Author: Matthew Sprange
Cover Artist: Mark Harrison
Publisher: Abaddon Books
Binding: Hardback
Publication Date: 2006
It is the age of Napoleon, and France is at war with England on the high seas. Meanwhile, Captain Havelock of the Whirlwind receives orders from the British Admiralty to proceed to the west coast of Africa and hunt down the French frigate Elita, which has been hounding British merchant ships.
After engaging the Elita in an indecisive combat which leaves both ships in dire need of repair, Havelock discovers that they are not alone in the vast ocean. A dread ship manned by rotting zombies stalks him, eager to exact revenge for his ancestor’s crimes…
Death Hulk doesn’t have much in the way of surprises. The plot is more or less predictable to the end. It excels as a page turner, but not much else. It might have been nice to see more character development as well, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary to the book, admittedly. However, Sprange has evidently done some research into naval combat of the era and has a good eye for action scenes, lending some verisimilitude to the sea battles and hand-to-hand fights.
All in all, I’d have to say this is a decent read with plenty of action to keep you going, but don’t expect anything incredibly thought-provoking.
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