Title: Figurehead: Book 1 – Rise of a Legend
Author: Rock Lambert
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 1511976365
Pages: 267
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Reviewed by:  Kimberlee Hicks

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An antique ship’s figurehead, a beautiful woman pointing into the distance, is discovered buried on a Virginia Beach. Her restoration may breathe new life into Carter’s Point, but uncovering the secrets of her origins, and the life of the young man who created her in 1675, may reveal more than anyone anticipated.  In Figurehead: Book 1 – Rise of a Legend Captain Silas Pike has plans for an idyllic life with his fiancée, now a partner in her father’s shipbuilding business. These dreams are disrupted though, when a fierce enemy threatens all he holds dear; Silas must use all of his wisdom to defend his town, and rescue what has been taken from him.

Telling a story from two ends, Figurehead: Book 1 – Rise of a Legend dances between eras in time, giving the reader intriguing glimpses of the future; or even the past.  Just when the reader learns enough to pique their curiosity as the modern day researchers delve into the past, the scene changes, leaving us hungry to find out more and to determine how the pieces fit together. It is an interplay that can’t help but continue as the series progresses, and one is just as eager to learn what our friends from modern day Carter’s Point will discover about Pike and others, as are the characters themselves.

A surprisingly fantastic element is a voice in the narrative that is only just hinted at thus far. It is the hint of a third voice, besides that of the modern era, and a time more than three hundred years earlier, the consciousness of the figurehead, carved in the image of Pike’s fiancée, presents a mystery that has only just begun to make itself known. Her very presence makes readers wonder even more where the story might be taking us, and delve even more deeply into the pages to find out.

The author’s appreciation and knowledge for the ways of seafarers and the seafaring life is evident. His details are beautifully meticulous and the images picturesque. One can easily visualize the sailors making ready the ships to sail, engaging in battle, or coming home to greet their loved ones. The world of Atherton, Virginia is vivid, and her people rich and lively, whom the reader can imagine calling a friend.

This is a book that could be enjoyed by young adults and adults alike. Figurehead: Book 1 – Rise of a Legend is the start of an adventure no one will want to miss. It will leave you hanging on the last word, eager to see what comes next.