Kydd
the greatest naval adventure series of the 21st Century
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4.4 • 7 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
THE FIRST BOOK IN THE LEGENDARY SERIES, FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER JULIAN STOCKWIN.
PRAISE FOR THE KYDD NOVELS
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A true master of the art'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The very best of historical nautical fiction'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Stockwin is a historical genius'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'As a retired Royal Navy sailor, I am overwhelmed at the detailed excellence of this author'
Perfect for fans of C.S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and anyone who loves a gripping adventure on the high seas.
Thomas Paine Kydd, a young wig-maker from Guildford, is seized by the press gang to be a part of the crew of the 98-gun battle ship HMS Royal William.
The ship sails immediately, and Kydd has to come to terms with the harsh realities of shipboard life without delay.
Through the furore of naval battle and the dangerous thrills of life aboard ship, he will quickly come to respect the courage of his fellow sailors.
So begins his iconic journey... from lowly deckhand to legendary admiral of the British Navy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Thomas Paine Kydd. Arrr, matey, there's a name to hang a man for sure. In this delightful first installment in a new series in the tradition of Patrick O'Brian, Kydd is a bright lad pressed into the service of his majesty (Farmer George, the Madness himself) on the ship-of-the-line Duke William. It's 1793, and England is on the brink of war with the French. In what seems almost a day-by-day account, we follow Kydd from his nightmarish introduction to naval life to his promotion to ordinary seaman. Befriended first by Joe Bowyer, a simple, honest sailor who teaches him the ropes, Kydd later makes the acquaintance of Nicholas Renzi, a cultivated-looking man with a secret. Camaraderie, grog and pride in their work is all the sailors have to ease the hardship of life on board ship. It's a rough life, and Stockwin skillfully makes readers share the pain and tedium of it, but this is more than a historical adventure tale: it is the story of the education of a young man. Stockwin, who joined the Royal Navy at 15 and retired a lieutenant commander, knows his ships and his men as well as his historical era. Kydd, a strong, ordinary sort with a mind of his own, is a convincing character and so are his shipmates. The jargon comes thick and fast, so much so that the book would have benefited from a glossary a ship's diagram would have come in handy, too. But the skim of the story and the depth of the characterizations will ease readers past any obscure terms.
