JULIAN STOCKWIN

Thrilled at his first command, a little brig sloop called Teazer, Thomas Kydd must race to bring his ship to battle readiness - he is desperately needed to defend Malta against Barbary corsairs, ferocious privateers and the French who are frantically trying to rescue the remnants of their army in the Levant. But his jubilation does not last long - peace is suddenly declared and Kydd is left ashore on half pay.A rare chance gives Kydd the opportunity to once again go to sea. He sets sail as captain of a convict transport for the penal colony in New South Wales - and challenges that will test both his seamanship and humanity to the limit.

1803. Tensions are escalating again between England and France. While the Royal Navy launches reconnaissance, rescue missions and spies on the continent, French privateer ships are lurking in English waters poised to strike at British trade. Smugglers, perilous storms and a treacherous coastline all threaten to overcome HMS Teazer" as her men fight to gain control of the seas around Cornwall and Devon. Meanwhile an unlikely rival is seeking her captain's heart. The beautiful and determined admiral's daughter could be the key to realising all Kydd'shopes andambitions. But high society, he finds, can be as treacherous as his first mistress -- the sea.

"Powder smoke and the stench of brimstone waft off the pages." - QUARTERDECK MAGAZINE1261. Oxford, England. An envoy returns from the land of the Tartars to meet with an English scholar and share a deadly secret. The two men vow that the knowledge of gunpowder must die with them as the consequences are otherwise too fatal to contemplate.1290. After his quiet life is shattered by tragedy, blacksmith Jared begins a pilgrimage from England to the Holy Land. The adventure that follows sees Jared join a holy crusade and encounter men from distant Cathay who harbour the secret of huo yao. So begins one mans obsession with the powder of death and a kings resolution to change the very nature of warfare . . .

"Julian Stockwin, a master of the historic novel, writes with a zeal, re-creating ancient times, with fast-paced prose, vivid characters, and matchless authenticity." - QUARTERDECK MAGAZINERome 549 AD. Forced to flee the city, merchant Nicander and legionary Marius escape to a new lifein Constantinople. Determined to make their fortune, they plot a number of outrageous money-makingschemes, until they chance upon their greatest idea yet.Armed with an audacious plan to steal precious silk seeds from the faraway land of Seres, Nicander and Marius must embark upon a terrifying and treacherous journey across unknown realms. But firstthey must deceive the powerful ruler Justinian and the rest of his formidable Byzantine Empire in order to begin their voyage into the unknown.In an adventurous tale of mischief and deception, Nicander and Marius face danger of the highest order, where nothing in the land of the Roman Empire is quite what it seems.

Thomas Kydd was promoted to acting lieutenant at the bloody Battle of Camperdown in October 1797. Now he must sit an exam to confirm his rank or face an inglorious return before the mast.

1814 Ashore on leave Captain Sir Thomas Kydd learns of a dismal harvest and general hardship among the population In Germany Napoleon Bonaparte is celebrating victories that once again make his name feared throughout Europe An armistice is signed and while the Allies lick their wounds Bonaparte sets to preparing for a grand advance And in a fragile peace and saddled with huge war debts the government has no choice but to place HMS Thunderer along with many other Royal Navy ships in reserve until the Navy can decide what to do with their great fleets Meanwhile Kydd is offered an admiral s flag but this is the West Africa station and the anti slavery operations set in fever ridden swamps Despite the obvious dangers and hardships Kydd sees this as the realisation of his life s ambition and readies for sea in his beloved Thunderer as his flagship In a turn of the tide Bonaparte is defeated by the Allies and exiled to the tiny island of Elba Then electrifying news breaks out the tyrant has escaped and is marching on Paris the citizens flocking to join him The British government as well is rocked by a realisation that Napoleon s invasion fleet is still in being and if the French navy declares for him they can sail from the ports now free of blockade a

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 line-of-battle ship Royal William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast. Despite all that he goes through in danger of tempest and battle he comes to admire the skills and courage of the seamen - taking up the challenge himself to become a true sailor.KYDD launches a masterly new writing talent and a thrilling new series. Based on dramatic real events, it is classic storytelling at its very best, rich with action with exceptional characters and a page-turning narrative.

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?

It is 1797 and Thomas Kydd is now master's mate on Achilles, a 64-gun ship-of-the-line, on his way back from the Caribbean. After a dangerous rescue mission to Venice Kydd sails for England, but his joy at returning home after many years' absence is soon forgotten when he finds himself at the centre of 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.And Kydd is faced with a terrible choice. Abandon his friends and shipmates? Or join the rebellion and put his career - and even his life - on the line?