Mutiny

Thomas Kydd #4

by Julian Stockwin

One of history's most notorious naval insurrections is re-created, as Kydd crosses the Mediterranean to a rendezvous with danger and returns to England-only to find himself caught up in the Nore Mutiny. Kydd is a loyal servant of the King, and he is expected to side with Naval authority against his friends, but how can he? Faced with an impossible decision of duty and conscience, he must find a way to save himself and his fellow sailors.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Nautical, Historical, Adventure, Novels, British Literature

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Julian Stockwin was sent at the age of fourteen to Indefatigable, a tough sea-training school. He joined the Royal Navy at fifteen. He now lives in Devon with his wife Kathy. Julian has written 24 books to date in the Kydd series of historical adventure fiction, the story of one man's journey from pressed man to admiral in the age of fighting sail, and a non-fiction book, 'Stockwin's Maritime Miscellany.' His latest Kydd series title is THUNDERER. And, he's also published two historical standalone novels, THE SILK TREE, set in the time of Emperor Justinian and THE POWDER OF DEATH, about the quest for the secret of gunpowder.

Series:
* Thomas Kydd

Reviews

[Charles van Buren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Details of the mutiny of the fleet

Mostly about the mutiny of the British fleet at Spithead and the Noire during the Napoleonic wars. Very little sea action.

Kydd's character as revealed in this volume of the series is not very attractive to me. The way he got out of trouble for his actions during the mutiny was pretty unrealistic. Unless you have a serious interest in the mutiny, you may, as I did, find much of this dull or even boring. I have enjoyed previous volumes in this series. Would not recommend volume four for a first read of Stockwin.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2005, and its the 4th volume of the wonderful "Thomas Kydd" series.

The year is AD 1797, Kydd, now master's mate, in company of his best high-born friend Nicholas Renzi and the rest of the crew, sails the the fabled Rock of Gibraltar, and in an attempt to win a lady's heart he joins a dangerous to Venice to rescue a diplomat from the clutches of the French.

After this experience and heading first back to Gibraltar, Kydd and his men set sail to England, to be confronted with an unusual situation.

This unusual situation is their involuntary involvement in the Mutiny at the Nore, with thousands of men holding their ships and cannons at ransom while the Government is nearly bankrupt.

This insurrection will finally fail, but it will instil one other important matter and that is when the Dutch threaten England, and the French looking for the kill, England must overcome this threat from the Dutch, and that will be sealed with a glorious but also a very bloody victory at the Battle of Camperdown.

What is to follow is a brilliant naval adventure, in which the Mutiny at the Nore as well as the Battle of Camperdown is wonderfully pictured in all its ferocity and bloodletting during this famous Battle, and all this is brought to us in a most authentic and impressive fashion by the author.

Highly recommended, for this is another top-class naval adventure to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Marvellous Mutiny"!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Master’s Mate Thomas Kydd is caught up in a mutiny when he returns to England where he’d hoped to have some leave onshore. Instead, he finds intrigue and treason among the sailors of the Nore fleet who want certain demands to be met. Even if Tom agrees with them, can he betray his superior officers? He has some tough decisions to make during these tumultuous historic events. Fortunately, his steadfast friend Nicolas Renzi is there to help him out of his latest folly. With its well-drawn seafaring details, desperate sea battles, and the politics of the era, the story leads to its inevitable conclusion. Kydd remains a conflicted and yet noble character who wants to do the right thing. Like the Horatio Hornblower series, it’s a pleasure to watch Kydd grow and evolve with each story.

[Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction of the British Navy mutiny of 1797. A little slow at times but overall very entertaining. #4 in the series.

[l'Inspecteur Malgracieux · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of historic nautical fiction particularly covering the period of the American and the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars. I have read and reread C.S. Forester, Patrick O’Brian, Alexander Kent and Dudley Pope. With Kydd (****) Julian Stockwin introduced an new take on the subject. It started detailing the live and times of a whig-maker pressed into the Royal Navy. Artemis (***’) the second book although the plot literally went all over (China, the South Sea, Cape Horn) it captivated me to the end although it had a lot of loose ends. What happened with the English envoy they transported to China and what about the astronomers who were the reason for Artemis to venture in the South Seas. In Seaflower (***’) Kydd and Renzi - having lost their petty officer rating - are now in the Caribbean. After many an adventure at the end Kydd is appointed a masters mate. In Mutiny for 40% of the book we follow Kydd from England to Gibraltar and to Venice and back (why did they have to pick up an English envoy in Venice and what happened with him afterwards?) then for half te book Kydd a master’s mate in a few pages is joining the mutineers and acting as the secretary of Richard Parker the President of the mutineers at the Nore. Interesting for maybe 20 pages but not for 200. Just prior to being condemned from mutiny Renzi is able to have him exonerated and pardoned. And then in the remaining 10% of the book we are at the Battle of Camperdown at the end of which Kydd is appointed … I’ll give it one star. I hope the next book is better.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get on with Kydd, the first book in this series, but I decided to try another one slightly further on, to see if the series improved. The best I can say is, it's not as deadly dull as Kydd, but it's still not very good. Character development is still paper-thin: Kydd is a petulant Gary Stu with no personality, and his mate Renzi is more of a caricature of a Georgian gentleman than Tim McInnerny in Blackadder the Third. Even plots and scenarios are badly developed - they just sort of come and go, with no bearing on each other, or anything else. And never mind mutiny - dispensing with the Battle of Camperdown in a measly twenty pages is the real crime here!

My biggest complaint with these books is that Kydd seems to succeed far too easily at everything, and wriggle far too smoothly out of situations that should see him dangling from the yardarm, especially for a common tar with no influential interest. Why write about an ordinary seaman coming up through the hawsehole, if you're not going to show how hard he would have had it?

I'm gutted, because Stockwin obviously knows his stuff, and obviously loves everything to do with the Georgian Royal Navy, but I just can't get into Kydd and his world. You can put an R against my name for this one.

(The Geoff Hunt cover is fab, though. Of course!)

[Robin Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth book in a long running series that just seems to get better and better the characters keep growning and flowing with their ever expanding plot lines and movement into the ever larger arena of their times, as they and their careers / fortunes grow so do the scale and power of the troubles they encounter gone is the innocence to the plot a new origionality pervades the whole story and leaves the reader with a shanty lilt to their speech and a roll to their gait. Book 4 is somewhat darker than those that have gone before and shows a new side to julians work, and for me a more accurate book, something that you can believe, the too good to be true effect has gone, the good guy does not always win... sometimes life sucks!

Having read the rest of the series and read the rest of the reviews i can tell others that Julian did learn and progress the characters even further, and when that was coupled with his obvious passion for the sea and all things nautical, you end up with a series that does rank up there with Forrester and O'Brian, every year i look forward to my new instalment of Kydd...but to get there you have to start at the beginning.

Well recommended

(Parm)

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This finished my catch up, given I started the series with books five and six. Next up Command . Seventeen books in all (currently). Not a bad way to start retirement.

[Mark Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worst in the series so far 380 pages of meh and the last twenty pages were a decent battle. The author spent too much time focusing on the mutiny and nothing else really. Just kydd negotiating with the admiral for most of the book till the end. Time to take a break from the series

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Kydd, now a master’s mate, returns in this fourth book that takes place in 1797. His promotion means he and his friend have separated. While Nicholas Renzi is aboard a 74-gun ship-of-the-line, Thomas serves on Achilles (64) where he makes a new friend, who doesn’t always approve of what Thomas does. He finds his mood turning morose from being separated from Nicholas. This changes somewhat after two encounters. One involves a married woman, and the other a drunken, but veteran, sailor with a low opinion of the Royal Navy.

The fortuitous arrival of Nicholas’s vessel reunites the two friends and, when the opportunity presents itself to forego the mindless routine of being anchored at Gibraltar, they volunteer for a special mission to Venice. Being circumspect is a necessary part of their assignment, which proves both a blessing and a hindrance. It is carnivale, a time when everyone wears masks, which makes it difficult to tell friend from foe. Renzi is acquainted with the city and speaks Italian, but the visit stirs up memories that drive a wedge between him and Thomas, as well as the others accompanying them. An additional complication is a clandestine pact between Austria and France that impacts Venice and endangers their lives and their freedom.

When Kydd finally returns to Achilles, he finds an unhappy ship. Some crew replacements are men given little choice in joining the navy. With orders to return to England, the ship sails for home. Thomas senses the brewing tempest, and news of the fleet’s mutiny at Spithead merely adds to his growing unease. The captain’s attempt to forestall the men from joining that ill-fated revolt backfires when the ships anchored at Nore also rise up against the Admiralty. Conflicted, Thomas wavers between being an officer now and a seaman before, until a new love interest, a dishonest gentleman, and a charismatic mutineer push him closer and closer to a fateful decision.

This volume in the Thomas Kydd novels focuses more on the mental and behavioral aspects of sea life, particularly as they affect Thomas and Nicholas. Each portrayal differs based on each man’s character traits and past experiences, with striking differences and similarities that strain their friendship almost to the breaking point. Rather than concentrate on the better-known mutiny at Spithead, Stockwin portrays the subsequent insurrection at Nore. The seamen’s discontent is justified, but the Admiralty’s response differs between the two anchorages. This is convincingly shown via scene shifts between London and Nore, as well as the almost palpable tug-of-war waging within Kydd. Equally well-rendered are the confusion and precariousness of carnivale, and the tragic death that leads to Thomas’s first true encounter with love. Commodore Horatio Nelson and Kydd’s first fleet action are artfully entwined with the major story threads. Mutiny provides readers with the feel of being swept into a maelstrom where the only way to endure is to hold on tight and hope to survive.


This review first appeared at Pirates and Privateers (March 2023) at http://www.cindyvallar.com/Stockwin.h...

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many other readers of this series I started with a book further along in the series and then went back and have been reading those books from the beginning of this series on. I believe the author has improved his writing/storytelling abilities with each new book while at the same time maturing and developing his characters. As a boy in the 40's I discovered C.S. FORRESTER and Hornblower and have read, and re-read, every book in that series many times. I have long believed that series is the hallmark against all other naval fiction of that era must be measured and Julian Stockwin, in my own estimation, has earned his inclusion of that elite group of authors.

This particular book "MUTINY" is well based in a factual Mutiny of the Royal Navy, even to the point of having his "hero" (Thomas Kydd) become the unofficial "Secretary" to the Noire's Mutiny leader who was a real Sailor who did lead that port's part in the mutiny. Kydd's friend, who is much as a brother to him, Renzi comes to Kydd's aide without his knowledge. Renzi, because of his own unique social status (hidden from his fellow sailors and officers) gains him unique access to one of the most influencial Lords in all of England. The very Lord saved by Kydd's superb sailing and navigating abilities as a Master's Mate in an open boat, bringing vital intelligence to the King, Prime Minister, Parliment, and Admiraldity in time to save England. HOW? It is all revealed at the end of this book which firmly establishes the character of Kydd for the rest of his long career in the Royal Navy, ever advancing in assignments and rank until, I'm sure, he will break his own "Flag" as an Admiral!

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a deep dive into historical fiction picking up the story of the Mutiny 1797 where virtually the entire British home fleet took over their ships, sending officers to shore and making demands for improved pay and conditions. There is little doubt that their demands were justified and in the end some demands were met and most of the mutineers were pardoned with only 400 being courtmartialed and around 40 hung. Among those hung was the ringleader, an interesting figure name Richard Parker. Julian Stockwin decided to tell the story by first having Kydd oppose the rebellion and then, finally, join it becoming Richard Parker’s secretary. This puts him close to the action making it easier for the author to play out the story. But, it created the predicament of figuring out a way to save Kydd from hanging which he certainly deserved if Parker did. This was where Renzi came in handy. Disguised as a merchant he passed intelligence on to the Admiralty about Parker’s plans then attributed this information to Kydd, who was pardoned at his courts martial. Very convenient; but we’ve got to keep the series going. Back on warships, Kydd and Renzi both distinguish themselves at the Battle of Camperdown and are given promotions to acting Lieutenant. As far as Kydd is concerned, pretty good for a pressed man who had only been in the Navy four years. But now Kydd is a gentleman and needs to learn to act like one to play his new role as an officer. Fortunately, he has Renzi to mentor him. So, our days as a petty officer are over and we are onto a new career in the ward room.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Kydd, now a Master's Mate, a petty officer, is on a ship which visits Gibralter. From there while the ship is refitting and is the only big ship in Gibralter, he joins his friend Renzi on a mission to rescue a stranded diplomat from Venice. On his return to England, the ship finds that the vessels at Plymouth have mutinied and his ship diverts to the mouth of the Thames, where at Nore, he becomes involved as the mutiny spreads. This is all based on historical fact. Much of the British Navy mutinied in protest of stagnant wages and bad food. They were willing to put to sea only if the French attacked. Very interesting historically. As usual a very good read.

[Neil Randall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too impressed with this one

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Mutiny really looks at the main character in a different light. In a previous book he deserts his ship but gets away with it by a ruse.

In mutiny he is all in for the mutiny and gets right behind the ring leaders, throwing his career and life in balance, I had to admire him for standing by his principles to the point of possibly facing the hangman.

However when everything goes wrong and the ringleaders are rounded up, Kydds principles go right out of the window, he has no qualms on turning his back on his coconspirators, even to the point of standing by and watching them be hanged!

On top of that his lame excuse gets him promoted the Lieutenant. This was a stretch (pun intended) for me and departed even further from reality than the previous Kydd books.

I have persevered and am reading Quarterdeck. Only to find Kydd smugly mention how he watched his fellow mutineers on the gallows. Has this guy no shame?

I am fast losing interest in him, as it appears he will do anything and step on anyone to further his extremely rapid rise through the ranks.

I will make my mind up after Quarterdeck if it's worth carrying on with the series. I'd suggest reading these novels if you ain't easily bored.

[Neil Mutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

having read the Hornblower and Bolitho sagas I have take-up another seafaring hero in Tom Kydd. Whilst I enjoyed this book, having read the first three, I dont think it has the power of the others, Hornblower in particular. Lots of details about rigging and the complex nature of how the ships work and the stories have life in them but often some very serendipitous outcomes which just take the edge of things for me.

Tom Kydd however is a likeable character and I will persevere to see how his progression goes.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This view of the British Naval Mutiny of 1797 from the "Nor" is quite fascinating. The complicated decisions being made under the pressure of people that could not fully understand the complexities of the situation offer real understanding into the behind the scenes workings. The portrayal of Renzi was a little exaggerated in places, but the story is a good read. Some very close situations that keep you on the edge of your seat. A worthy read!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Thomas Kydd and Nicholas Renzi keep each other out of trouble. This was a novel where the title gave away the plot, but not in the way I expected. It was interesting and I am loving the series. This book was not like the ones before it in that there was less adventure on the high seas, but it certainly didn’t lack adventure!

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many of the Kydd books this has several short storyline. Kydd finds love in Gibraltar. He then has a short cruise in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, the largest part of the book deals with Kydd involved with the fleetwide mutiny and not a lot of sea action. At the very end of the book they have a battle with the Dutch fleet at Campertown

[Marti Dolata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Naval Mutinies at Spithead and the Nore are a fascinating historical episode and thanks to Kydd's anomalous position, we get to see both sides of the strike at the Nore in this book. Highly Recommended.

[R B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although well written 90% of this book takes place anchored in the harbor. Not my idea of swashbuckling adventure. I hope the future books in this series manage to hoist the anchor and find the blue sea.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as engaging as earlier volumes...

[Jim Graczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not sure how Kydd was going to get out of being a mutineer but Renzi comes to the rescue! Satisfying ending.

[Jay Stansbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

an amazing adventure, I was thoroughly entertained.

[Charlie Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Renzi's saving Kydd from the yardarm.

[Paschalis]

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[Stephen D. Cohee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining Series

Great book. A true Sea Adventure. Very hard to put down. Looking at book 5 right now. Am looking forward to the entire series.

[Greg Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has hooked me!!!

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Chelsea Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a break from this series for a bit after a few false starts on Mutiny. I am glad I came back to it.