Julian Stockwin Books In Order

Thomas Kydd Books In Publication Order

  1. Kydd (2001)
  2. Artemis (2002)
  3. Seaflower (2003)
  4. Mutiny (2003)
  5. Quarterdeck (2003)
  6. Tenacious (2005)
  7. Command (2006)
  8. The Admiral’s Daughter (2007)
  9. Treachery / The Privateer’s Revenge (2008)
  10. Invasion (2009)
  11. Victory (2010)
  12. Conquest (2011)
  13. Betrayal (2012)
  14. Caribbee (2013)
  15. Pasha (2014)
  16. Tyger (2015)
  17. Inferno (2016)
  18. Persephone (2017)
  19. The Baltic Prize (2017)
  20. The Iberian Flame (2018)
  21. A Sea of Gold (2019)
  22. To the Eastern Seas (2019)
  23. Balkan Glory (2020)
  24. Thunderer (2021)

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. The Silk Tree (2014)
  2. The Powder of Death (2017)

Non-Fiction Books In Publication Order

  1. Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany: A Ditty Bag of Wonders from the Golden Age of Sail (2009)

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Julian Stockwin Books Overview

Kydd

Europe is ablaze with war. The British prime minister is under pressure to intimidate the French and dispatches a Navy squadron to appear off the French coast. To man the ships, ordinary citizens must be press ganged. Thomas Paine Kydd, a young wig maker from Guildford, is seized and taken across the country to be part of the crew of the ninety eight gun line of battle ship Duke William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast. Despite all he goes through, amid dangers of tempest and battle, he comes to admire the skills and courage of his fellow seamen, taking up the challenge himself to become a true sailor and defender of Britain at war. Kydd launches a masterly new writing talent and is the first installment of a thrilling new series. Based on dramatic real events, it is classic storytelling at its best, rich with action, exceptional characters, and a page turning narrative.

Artemis

With ‘Kydd,’ Julian Stockwin introduced us to a young wig maker from Guildford who was kidnapped and pressed into duty with the tempestuous crew of the ‘Duke William’ battle ship. Now, Thomas Paine Kydd is back with a vengeance in the latest installment of Stockwin’s thrilling naval adventure series.’Artemis‘ is the eighteenth century crack frigate that Kydd and sea mate Nicholas Renzi are set to sail all the way to the fabled Far East. In this great age of fighting sailing ships, Kydd’s voyage promises to be a perilous undertaking. But not even shipwreck, mutiny, or a confrontation with a mighty French frigate manages to thwart ‘Artemis‘ and her crew. It’s only when Kydd receives an urgent message from home one that threatens to cut short his career and trap him on shore forever that ‘Artemis‘s’ real journey begins. Filled with mesmerizing suspense and vivid details of Napoleonic era seafaring, ‘Artemis‘ is classic, page turning storytelling at its best.

Seaflower

The young seafaring hero Thomas Paine Kydd is back on board in Seaflower, the third installment in Julian Stockwin’s thrilling naval adventure series set in the Great Age of Sail.

England, 1794. Kydd and the crew of shipwrecked sailors have returned to England for the court martial of the sole surviving officer of Her Majesty’s frigate Artemis. Kydd, who was on duty as quartermaster of the starboard watch, knows what happened the night Artemis went down. His evidence can destroy an officer’s career and, as it turns out, his own.

When Kydd and his mate Nicholas Renzi are forcibly shipped off to the Caribbean, a whole new set of challenges lies in wait. From the dockyards of Antigua to the shores of Guadeloupe, from warring French and English battleships to a death defying voyage aboard the plucky naval cutter Seaflower, Kydd’s mettle under fire as a sailor and a man will receive the ultimate test. How he and Renzi survive the primal forces of nature at sea, and among their fellow men, is at the heart of this exhilarating, rewarding journey.

Mutiny

It is 1797 when Kydd, now a master’s mate, sails to the fabled Rock of Gibraltar the uttermost end of Europe, the finality of a continent. There, in an attempt to win the heart of a lady, he volunteers to join a dangerous mission to Venice to rescue a diplomat fleeing over the Alps in the wake of Buonaparte’s victories. With his enigmatic, high born friend, Nicholas Renzi, Kydd experiences the tumultuous, heady last days of the Venetian republic. Back in Gibraltar, Kydd sets sail for England, desperately longed for after many years’ absence, and becomes centrally involved in one of the most extraordinary events in English history the Mutiny at the Nore. Ten thousand men, one thousand guns and scores of ships hold the country to ransom, the government is near collapse, the economy on the brink of ruin. The insurrection fails but the Dutch Fleet at Texel now threatens the very survival of England; should they prevail the country will be lost to the French in hours. In the bloody Battle of Camperdown that ensues, Kydd and Renzi experience all the horror of a major Fleet action, but emerge victorious. The book is based on dramatic true events that have seldom been written about before.

Quarterdeck

Thomas Kydd was promoted to acting lieutenant at the bloody Battle of Camperdown in October 1797. Now, he must sit an examination to confirm his rank or face an inglorious return before the mast. But this is only the first of many obstacles for a man who was pressed into the King’s Service and discovered a calling for the sea. Kydd is from humble origins, yet he attains the lofty heights of the Quarterdeck as an officer in His Majesty’s Navy. If he is to avoid spending the rest of his career as a tarpaulin officer, he must also become a gentleman. Kydd and his enigmatic friend Nicholas Renzi set sail in HMS Tenacious for the North American station. Aboard the old 64 gun ship, Kydd comes to doubt he will ever match up to the high born gentlemen officers. The frontier town of Halifax, which is also home to a British prince of the blood, provides a welcome diversion. Meanwhile, the young United States is in dispute with revolutionary France, the Quasi War, and Kydd finds himself in the USS Constellation in the heady days of the birth of the American Navy. On his return to Halifax, Kydd surmounts more hurdles, both personal and professional will he ever see himself as truly one of a band of brothers?

Tenacious

Lieutenant Thomas Kydd takes his place on the quarterdeck as commander of the ship Tenacious in this riveting sailing adventure. Part of a small squadron commanded by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, Kydd scours the Mediterranean in search of Napoleon and his army. Kydd’s ambition leads him to volunteer for shore service with the British army in the capture of Minorca and later to the Battle of the Nile as the British take on the French in a brutal struggle for naval supremacy. Ultimately the currents of war force Kydd to face his toughest challenge yet: the siege of Acre, where a handful of British seamen under the command of Sir Sidney Smith must stand against a daunting army of more than 13,000.

Command

In this seventh book of the series, Thomas Kydd is master of his own brig sloop Teazer and he must race the clock to make her battle ready to defend Malta against Barbary pirates and the French, who are frantically trying to rescue the remnants of their army in the Levant. Suddenly, peace is declared, and the young captain finds himself ashore. To make ends meet, he agrees to transport convicts to Australia. Little does he know that his friend Renzi, weakened by illness and embittered with the service, is also bound for that colony as a settler. There they will be forced to face their deepest fears and prove themselves against all odds.

The Admiral’s Daughter

In the eighth book of this popular series, Thomas Kydd and Nicholas Renzi return to England in 1803 after tumultuous episodes on the other side of the world to find England in peril of starvation and bankruptcy. Kydd is placed back in command of his beloved vessel, Teazer, but he barely has time to prep her for the sea when he is sent on an urgent mission. Smugglers, enemy privateers, and treacherous sea conditions await Kydd on his journey to northern France on the eve of war, but equally worrisome events are occurring ashore. A growing attachment to The Admiral’s Daughter curbs Kydd s blissful reunion with Teazer and he is forced to make a terrible decision that may cause the end of his friendship with Renzi or the end of his naval career.

Treachery / The Privateer’s Revenge

Following the loss of his fianc e, Lieutenant Thomas Kydd descends into depression in the latest installment of this riveting nautical adventure series. Rescued from despair by his close friend, Renzi, Kydd finds life increasingly difficult when he is framed and dismissed from his ship. The pair eke out a pitiful existence in Guernsey, where, in a moment of desperation, Renzi offers his services to the Prince de Bouillon and becomes embroiled in covert operations. Meanwhile, Kydd accepts the captaincy of a privateer and is soon taking many prizes. Kydd longs to rejoin his rightful place in the navy, however, and when he gets his chance, he risks all for revenge and restoration.

Invasion

In the 10th book of the popular series, rumors fly of Napoleon’s planned Invasion of England, and British naval commander Thomas Kydd is sent to liaise with American inventor, Robert Fulton, who has created infernal machines that can wreak mass destruction from a distance. Fulton believes that his inventions, namely the submarine and torpedo, will win the day for the power that possesses them, and Kydd must help him develop the devices. Despite his own scruples, believing that standing man to man is the only honorable way to fight, Kydd agrees to take part in the crucial testing of these weapons of mass destruction, which just may decide the fate of England.

Victory

In the 11th book of this popular series, Napoleon Bonaparte continues planning for the invasion of England as Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Royal Navy patrol the seas, seeking out their elusive enemy. When convoluted political machinations in England lead to the impeachment of the head of the Navy, Commander Thomas Kydd is forced to choose sides. Eager to take on the real enemy, Kydd decides to join Nelson’s squadron just before the Battle of Trafalgar, the greatest sea encounter of all time. Amidst the chaos and bloodshed, Kydd and his shipmates must prove once and for all that the Royal Navy truly rules the seas.

Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany: A Ditty Bag of Wonders from the Golden Age of Sail

Charmingly illustrated with nostalgic black and white line drawings, both old salts and nautical novices will delight in this entertaining and eclectic miscellany Featuring nautical facts and feats, including superstitions at sea, the history of animals on the waves until 1975 when all animals were banned from Royal Navy ships and how the inventor of the umbrella helped man the British Navy, this book is packed with informative sea lore. Focusing on the glory days of tall ships, Julian Stockwin explores marine myths and unearths the truth behind commonly held beliefs about the sea, such as whether Lord Nelson’s body was really pickled in rum to transport it back to England after his death at Trafalgar. Interspersed throughout are salty sayings showing the modern words and phrases that originate from the mariners of old ‘cut of his jib,’ ‘high and dry,’ ‘the coast is clear,’ ‘first rate,’ and ‘slush fund.’ Also included is Stockwin’s Top 25 list of maritime museums and historic ships around the world for anyone who wishes to explore further. Ranging from the heroic voyages of discovery in the 15th century through the iconic Napoleon wars to the glorious era of clipper ships, this miscellany celebrates and explores a colorful world we will never see again.

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