Julian Stockwin

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...

The Powder of Death opens with a returned envoy to China meeting an English scholar in Oxford, in the mid-13th century; their purpose is to share a deadly secret. They vow that the knowledge of gunpowder must die with them. The novel tells the story of its re-discovery, one man's obsession with the powder of death, and Edward III's determination to use it to his advantage. The nature of warfare is changed forever, and the world hears the death-knell...

Thomas Kydd, a hero of Trafalgar, holds the glory of being Post-Captain of the 32-gun frigate, L'Aurore. A Caribbean posting seems a welcome respite for the war hero, but when more and more merchantmen begin vanishing from the sea, fear starts to spread. Kydd must embark on a dangerous game of espionage in order to destroy this new and terrible danger to the Empire.

It is 1797 and Thomas Kydd is now master's mate on Achilles. Kydd sails for England, but his joy at returning home 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 and scores of ships hold the country to ransom. Kydd is faced with a terrible choice. Abandon his friends and shipmates? Or join the rebellion?

Commander Kydd has dragged himself up in the navy from press-ganged seaman to master of his own ship. Now he faces disgrace. After offending an Admiral, Kydd is sent to guard the Channel Islands. When he is brutally betrayed, only his old friend Renzi is willing to stick by him. Then Kydd is given an opportunity to return to the sea as Captain of a privateer. But privateers are hated by the French and the Royal Navy alike. To keep fighting his country's...

Commander Thomas Kydd is eager to play his part in thwarting Bonaparte's plans for the invasion of England. Joining Admiral Nelson's command, Kydd and his ship soon find themselves at the heart of the action of Trafalgar. Kydd's journey takes him from false sightings of the enemy and dramatic chases across the Atlantic, to the bloody annihilation of the enemy during the actual battle, and the heroic aftermath. This is Kydd's most important adventure...

Thrilled at his first command, a little brig sloop called Teazer; Thomas Kydd must race to bring his ship to battle readiness in order to defend Malta against Barbary corsairs. But his jubilation does not last long - peace is suddenly declared. Instead 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.

Who will steal the greatest prize of Empire? South America's Spanish colonies are in a ferment of popular unrest. Rumors of a treasure hoard of Spanish silver spur Thomas Kydd's commander-in-chief, Commodore Popham, to assemble a makeshift invasion fleet and launch a bold attack on Buenos Aires. The British invasion force wins a battle against improbable odds, but soon finds itself surrounded by a hostile population. Now Kydd's men must face resistance...