Quarterdeck: A Kydd Sea Adventure

by Julian Stockwin

Published by McBooks

The fifth installment of this adventure series set in Napoleonic times but written for today!

Do yourself a favor and dive into this book. No, dive into the whole series. In this delightful installment in the tradition of Patrick O'Brian, Kydd is a bright lad pressed into the service of his majesty in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Although it’s the fifth adventure of a series, I don’t think you’ll miss a beat by not starting at the beginning. Thomas Paine Kydd, a dashing young man, passes a tough exam to confirm his rank as Lieutenant with flying colors. But the challenges are only beginning aboard the 64-gun Tenacious, where he has to live up to the high born officers. Nicholas Renzi, slumming aristocrat philosopher, and Kydd's sidekick in the adventures, helps Kydd acquire gentlemanly skills. Then as their ship reaches the colonies, Kydd is caught up in the intrigue surrounding the birth of the American Navy.

Although it is clearly written in "British English" and carries enough of the flavor of the era, Stockwin does not fully impose the stilted language of the era onto the reader. He knows how to set the stage for life on a ship and onshore, with plenty of action scenes to keep it moving. You fly through the pages, savoring every adventure and misadventure. I can’t wait to read the first four..and the next five which are already in the works.

The author was sent to a tough sea training school at 14 and joined the British Navy at 15 and saw active duty. He retired from the Royal Navy Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, which gives him the background to portray his characters’ lives in rich detail. He now lives in Devon England . His style has been called "Less literary than O'Brian, more atmospheric than Hornblower and more realistic than Lamdin..." All five published works are listed below.