Conquest

August 22, 2011
Stockwin’s 12th book in his Napoleonic naval warfare series is a great improvement over Victory, his previous entry. Stockwin assembles an exciting and suspenseful historical loaded with action, intrigue, treachery, and the bloody gore of 1805 warfare. Capt. Thomas Kydd returns to sea after the cataclysmic Battle of Trafalgar in command of L’Aurore for a joint army-navy expedition to capture Cape Town, South Africa, from the Dutch and expand the British Empire. But in a puzzling move, the Dutch surrender, leaving the British with a restive and reluctant overseas colony while hidden enemy forces prepare to attack. As the threat grows, Kydd tumbles into bed with a beautiful and dangerous French expatriate royalist. When Kydd’s sidekick, Nicholas Renzi, stumbles into a deadly plot, Kydd risks his ship, career, and life committing an offense for which he may well hang. Even his own crew disapproves of his actions and questions his motives. Stockwin, a retired lieutenant commander of the British navy, fills this tale with the colorful history of British imperialism, as well as vivid and lush descriptions of colonial South Africa, professional seamanship, bold leadership, and the friendship of two men who share the perils of life at sea in the Royal Navy.

October 1, 2011

In his 12th maritime adventure, Capt. Thomas Kydd of the Royal Navy returns to the high seas after Lord Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (recounted in Victory). This smartly wrought protagonist joins an expedition to take the Dutch-held Cape Town at the southern tip of Africa. The country that holds this dangerous, strategic place will control the trade routes to India. Kydd and his crew aboard the L'Aurore fight to win the port but quickly realize the colony is caught in a delicate balance between native tribes and colonial influences vying for control. As Kydd fights to maintain a hold on this wild, hostile country, his friend and confidential secretary, Nicholas Renzi, falls into a desperate trap. VERDICT This well-crafted naval adventure by a seasoned lieutenant commander of the British navy balances historical perspective with the excitement of a full broadside assault. Comparable to C.C. Humphreys's Jack Absolute series and the naval tales of the great Patrick O'Brian, Stockwin's engaging novel reveals the author's acumen for the history and spirit of the time.--Ron Samul, New London, CT

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