Die-hard Kydd fans will find this a rendering of good historical fiction.

– Pirates and Privateers

Stockwin, who went to sea-training school at 14 and ended up as a lieutenant commander, gives a terrifying account of the brutal life and casual death aboard an 18th-century warship.

– The Guardian

Stockwin, who went to sea-training school at 14 and ended up as a lieutenant commander, gives a terrifying account of the brutal life and casual death aboard a 19th-century warship.

– The Guardian

Historians will forget they're reading fiction while story-lovers won't mind that they're learning history.

– Jason R. Musteen, assistant professor, United States Military Academy

A rousingly exciting and delicious full-immersion in the perils of seafaring and society during the great Age of Sail!

– Dewey Lambdin, author of the Alan Lewrie series

Period dialect and seagoing argot aplenty add credibility to the adventure, and the unworldly Kydd is an apt lens for the reader's journey.

– Publishers Weekly

Comparable to C.C. Humphreys’s Jack Absolute series and the naval tales of the great Patrick O’Brian.

– Library Journal

Well-written mixture of high-seas adventure and character-based drama . . . impossible not to enjoy.

– Booklist

Stockwin's writing is enriched by his own experiences in the Royal Navy, which gives scenes of fighting and tempest an authenticity to delight anyone who shares his passion for the sea.

– Daily Telegraph

Elegantly plotted . . . the writing has the power of a broadside at close range.

– Oxford Times

Stockwin's descriptions of the bloody reality of naval combat 200 years ago are memorably vivid, and reveal a profound respect for the seamen who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help save their country.

– Yorkshire Evening Post

Written with authoritative detail by a gifted storyteller who is passionate about the Great Age of Sail.

– Western Morning News

Likable Tom and his shipmates make a snug fit in that page-turning Forester and O'Brian tradition—thanks to retired Royal Navy author Stockwin.

– Kirkus Reviews

Stockwin continues to display his talents in transporting his audience from the 21st century to the chaotic worlds of Kydd, Renzi, and their imperiled homeland. . . . [He] goes into action with swords drawn and cannons and carronades blasting.

– Historical Novels Review Online