Written by Julian Stockwin
Read by Christian Rodska
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Unabridged

Julian Stockwin - Thomas Kydd Series Books 1 to 13

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Unabridged

Julian Stockwin was sent at the age of fourteen to Indefatigable, a tough sea-training school. He joined the Royal Navy at fifteen before transferring to the Royal Australian Navy, where he served for eight years in the Far East, Antarctic waters and the South Seas. In Vietnam he saw active service in a carrier task force.

After leaving the Navy (rated Petty Officer), Julian practised as an educational psychologist. He lived for some time in Hong Kong, where he was commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve. He was awarded the MBE and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He now lives in Devon with his wife Kathy.

Book 1: Kydd. Narrator: Christian Rodska

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.

Book 2: Artemis. Narrator: Christian Rodska

In the great age of fighting sail, life ranging the seas for prey and prize money in the crack frigate HMS Artemis is fast and exciting.

Now a true Jack Tar, Kydd sails into Portsmouth Harbour and a hero's welcome after a ferocious battle against the French. However his jubilation is cut short when a family matter threatens to take him from the life he has grown to love; he must return to Guildford. But the sea beckons irresistibly and Kydd manages to ship out again in his beloved Artemis - a voyage that will take him to the fabled East and present him with fierce challenges, both personal and physical. Finally homeward bound, he faces death itself in the cruel waters of the Great Southern Ocean.

Book 3: Seaflower. Narrator: Christian Rodska

It is two years since Thomas Kydd was spirited away in the night to serve his country aboard the old line-of-battle ship Duke William. Now, he and and the other members of the ill-fated Artemis are shipwrecked sailors, back in London waiting to be summoned as court martial witnesses. Then, in a political act to shield an officer's reputation, they are shipped out in haste to the Caribbean - where sugar is king and yellow jack a fearsome peril.

Book 4: Mutiny. Narrator: Christian Rodska

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?

Book 5: Quarterdeck. Narrator: Christian Rodska

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?

Book 6: Tenacious. Narrator: Christian Rodska

Thomas Kydd is in Halifax, enjoying the recognition and favour of his fellow officers when Tenacious is summoned to join Horatio Nelson's taskforce on an urgent reconnaissance mission. Intelligence suggests the French Revolution is about the set the Mediterranean ablaze, but Bonaparte's fleet is nowhere to be found. Nelson and his Band of Brothers begin a desperate search for him. Kydd's newfound ambition fuels his desire to be at the forefront of the hunt. But with power comes responsibility, with responsibility, accountability. Kydd will face his greatest challenge ever amidst bloodstained seas. And defeat will mean humiliation - or death.

Book 7: Command. Narrator: Christian Rodska

Kydd sails in his first command--the brig-sloop Teazer--to defend Malta against Barbary pirates. Soon peace is declared and Kydd is out of work. To make ends meet, he captains a convict ship to Australia. There, at the ends of the earth, his seamanship and humanity are tested to the limit.

Book 8: The Admiral's Daughter Narrator: Christian Rodska

In 1803, Commander Kydd has sailed with the Royal Navy in the dangerous South Seas, against Napoleon's fleet in the Mediterranean and to the edge of the known world in a convict ship to Australia, but he is about to discover that the most dangerous waters can be the closest to home. 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's career ambitions and dreams of love. But high society, he finds, can be as treacherous as his first mistress - the sea.

Book 9: Treachery. Narrator: Christian Rodska

(AKA The Privateer's Revenge) Following the loss of his fiancée, Lieutenant Thomas Kydd descends into depression in the latest installment of this riveting nautical-adventure series. Rescued from despair by his close friend, Renzi, Kydd finds life increasingly difficult when he is framed and dismissed from his ship. The pair eke out a pitiful existence in Guernsey, where, in a moment of desperation, Renzi offers his services to the Prince de Bouillon and becomes embroiled in covert operations. Meanwhile, Kydd accepts the captaincy of a privateer and is soon taking many prizes. Kydd longs to rejoin his rightful place in the navy, however, and when he gets his chance, he risks all for revenge and restoration.

Book 10: Invasion. Narrator: Christian Rodska

In the 10th book of the popular series, rumors fly of Napoleon's planned invasion of England, and British naval commander Thomas Kydd is sent to liaise with American inventor, Robert Fulton, who has created 'infernal machines' that can wreak mass destruction from a distance. Fulton believes that his inventions, namely the submarine and torpedo, will win the day for the power that possesses them, and Kydd must help him develop the devices. Despite his own scruples, believing that standing man-to-man is the only honorable way to fight, Kydd agrees to take part in the crucial testing of these weapons of mass destruction, which just may decide the fate of England.

Book 11: Victory. Narrator: Christian Rodska

In the 11th book of this popular series, Napoleon Bonaparte continues planning for the invasion of England as Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Royal Navy patrol the seas, seeking out their elusive enemy. When convoluted political machinations in England lead to the impeachment of the head of the Navy, Commander Thomas Kydd is forced to choose sides. Eager to take on the real enemy, Kydd decides to join Nelson's squadron just before the Battle of Trafalgar, the greatest sea encounter of all time. Amidst the chaos and bloodshed, Kydd and his shipmates must prove once and for all that the Royal Navy truly rules the seas.

Book 12: Conquest. Narrator: Christian Rodska

Newly victorious at the Battle of Trafalgar, England now rules the seas and is free to colonize the furthest reaches of the world. Captain Thomas Kydd joins an expedition to take Dutch-held Cape Town, a strategic harbor that will give England a rich trade route to India. With enemies lurking on all sides, Kydd and his men must defend the fragile colony while braving Africa's vast and hostile hinterland. When Renzi learns too much about the enemy's plans, even Kydd may not be able to save him.

Book 13: Betrayal Narrator: Christian Rodska

Cape Colony is proving a tiresome assignment for Thomas Kydd's daring commander-in-chief Commodore Popham: South America's Spanish colonies are in a ferment of popular unrest. Rumors of a treasure hoard of Spanish silver spur him to assemble a makeshift invasion fleet and launch a bold attack on the capital of the Viceroyalty of the River Plate in Buenos Aires. Navigating the treacherous bars and mud flats of the river, the British invasion force wins a battle against improbable odds, taking the capital and the silver. But the uprising that promises the end of Spanish rule never arrives and the locals begin to see dark conspiracies behind the invader's actions. Now Kydd's men must face resistance and the betrayal of their closest allies. Can they save themselves and their prize?