A United States Midshipman in the South Seas by Yates Stirling
"A United States Midshipman in the South Seas" by Lt. Com. Yates Stirling Jr. is a historical fiction novel written in the early 20th century. The book follows Midshipmen Phil Perry and Sydney Monroe, along with Boatswain’s Mate “Jack” O’Neil, as they navigate the complexities of a South Sea war involving rival chiefs and foreign interests. Through a blend of adventure and cultural exploration, the midshipmen find themselves embroiled in the political
tensions and conflicts of the Kapuan Islands. At the start of the story, the trio arrives in Ukula, the capital of the Kapuan Islands, where a ceremony welcomes the exiled war chief Kataafa back from five years abroad. As the midshipmen observe the dynamics of the ceremony, they become aware of the external and internal political turmoil surrounding the selection of a new king between Kataafa and his rival Panu-Mafili. The narrative introduces the complexities of colonial politics, as influences from Herzovinia and other powers come into play, setting the stage for conflict as Judge Lindsay prepares to announce his decision on the kingship, which could lead to war in the islands. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
D A Alexander, David E. Brown, with special thanks to the Research Manager at the St. Louis Public Library, Rare Books Collection, St. Louis, Missouri, for providing the high quality scan of the original cover, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Library of Congress)
Reading Level
Reading ease score: 73.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
