Description
'Balkan Glory is an epic chapter in the splendid Kydd canon, weaving knotty political gambits with stirring naval actions, expressively re-creating the often harsh reality Jack Tars witnessed within their wooden walls during the Napoleonic Wars' - Quarterdeck
1811. The Adriatic, the 'French Lake', is now the most valuable territory Napoleon Bonaparte possesses. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd finds his glorious return to England cut short when the Admiralty summons him to lead a squadron of frigates into these waters to cause havoc and distress to the enemy.
Kydd is dubbed 'The Sea Devil' by Bonaparte who personally appoints one of his favourites, Dubourdieu, along with a fleet that greatly outweighs the British, to rid him of this menace.
At the same time, Nicholas Renzi is sent to Austria on a secret mission to sound out the devious arch-statesman, Count Metternich. His meeting reveals a deadly plan by Bonaparte that threatens the whole balance of power in Europe. The only thing that can stop it is a decisive move at sea and for this he must somehow cross the Alps to the Adriatic to contact Kydd directly.
A climactic sea battle where the stakes could not be higher is inevitable. Kydd faces Dubourdieu with impossible odds stacked against him. Can he shatter Bonaparte's dreams of breaking out of Europe and marching to the gates of India and Asia?
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Readers LOVE Balkan Glory
'I can say without a doubt Balkan Glory is Stockwin's best of the series. All these elements make it so. It's great, involving reading (I was surprised when I reached The End!). It's what makes for great historical fiction'
'By far the best of the Kydd series. Can the next one possibly be as riveting?'
'One of my must have books each year'
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 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. More information can be found on his website at www.julianstockwin.com.
Reviews
Balkan Glory is an epic chapter in the splendid Kydd canon, weaving knotty political gambits with stirring naval actions, expressively re-creating the often harsh reality Jack Tars witnessed within their wooden walls during the Napoleonic Wars * Quarterdeck *
Balkan Glory utilises real events and people alongside its fictional cast of favourites who have gone from ship to ship with Kydd. Flying his commodore's flag in the frigate HMS Tyger, Kydd's ships engage in an epic clash . . . Balkan Glory is thrilling stuff indeed * Warships *
An impressively entertaining action/adventure novel by an author with a genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling style that keeps his readers compulsively engaged from cover to cover * Library Bookwatch *
There is the Stockwin roller coaster ride of triumphs and reverses and the play of court life against a life in a wooden warship. Once more a page turner that will keep the reader engrossed to the last page * Fire Reviews *
Book Information
ISBN 9781473698802
Author Julian Stockwin
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Series Thomas Kydd
Weight(grams) 289g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 32mm
