he must follow them to Cuba and aid the revolutionaries to complete his mission.

This was an interesting read for it’s insights into both early submarine development and the situation in Cuba at the time.

As is now to be expected from Vanner this was a well written novel with a good plot that flowed smoothly holding my attention well. I continue to enjoy Dawlish’s adventures for their insights into the naval matters at this time and look forward to reading more. Both this book and the series as a whole are highy recommended.