The Power and the Glory — William C. Hammond

The Power and the Glory is the third novel in the historical, nautical fiction series from William C. Hammond. It follows in the wake of A Matter of Honor and For Love of Country, and features the adventures of the seafaring Cutler family of Hingham, Massachusetts, and an ever expanding cast of characters. Set during the Quasi-War against the French Republic during the late 1790s, The Power and the Glory offers the reader a stirring and authentic look at the birth of the modern United States Navy during the Age of Fighting Sail. Whether confronting French pirates off the coast of Nantucket or heavily armed French frigates in the Caribbean, Capt. Thomas Truxtun, Capt. Silas Talbot, Lt. Richard Cutler, and other early naval heroes -- most real, some fictional -- personify the best of American honor and courage. Beyond electrifying sea battles and the challenge to French colonial rule in Haiti and in the French West Indies, The Power and the Glory provides intriguing glimpses into everyday life of the era, be they in the bedroom of the Cutler clapboard home in Hingham, on the island of Barbados where the Cutlers own a sugar cane plantation and run a far-reaching commercial enterprise, or aboard Adm. Sir Hyde Parker's flagship in Port Royal, Jamaica. And at the center of all the excitement, passion, and intrigue are two of the finest "super frigates" ever constructed: USS Constellation and her sister ship, USS Constitution. As with all books in the series, the author's careful research and attention to detail, coupled with his thorough knowledge of sailing and the ways of the sea, bring history alive in a refreshing and entertaining fashion.