The Guardship (The Brethren of the Coast #1) (Book 1) [Paperback]

James L. Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 2000

Shortly after Thomas Marlowe's arrival in Williamsburg, Virginia, all in that newfound capital city are speaking his name. With the bounty from his years as a pirate--a life he intends to renounce and keep forever secret--he purchases a fine plantation from a striking young widow, and soon after kills the favorite son of one of Virginia's most powerful clans while defending her honor. But it is a daring feat of remarkable cunning that truly sets local tongues wagging: a stunning move that wins Marlowe command of Plymouth Prize, the colony's decrepit guardship.

But even as the enigmatic Marlowe bravely leads the King's sailors in bloody pitched battle against the cutthroats who infest the waters off Virginia's shores, a threat from his illicit past looms on the horizon that could doom Marlowe and his plans. Jean-Pierre LeRois, captain of the Vengeance--a brigand notorious even among other brigands for his violence and debauchery--plots to seize the colony's wealth, forcing Marlowe to choose between losing all or facing the one man he fears. Only an explosive confrontation on the open sea can determine whether the Chesapeake will be ruled by the crown or the Brethren of the Coast.

Shortly after Thomas Marlowe's arrival in Williamsburg, Virginia, all in that newfound capital city are speaking his name. With the bounty from his years as a pirate--a life he intends to renounce and keep forever secret--he purchases a fine plantation from a striking young widow, and soon after kills the favorite son of one of Virginia's most powerful clans while defending her honor. But it is a daring feat of remarkable cunning that truly sets local tongues wagging: a stunning move that wins Marlowe command of Plymouth Prize, the colony's decrepit guardship.

But even as the enigmatic Marlowe bravely leads the King's sailors in bloody pitched battle against the cutthroats who infest the waters off Virginia's shores, a threat from his illicit past looms on the horizon that could doom Marlowe and his plans. Jean-Pierre LeRois, captain of the Vengeance--a brigand notorious even among other brigands for his violence and debauchery--plots to seize the colony's wealth, forcing Marlowe to choose between losing all or facing the one man he fears. Only an explosive confrontation on the open sea can determine whether the Chesapeake will be ruled by the crown or the Brethren of the Coast.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The initial entry in Nelson's The Brethren of the Coast series (after his Revolution at Sea trilogy) is first-rate popular action writing. In 1701 Virginia, Thomas Marlowe kills a favorite son of the colony's most powerful tobacco family, the Wilkensons, in a duel, incurring the wrath of the entire clan. Soon after, when he's given command of the colony's guardship Plymouth Prize, Marlowe must deal with the Wilkensons' vendetta, the Prize's decrepitude and inept crew, and his fascination with beautiful widow Elizabeth Tinling (whose honor precipitated the duel), before getting around to his main job, fighting Chesapeake Bay pirates (who call themselves "men on the account" and "Brethren of the Coast"). Marlowe, n? Malachias Barrett, we learn, was himself a member of "the sweet trade" (i.e., a pirate). The lovely Elizabeth isn't what she seems, either. The only man in the world Marlowe fears is his ex-captain and current leader of the Brethren, Jean-Pierre LeRois, whose cruelty and cunning are fueled by blazing dementia: "His crew were still screaming, he could hear them, though he could not actually see anyone's mouth moving." The brilliant descriptions of LeRois's spells make it plain that his craziness is caused by drink and an advanced venereal condition. Lots of plot twists, some nifty seamanship and a nice collection of secondary characters add ballast to the narrative. There's a bit of sex and some sly wit as Marlowe tells Elizabeth about "careening" a ship: "'First we strip the vessel of all of her top hamper," he begins, and ends: "We cause her to roll on her side and thus expose the bottom." Of course, there's a climactic one-on-one between Marlowe and LeRois before Marlowe can become a hero. Despite the general absence of daily colonial texture, readers will gladly be swept along by a wonderful plot. Ad/promo. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Without finishing Revolution at Sea, Nelson starts another series, this one set in the Golden Age of piracy. The year is 1701, and Virginia planter Thomas Marlowe is appointed captain of the local guardship, Plymouth Prize. His mission is to defend the Chesapeake Bay area and tobacco commerce from pirates. Before he assumes command, however, he kills Matthew Wilkenson in a duel over the reputation of the young widow Elizabeth Tinling. After this, he is engaged in four intersecting actions: concealing his past as the pirate Malachias Barrett; courting Elizabeth; fighting pirates led by his old captain and vengeful nemesis, Jean Lerois; and surviving the enmity of the Wilkenson family, which is secretly in cahoots with the pirates. All this activity involves enough plotting and counterplotting for several books, which, abetted by sound historical scholarship, brisk pacing, and canny exploitation of one of the more obscure corners of maritime history, makes for thoroughly good reading. Roland Green

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Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (January 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380804522
• ISBN-13: 978-0380804528
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #950,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in a log cabin in the sea-side town of Lewiston, Maine.... Okay, maybe not a log cabin. And maybe Lewiston isn't exactly a seaside town. Despite that, my interest in ships and the sea began early, reading Hornblower and building ship models. In high school I built a fifteen foot sailboat, and with a friend, an eighteen foot canoe.
I graduated from Lewiston High School in 1980, if not with honors then at least with a diploma. After a year of hitchhiking and motorcycling around the country, I attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, later transferring to UCLA Film School (Official Motto: '...but what I really want to do is direct...') , from which I graduated in 1986. After working in the television industry for two years, I realized that I could not stand a) the television industry, b) Los Angeles and c) being ashore. In 1988 I joined the crew of the Golden Hinde (rhymes with mind), a replica of Sir Francis Drake's vessel of 1577. There I met a foretop person named Lisa Page, whom I beat out for the job of bosun. Lisa vowed then and there to marry me and make me pay for that for the rest of my life.
Leaving the Hinde in Houston, Texas, I worked aboard the brig Lady Washington (after my time she played the Interceptor in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie) and the ship 'HMS' Rose, (Surprise in Master and Commander, also after my time) I sailed aboard Rose for two years, as Able Bodied Seaman and Third Mate.
In 1993, I 'swallowed the anchor.' Lisa Page, made good on her threat and we married that year. The following year I finished By Force of Arms, my first book. I've been a full-time writer since then, with fourteen books either published or in the process of being published. My books have sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain. My 2003 title Glory in the Name was selected as the winner of the American Library Association's W.Y. Boyd Award for Excellence in Military Fiction.
Recently, my writing has expanded to include non-fiction. My first work of non-fiction was Reign of Iron, a detailed look at the ironclads Monitor and Merrimack (Virginia). More recently I completed a book about the Revolutionary war naval battle that took place on Lake Champlain. That book is called Benedict Arnold's Navy.
Lisa and I now live in Harpswell, Maine (which really is a seaside town), with our four children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Read!, July 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Guardship (The Brethren of the Coast #1) (Book 1) (Paperback)

The Guardship is a great book! Fast paced and with a real feel for the time period, full of detail that gives it a tone of authenticity. The characters are recognizable humans, but are well clear of cliches. Some people have critized Nelson for not being Patrick O'Brian. Well, he's not. His books are much faster paced, more "page turners". To fault Nelson for not being O'Brian is like saying O'Brian is no good because he is not Melville. The Guardships stands well on its own and I look forward to the rest of the series. If you like a good sea story, you will love this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read of realistic pirates and the coast., October 23, 2003

By 

Michael (Charleston, SC, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guardship (The Brethren of the Coast #1) (Book 1) (Paperback)

This is one of those books that you find yourself reading so quickly that you wonder where the time went. There is enough true terminology to keep the tale realistic, but not so much as to need a dictionary by your side.

What really makes me recommend this book is the realistic depiction of pirates and the coast of the Carolinas - which happens to be where I make my home. You could almost smell the salt water and pluff mud through the descriptions. And your get real nasty, dirty, vulgar, non-romanticized pirates. These are the pirates that you fear instead of dreaming to joining.

If pirates and/or nautical adventure are your thing, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping story in a different setting!, July 2, 2001

By 

Arteis (Paraparaumu, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guardship (The Brethren of the Coast #1) (Book 1) (Paperback)

I stumbled across this book in my local library, having never heard of the author before. I was soon entranced by the terrific story in the unusual (for me) setting.

I'm afraid, much as many writing experts feel that a great novel needs well rounded characters who develop with the story, give me some slightly more cardboard characters any day! Villianous villians, strong heroes, fiesty females ... all set in an exciting cliff-hanger story - these will hold my attention!

To my way of thinking, the style of this book was akin to a sea-going version of my favourite Bernard Cornwall "Sharpe" series of books.

I only wish that, down here far away from the Virginia Tidewater, our library stocked the many other titles that Nelson seems to have written! They already carry all the well-known British naval authors, so maybe a bit of arm-twisting will get them to add this American series!