Command: A Kydd Sea Adventure (Kydd Sea Adventures) [Hardcover]

Julian Stockwin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kydd Sea Adventures | Publication Date: March 1, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I was soon turning the pages almost indecently fast ... Roll on, the promised adventures of Kydd and Renzi.' -- Independent on KYDD 'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world.' -- Guardian on KYDD 'The appeal of the story is in the telling, which is atmospheric, authentic and disclosed from the unusual perspective of the ordinary sailor working his way up the ranks ... The author had a long career in the Royal Navy, which adds to his prose that extra dash of salty realism.' -- Publishing News on MUTINY 'As with the previous books, Seaflower is a busy story, crammed with events but never predictable. Like all good sea stories, it takes you to strange and wonderful places. There are hurricanes and battles and intrigues ... Fans of naval fiction, or just those who appreciate a good yarn, will not want to miss it.' -- West Australian on SEAFLOWER --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Author

In many ways my seventh book, "Command", is a watershed in the Thomas Kydd series. My hero has actually achieved the majesty of his own quarterdeck, and his life will never be the same again. It may seem an improbable transformation of a young perruquier of Guildford, press ganged into His Majesty's Navy less than ten years before, but the historical record tells us that there were Thomas Kydds, not many admittedly, but enough to be tantalising to a writer's imagination. The great age of fighting sail was a time of huge contrasts and often harsh conditions, but at least in the Royal Navy then, it was conceivable for a young man of talent and ambition to rise far above his station. I do remember my feelings when I became an officer, having begun my sea career on the lower deck. And sometimes I idly wonder, had I lived back then, could I have been a Tom Kydd?

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: McBooks Press (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590131207
• ISBN-13: 978-1590131206
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #742,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I wanted to go to sea ever since I can remember. My mother says that as a toddler I went up to sailors on the street, and on one occasion dragged home a dead seabird because it smelled of the sea! I was entranced when my great uncle Tom Clay, a seaman in square-rigged ships who had sailed around the Horn in the "Cutty Sark", took me over this ship. As a young boy I read everything about the sea and I was especially terrified by a description of a great storm, but longed to go to sea to experience one.
I won a scholarship to a grammar school, but my mind was captivated by seeing low grey shapes far out to sea, outward bound to who knew where. I passed this sight every day on my way to school; my scholastic performance suffered!
In the hope of having the nonsense knocked out of me, my father sent me to a tough sea-training school. This only strengthened my resolve for a life at sea and at fifteen I joined the Royal Navy.
After leaving the Navy (rated Petty Officer) I practised as an educational psychologist. I worked for some time in Hong Kong, where I was commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve.
I now live in Devon with my wife and literary partner, Kathy - and two Siamese cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tom Kydd is Finally in Command, May 30, 2007

By 

A. Courie "Treb" (Freedom's Fortress) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Command: A Kydd Sea Adventure (Kydd Sea Adventures) (Hardcover)

Julian Stockwin's "Command" is the seventh book in his Kydd series. These books are set in the Napoleonic-era Royal Navy and follow in the same vein as C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin books.

In "Command," Kydd finds himself unexpectedly in command of a small (16-gun) brig sloop that is just being completed in Malta. Kydd is responsible for fitting her out, giving her sea trials, and molding a new crew from scratch. Kydd feels the elation and weight of command as he, and he alone, is responsible for the successes and failures aboard his command. However, just as Kydd gains confidence in himself and his ship, peace "breaks out" and Kydd is sent ashore without a ship or job. Kydd is then faced with desperate times as he faces the loss of his livelihood and his best friend.

"Command" is another great novel in the "Kydd" series and is a must-read for anyone who enjoys military historical fiction or the Napoleonic era. I eagerly await the next book.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An added adventure, March 29, 2007

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Command: A Kydd Sea Adventure (Kydd Sea Adventures) (Hardcover)

This novel starts as a standard Royal Navy adventure with Thomas Kydd receiving a promotion to Commander, and taking a brig sloop into action in the eastern Med with some detached duty. It has a good description of fitting out a ship and acquiring a crew, as well as action on land as well as at sea. That part of the story comes to an end with the Peace of Amiens, and Kydd finds himself like a lot of other officers "on the beach" unemployed at half pay.

That is followed by the second part of the novel (this is like two novels in one). Kydd finds he is over-qualifed for various positions that might be available (I remember hearing that phrase after I received a PhD). A commander simply cannot be put into a position where a lieutenant is required (Kydd had put in his time forward, and apparently did not consider using an assumed name to ship out on a merchant ship). Attempts to enter the merchant service as a deck officer are met with questions revealing his complete lack of knowledge in dealing with the merchant trade.

That brings Kydd into a situation where he ends up as master of a convict ship, and some adventures in far off Australia. I won't go into all the details, but you will learn a lot about the original settlement of Australia.

Kydd's friend Renzi decides to try his luck establishing an estate in Australia. He has no experience as a farmer, but he has a book. Some of this part really gets funny. You learn a little more about the settling of Australia.

The novel ends with Kydd preparing to return to England. We all know that the war started up again, so we wait with anticipation to see what is in store for Kydd.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Command: A Kydd Sea Adventure. "A Good Read", December 8, 2007

By 

Larry (Portland Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Command: A Kydd Sea Adventure (Kydd Sea Adventures) (Hardcover)

Once again, Julian Stockwin has given us a fantastic narration into the life of Thomas Kydd, who was originally pressed into the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman, and rises to become a Captain, an almost impossible feat! This book is action packed, and a real page turner. If you liked the Horatio Hornblower books by C.S. Forester, then you're in for a treat. Julian Stockwin continues on with that tradition, and then some. I don't know which is more interesting; the story of William Kydd's life, or the interesting historical setting and information that accompanies his story. Definitely "a good read"! I can't wait for the next one.