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Kingdom on the Waves is the second volume in the Octavian Nothing series by M. T. Anderson. This is a young adult novel and even though the first volume won a National Book Award and both volumes contain a huge amount of research about the role of Blacks in the American Revolution I honestly can't see young adults reading these novels. I was bored silly by the second volume about half way through and had to force myself past those doldrums. The last third of the book was good but I am not sure it was worth wading through the rest of this huge tome. (561 numbered pages and about another 30 unnumberd.) The best part of the book was the authors note at the end. This short essay on historiography was worth listening to. In fact I went to the library and made a copy of those pages to keep as references.

What I didn't like about this book was that after gaining my total sympathies in the first volume the main character became insuffurably pretentious in volume two. I understand that he was highly educated and the book was written in the style of the 18th century but those two things combined made Octavian sound snobbish. An unsympathetic main character combined with old-fashioned stylistic bombast will keep most YA's from reading this book. Most YA's won't be patient enough to stay with the story to get to the end. ( )

M. T. Anderson continues to write brilliantly, and the tale of Octavian Nothing is as immersive as ever. It's especially great to have Pro Bono back in action, as he was probably the best supporting character from the previous novel. And the gruesome plight of the main characters, as "free" soldiers in the British forces during the Revolutionary War, is portrayed with just the right amount of reality, becoming quite uncomfortable at times. It's a fair bit longer than the first volume, and I feel like that's where the problem lies, as there's a lot of time where the characters just all seem to hang out a ship together, waiting and waiting and waiting. I just felt like it went on and on and on. To be fair, so did Octavian, but continual diary entries about boredom are not exactly compelling Still, the end is fantastic, and the last page of Anderson's epilogue is a poetic as anything else in the book, too.

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

For those of you who immersed yourself in the world of THE POX PARTY, you must read M. T. Anderson's second volume, THE KINGDOM ON THE WAVES. I would highly recommend you read the two volumes in order.

In volume two, Octavian escapes the cruelty of Mr. Gitney and, with his former tutor, Dr. Trefusis, on his back, flees across the mud-flats to Boston. Once there, they are able to find lodging, trading only upon the name and reputation of the deathly ill Dr. Trefusis. With war closing in on Boston and their hostess in dire need of payment, Octavian once again finds himself with violin in hand, earning a small amount to apply toward their room and board. At this point, I was still cheering for Octavian, the escaped slave, hoping that he finally would find joy, peace and, most of all, freedom; yet at the same time, knowing that there must be more challenges ahead.

As the Revolutionary War advances, Octavian hears that the Royalists are promising freedom to all slaves who fight for the King of England. He joins and dons his uniform, a shirt inscribed with the words "Liberty to Slaves." We are immediately immersed in the struggle to prepare an ill-equipped regiment for war. He becomes a member of Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment. Here, for the first time, he is surrounded by other slaves who speak other languages. They tell glorious tales of their homes in Africa and sing rousing songs that make his heart pound. They see him as different, a white man in a black body, and brand him with the name Buckra.

Octavian marches into his first battle behind other regiments, amazed that those first to confront the Rebels are little more than a sacrifice. He does not understand the logic behind this type of fighting. It's not long before they are in retreat, fellow soldiers dead and dying all around, and something inside Octavian changes. How can it not?

With the Rebel force surging into Boston, the Royalists take to their ships. Octavian and the Ethiopian Regiment find a new level of darkness in the bowels of their ship. They spend weeks, nay, months, aboard their watery foundations. Rations are less than sparse and sickness begins to spread. It's a relief to row ashore, even if it is to burn Boston out from under the rebels who have claimed it. Men die. Men kill. Octavian knows not whether it be his bullet or another which steals life.

Back aboard ship, the monotony begins anew, broken only by the occasional duties on deck, and the visits of women as they gather laundry, including Nsia, the woman of beautiful voice and dance who takes his tongue and ties it in knots. He is relieved when Dr. Trefusis visits his ship and bades him fill the empty void with studies while they listen to stories of bravery and ingenuity. Stories of slaves escaping their masters to join the promise of freedom offered by Lord Dunmore and his Royal Navy. Octavian learns much about his mother's tribe in Africa from another soldier from that nation. And as small pox devastates the Ethiopian Regiment, he learns more that he would have liked about the burial customs of his brothers-in-arms.

There is so much history bound up in this volume that it is almost overwhelming. Take your time reading. Savor the beautiful language. Immerse yourself in history from a perspective rarely considered. It is evident that M. T. Anderson spent much time researching his topic before putting pen to paper. Although Octavian is fictional, I feel he is real. I am grateful for the diary he left behind that lets us glimpse what life must have been like for the Ethiopian Regiment. And I am grateful that Mr. Anderson shared a slice of this perspective of our Revolutionary War.

I said it when I reviewed the first volume, THE POX PARTY: Mr. Anderson is brilliant. I can imagine him immersing himself in the history, entertaining his friends in the old English language. There would be no other way to write such prose with this level of accuracy and detail. I am a huge fan of Mr. Anderson and look forward to reading anything he writes. You will, too.

Don't expect it to be easy. It wasn't easy for the Ethiopian Regiment. THE KINGDOM ON THE WAVES is an immensely satisfying read in so many ways. Octavian is real to me. He will stick in my mind for months. There is no question that this book deserves the Gold Star. ( )

Summary: Octavian, with the help of Dr. Trefusis, has escaped from the slavery in the Novanglian College of Lucidity, and they head for the British-occupied city of Boston. Octavian quickly comes to realize that his strange upbringing has left him wholly unprepared for a world at war, but he pins his hope on joining the British Army's Royal Ethiopian Regiment, whose troops are made entirely from freed slaves. Octavian becomes a soldier, but his regiment quickly winds up stranded on a fleet of ships off the shore of Norfolk, and as the war progresses, he is dealt lesson after lesson on the true meaning and cost of freedom, and the true depths of human hypocrisy.

Review: While I did enjoy this volume somewhat more than the first one, I'm still just not left raving. Octavian, while still stilted and tight-laced, is starting to engage with his emotions more as he grows up, which made it easier for me to engage with him. The problem was that not a lot happens for long stretches of the book, which, while probably an accurate depiction of the realities of the period, did not make for super-compelling reading. The gaps are mostly filled by Octavian musing about freedom, and equality, and while these topics are undeniably important, and are generally dealt with in a mature and complex way in these novels... but at the same time, after 20-odd hours of audiobook, I found myself going "Yes, I GET IT."

The writing continues to be in period style, with long, complicated, shading-to-purple sentences. It's beautifully done, and certainly shows off Anderson's skill as a writer, as much as the rich level of detail shows off his skill as a researcher, and the unique perspective and elegant characterization show off his skill as an author. Unfortunately, it's a little over-long, and I never really got involved enough with the characters or their story to make it really work for me. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you liked the first volume, this one is the same or better, so have at it. If you didn't like the first volume, this one is a little bit - but not a lot - of an improvement in terms of relatability, so you may have better luck with it. If you haven't read the first volume, this one is going to make no sense until you do. ( )