AN epic voyage promising adventure and romance is at the heart of the latest historical novel by Throwleigh author Frank Smith. The Coming To Manhood of Jason Queen is Frank?s third book, and he is understandably proud of the 600-page epic. ?I am pleased to have the book finally in print,? he says, ?because I look upon this one as the jewel in my very small crown.? The starting point for the story is the meeting of the book?s hero young Jason Queen with the more worldly Daniel Vinderman on the Mariners? Way in Devon in the summer of 1720. They form a comradeship which eventually takes them half a world away on an incredible voyage. Our hero starts the story with not much to his name, save for an unusual and significant gold coin which gains him admittance to Mr Passendale of the East India company, and an appointment to apprentice midshipmen. Before he sets sail, he also meets Passendale?s appealing daughter Maggie. There seems to be something pre-destined about the attraction that develops between the two, but the threat to their future is the consuming desire of Jason to explore the seas as a deck officer on a tall ship. Jason is an idealistic youth who goes on to prove himself as a leader of men. But when he comes face to face with the barbarity of the human animal, his ideals are torn asunder, leaving him bitter and with a blood lust for retribution. From there the story takes a dark turn with a personal vendetta mired in piracy and brutal murder. Throughout the book, Jason glimpses tantalising snatches of the legacy of his fearless sea-faring father, whose own lust for power and command eventually drove his sweetheart into the arms of another man. Is Jason about to make the same mistake? With Jason Queen, the author succeeds in combining high-action drama on the high seas with a diverting love story, which is at times as turbulent as the oceans. Frank says the idea for the book came while he was walking his dog Lucy along the Mariners? Way, the legendary route that runs across Dartmoor and skirts the small remote parish of Throwleigh, which the author says is an ideal situation for creative writing. Frank Smith was born in Salford, Lancashire and served four years at petty officer rank in the Royal Navy. This was where his life-long love of the sea and sailing was fostered and it is a theme Frank returns to in his writing time and again. After taking a sabbatical to sail full-time for six months, Frank and his wife moved to Dartmoor, and he sold his previous, smaller yacht to buy a 34-foot sloop, which is moored at Dittisham on the River Dart. The Coming To Manhood of Jason Queen by Frank Smith is published by Higher Providence Publishers and printed and bound by Short Run Press of Exeter, priced £6.99. RICHARD WEVILL
