Live the Adventure!

admiral

Out Now !

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544 Comments on “Live the Adventure!”

  1. I am a new reader and just started the series after reading the Hornblower books many times over. Thank you for your efforts in this series. My only egret is that I cant share them with my father-in-law who introduced me to Hornblower 20 years ago. He would have loved these.

    One not that I appreciated right from the beginning is how you wove ship details into the story that CS Forester never did to help the reader understand and appreciate the sea life of the characters even more.

    You have a new ardent fan.

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  2. Wow – what a journey of 25 years since I started reading Kydd. I have just finished Admiral – what a bittersweet moment ! Thank you Julian for your writing and for bringing such an entertaining series to our bookshelves. Long may you go on ! Thank you, Mike

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  3. hello, love this series. I read at the back of sea of treason that there would be another 4 books. It’s that right, please tell me it is!!!

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    • After finishing ADMIRAL (out this October) I realised the series had come to a natural end. Rest assured, however, after a break I will be resuming writing, another Age of Sail project.

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      • I purchased the first book on a business trip to Canada. I was hooked. Every time I went to Canada I made sure to purchase any new titles that were available. When I saw that Admiral was going to be the last book in the series I reared all the previous volumes again for the third or fourth time. I just finished Admiral and was impressed with the coverage of Bonaparte’s last hurrah and ultimate defeat. It was satisfying to see Kydd become an Admiral but I would have liked a more detail telling of the years after the story ends. Did he stay in the navy. Was he able to make his home profitable and did they have more children. These are minor questions after 27 volumes.

        I have loved the series and look forward to any other books you may write. Please keep the wonderful stories coming.

        Dana

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        • Hi Dana,

          I am in Australia and have also read the Kydd series at least 3 times. After finishing Admiral I felt the same as you wanting to know what happened to Sir Thomas. Maybe just maybe he will get a mention when Harry Wylde takes to the high seas. I am now in withdrawal not having any further Kydd books. I started the Kydd books very early in the series so have been an avid reader for many years.

          Bob Dooley

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  4. I’d like to say a big thank you for the kydd series. Only started reading this series since the new year and have already brought and read the whole series that have been printed so far.
    I have read C S Forester series, Alexander Kent and others, these books are among the best and hard to put down.

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  5. Absolutely love the series which I have both read and listened to on audiobook. Is there any chance of Christian Rodska doing this one at all as I see that it is another narrator (I know that you can have more than one). In my mind now he is the only one that can do these into the future as he is the voice of all these amazing characters!

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  6. Julian,
    I’m curious as to why all your books aren’t available in ebook format. I read exclusively on an e-reader these days as it’s much easier on me as I have problems with my hands stemming from carpal tunnel syndrome. I was disappointed when I got to #13 and found it non-existent. Thanks

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  7. At the end of KYDD book 3 it says to sign up at this website, however I see no form to sign up.

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  8. John Young

    April 12 2024

    Sir Julian

     I have just competed reading the ‘Sea of Treason’, after waiting three months to get a copy of ‘Yankee Mission’, so that I could keep series in order, and when I got to the end, I looked for the next chapter to see what happened after the Norwegian episode.  To my dismay, here was no next chapter….

    BUT reading the Author’s Note, I am glad to read that you are looking at further volumes of [ very difficult to put down !! ], the career of Cap’n Kidd and his historical adventures.

    Do you have a time frame for the next MUST-read volume in this series. ??

    A MUST READ series.

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  11. hi. i am up to Pasha in the series just one small thing as i am progressing is that Kydd has a few problems getting to Constantinople due to his duties,
    but i did not find in this part of the book how his friend Renzi got to roughly the same area and by what boat? Just arrived by an unstrung coach.

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  13. I grew up on Hornblower and then O’Brian, and then hit the jackpot!
    Brilliantly crafted. Mr. Kydd is a real gift to me. …and they keep getting better and better. Thank you.
    And, in service, the Kindle version of Invasion or Conquest was rife with typos – the kind that look like someone did a replace statement – wrongly. It was distracting – and I persevered… don’t know how it was in the printed version(s).
    Huge respect for what you’ve created. again, thank you.

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  14. Just discovered Thomas Kydd, and just at the right time as I was going through withdrawal after having read Aubrey, Hornblower, and Bolitho series–all books.

    Having just finished “Privateer’s Revenge,” I see a lot of parallels between Aubrey/Kydd and Maturin/Renzi — perhaps coincidental, or perhaps simply a sign of the times…

    Thank you and keep them coming!

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  15. I’ve followed the exploits of Hornblower, Lewrie, Bolitho, Aubry, Sir Thomas Kydd, a most interesting time in British Naval history. Recently finished THE IBERIAN FLAME and enjoyed how you connected Kydd to Wellesley in the invasion of Spain and the subsequent withdrawl. After reviewing the maps regarding the areas of involvement, I wish to bring to your attention the error in labeling the waters off the Iberian coast. I do believe the Med’ Sea and Atlantic Ocean are incorrectly labeled.
    Will continue to read the adventures of Kydd, Renzi, Dillon, Stirk.

    Continuing From The Colonies,
    James R Dalfino, Jr.

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    • Yes, was aware of that unfortunate error, James. A publishing gremlin… It was corrected on the next printing. Hope you continue to enjoy my Kydd tales.

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  16. As a 33 year veteran of the United States Coast Guard, and as Thomas Kydd had done, come up through the hawse pipe from lower enlisted, to Chief Petty Office, Commissioned Warrant Officer then to Lieutenant Commander, I understand Kydd’s hopes and dreams.

    Thank you Commander Stockwin for giving us readers the chance to live history through both Kydd and Renzi’s eyes. Reading your work has led to many reflective moments on my own time aboard Cutters and the wonders of life at sea.

    LCDR Reed Kohberger, USCG (Ret)

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  17. Quand aurons nous une traduction française des autres romans, à partir du tome 5…. Merci pour la qualité de vos écrits.

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    • Yeah, french translation would be really appreciated please ! I got my father addicted to the saga and he can’t go past the 4th volume… He’s willing to try the English version but there’s a lot of technical marine vocabulary, not that easy to handle.. Thank you !

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  18. Hi Julian,

    I have recently been introduced to your ‘Thomas Kydd’ novels & am really enjoying them immensely. I genuinely feel like I have been transported back to the very periods in history in which they are set & that, they encompass the very sights, sounds, smells & language of the times in question. I love your attention to detail & the copious amounts of research you have put into each & every novel. I genuinely am excited to start the next in the series. I was interested to read that you said there were at least 3 real Admirals that reached their lofty heights having come up the ladder so to speak like Kydd himself & that he was a composite of each of these. Can I ask who these were, as I am interested to read about these real~life heros too?

    Please keep the books coming. They have genuinely been a real saviour to me & kept me sane, since having been diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition. Can I be cheeky & ask if you’d be kind enough to sign & send me a bookplate (or bookplates) to put inside one (or some) of your novel’s please. Thanking you in anticipation of my question & request.

    Best wishes

    Andrew (Stevens)

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  19. Love these books, can’t put them down when I start one. I read somewhere that 25 was the planned number of books you wanted to write. Is that correct or do you plan to keep writing them. Really hoping there will be more, currently reading thunderer.

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  20. Just finished “The Yankee Mission”. You have skillfully woven several known battles into your narrative, and I simply shrugged when you had to adjust the chronology to fit Kydd’s story. A tricky war for the Royal Navy, one that CS Forester had Hornblower avoid by the Baltic campaign against the French. You — and Kydd — managed it though. With Kydd’s assignment to the Navy Board, you took the reader into some of the story behind the stories, the technology that would be introduced later in the century. I can’t wait for the next volume…

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  21. Yankee Mission satisfies the itch for more Kydd. I can only hope there are many more installments to come.

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  22. Hi Julian, I read Patrick O’Brians series twice & missed Jack, Steven & the rest of the cast terribly. But now, thanks to you I am back at sea again & loving it. Thank you so much for your books. I’m reading Inferno at the moment so can look forward to many more hours of reading. Regards Rob

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  23. My copy of Yankee Mission arrived last Friday and I tore the mailing package open like it was Christmas. I loved the book and finally figured out why Kydd is so appealing to Americans. It’s obvious, I guess. He’s a self-made man—a character who invents his course in life. Well done, Mr. Stockwin. Please give my thanks to Mrs. Stockwin for her part. Such a pleasant read.

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  24. I have to admit that I have enjoyed reading both Julian’s Kidd adventures as well as the late and much lamented Dewey Lambdin’s Lewrie series for several decades (and Alexander Kent 4 decades ago!)

    Julian’s ability to take the reader back 220 years or so and experience the world as our forebears did is just outstanding. A time when the Royal Navy was the envy of the world and protected the kingdom and enriched it.

    How ignoble is our kingdom now. How pitiful and scorned now is our Royal Navy.

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  25. i last commented here in 2014 … 10 years after picking up a copy of Kydd at a book sale. Now it’s 8 years and many books later, and I just finished Thunderer. Kydd’s first ship-of-the-line command! A necessary step to achieve the rank of Admiral, but will be happy to see him back in his beloved Tyger for the next installment. At this point, I have to laugh whenever Kydd worries that his adventures are over. Don’t fret good sir, you have someone watching over you to be sure that doesn’t happen until you’re ready to retire with all the laurels!

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      • I have just finished Yankee Mission and have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the books in the series! I sincerely hope that “retirement is still a few years away” yet (?) , as I already miss Thomas Kydd and hope to read yet another new book in the series?

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          • I can’t wait! I just finished Yankee Mission. You are a magician at how you weave actual events and personalities so skillfully into your series. I miss Sir Thomas and cast already. Please, bring him back soon, I know there has to be more! Thank you and the Mrs. for all you do, and the wonderful reads.

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          • Hi Julian, I’m anonymous: (post on 17th April 2023), didn’t mean to be, l didn’t fill in the details because l had already done so earlier. … Rebecca

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          • Your books have been a treasure. Toby is one of my favorite characters, I would love for him to somehow get his own command of little schooner or some such cutting out craft. Keep up the good work.

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      • Mr. Stockwin,
        Bravo. I find your novels dovetail very well with my history interests.
        Oh that Thomas Kydd’s walked amongst us!
        I think many of my social milieu would consider Royal Navy sea captains as romantic fantasies.
        Having been a fire captain for a good long time, I find the particular independence of captains in myriad situations as unique and compelling.
        As to the loyalty of One’s crew…
        It is the greatest honour that a person could ever possess.
        Again. Bravo.

        Reply

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