Midshipman's Hope

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Midshipman's Hope (The Seafort Saga Book 1)
by David Feintuch

This is now the third time I've read Midshipman's Hope. I grabbed it this time as a way of distracting myself while I waited for a jury verdict, and it did its job by sucking me into the world of interstellar travel two hundred years from now.

Two hundred years from now, humanity has started expanding to the stars. Interstellar travel occurs by ships that travel on “N waves.” Because N waves cause a nasty form of cancer to anyone who is not exposed to N waves in their puberty, naval officers are recruited young and placed on ships as midshipmen with substantial responsibility. All interstellar ships are operated by the United Nations Navy, which is self-consciously modeled on the British navy of the 18th century.

Our hero is Nick Seafort, who starts as the senior midshipman and rises to become the captain of the Hibernia as a series of on-ship disasters take out the meager staff of officers. Instead of a boring three-year journey to Hope Nation, Seafort is tested time and time again with shipboard fights, a glitching computer, an attempt to board his ship, and the discovery of aliens.

All of this sounds in a synopsis as a bit much, but in my opinion, the story worked, particularly with its attention to 18th-century cultural tropes. Seafort is a decent young man who has been warped by his dour religious upbringing to demand absolute perfection of himself. A weakness of the book is Seafort's constant framing of everything he does as a failure, when, in fact, we all know that he is quite remarkable. Nonetheless, Seafort needs a weakness and this weakness points to his strength.

This book is in the nature of a YA novel and should be read more by youngsters who might be drawn to the discipline, courage and competence of Mr. Seafort. It is also an enjoyable read for adults.

PSB