A good but overly long read. Once we reach the final third of the book, many of the events in the book feel repetitive. The protagonist has a bit too many close brushes with death and they stop being interesting at a certain point since there is never much doubt he will come out OK as always. Moreover, the big event at the very end of the book fell a little flat for me for reasons that I can't get into without revealing a bunch of spoilers. Having said that, the first two thirds of the book are pretty entertaining. The time spent in the New World was especially interesting to me as it overlaps well with my own interest in historical fiction, but I also enjoyed the adventures in France. The author is incredibly knowledgeable about naval matters and I suspect that readers who enjoyed the Aubrey-Maturin series will find much to enjoy in this book.

Exploration by David Tory is the first book in the new Stanfield Chronicles series. Set primarily in England, Exploration follows Isaac Stanfield through his teen and young adult years. Stanfield's story is told through a combination of letters and journal entries which describe the many adventures he experiences. His adventures largely center around sailing and doing investigative work for individuals invested in what would become the Massachusetts Bay Company. As part of his work, Stanfield is sent to see if it is possible for a group of English settlers to survive a winter in the new world. Finding it is, Stanfield's work paves the way for the sailing of the Mayflower.

Author David Tory does an admirable job of blending historical research including actual historical figures with an engaging story. There is a dash of romance as well as swashbuckling adventures and sorrow. The combination creates a historical narrative which appeals to all readers. I look forward to more of Isaac Stanfield's adventures in subsequent volumes of this series.

I received a complementary copy of Exploration from NetGalley.

So very nearly an excellent novel, a huge amount of research has gone into the work and it has an endearing hero and is an erudite account of the early colonization of America, and so much more; Barbary pirates, smuggling etc. The problem is this is not a history textbook, it's a novel.

I'm afraid in my view it needs more editing to reach its potential, It's very long and some sections add nothing to the narrative, eg a chapter that is quite simply an account of how to get from Dorchester to Plymouth, nothing at all happens on the journey, The author is showing he's done the research but he doesn't need to, that shines out. However, it does mean that at points in the novel you just flick through the detail in order to follow the action.

I won't post elsewhere as I know how tough writing is, and I don't like giving 3 stars', especially when buried in this long book is a really good somewhat shorter one.

A fantastic coming of age story set in the early 1600s. I loved how the story was told in letters and journal entries, it really felt like I had stumbled upon some long forgotten cache of personal effects and I was sucked in to Isaac Stanfield's life and adventure from the get go. This novel had an incredibly interesting take on New England prior to the Pilgrims, I don't feel like this section of time is written about too often and it was fascinating looking at the landscape, wildlife and inhabitants through Isaac's eyes and I really enjoyed his interactions with the Native Americans in the area.. As well as reading how the characters plan their expedition to New England in order for the pilgrims to start a colony, and the preparation undertaken before their arrival/

This story was very well written you can tell David Tory has a great love and passion for the time period and places he writes about. I really enjoyed the way the fictional characters interacted with real life historical figures and I never felt like the historical facts and details were omitted or modified.