Jersey fishing Captain Jean Cotterell is rescued by a French frigate— The Hortense—off the Grand Banks of Nova Scotia in May 1794. His fishing vessel has foundered and he is the sole survivor. The Hortense is part of Republican Admiral Jan Van Stabel's great fleet of more than 100 ships bringing corn to France. Life on The Hortense is like France under the Terror—chaotic, ungovernable, and obsessed with savage, radical political theories. Separated from the Frenc...

From Robert Louis Stevenson’s 'Treasure Island' to Errol Flynn in 'Captain Blood' on to today’s 'Pirates of the Caribbean', the romantic image of pirates in modern Western popular culture has long been with us. But of course pirates come in many guises, and not all of them as charming as Johnny Depp.Pirates are outlaws who move quickly, a form of lawlessness based on the application of immense short term power by mobile forces which fade away, similar to guerrilla warfare.I...

The inspiration for the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen, #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings to life the extraordinary story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman who rises from obscurity to become Queen of England, and changes the course of history forever.Elizabeth Woodville is a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition. Her mother is Jacquetta, also known as the mystical lady of the rivers, and she is ...

The modern image of the pirate is derived from Captain Charles Johnson's accounts of the cut-throats who sailed under the Jolly Roger. It was he who gave mythical status to the likes of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. Using contemporary sources, Nigel Cawthorne now turns the spotlight on the reality of pirate life, revealing the truth behind the legends. It gives us an insight into the men - and women - their weapons, their ships, their unhappy victims and their hide-outs, including the capit...

''Lieutenant Hornblower'' by C.S. Forester is the second book in the classic Horatio Hornblower series, chronicling the early career of the British naval hero during the Napoleonic Wars. Uniquely, the story is primarily told through the perspective of Hornblower’s friend and loyal subordinate, William Bush. The crew is assigned to the HMS Renown in the West Indies, where they are plagued by the erratic and paranoid behavior of Captain James Sawyer, who suspects his officers of mutiny. When...

Revolution. Bloodshed. Glory. 1793. Returning triumphant from Corsica, Lieutenant John Pearce receives a mixed welcome. But with the siege of Toulon escalating in violence and the French Revolutionary Army preparing to attack, all thoughts of revenge must be put on hold as Pearce is entrusted with a dangerous mission. When their assignment goes awry, it is up to Pearce and his comrades to prevent the inevitable bloodshed, but challenging the Revolutionaries as well as their navy could be a...

Pressed into King George's Navy for the second time in a month, John Pearce and his comrades, the so-called Pelicans, find themselves working aboard HMS Griffin, a slow and over-crowded ship, sailing the Channel in search of the numerous French privateers that prey on English merchant shipping: her task to stop them and, if possible, to capture or destroy them.But Pearce has greater things on his mind: he must rescue his ailing father from the dangers of revolutionary Paris, and to...

The eighteenth chronicle in the Matthew Bartholomew series.It is drawing near to the end of term, and the University at Cambridge is in turmoil over the opening of a new Common Library. There is an attack on one of the masters at a meeting to discuss the matter, and a body is found floating in the pond in the library's garden on the eve of its opening.Meanwhile, there are rumours of a large force of dangerous smugglers lurking in the Fens. Aided by their fr...

After a number of months, a whirlwind of the press gang, service at sea, wild storms, bitter battles with the enemy and a promotion, John Pearce finally finds himself free to follow his own wishes, rather than being forced to serve any longer in King George's Navy. The same does not apply for the trio of Pearce's closest friends who, with him as their leader, call themselves the Pelicans. Unaware of this, and arriving in Portsmouth, Pearce feels certain he can free his comrades.How...

This third volume in The Lymond Chronicles, the highly renowned series of historical novels takes place in 1551, when Francis Crawford of Lymond is dispatched to embattled Malta, to assist the Knights of Hospitallers in defending the island against the Turks. But shortly the swordsman and scholar discovers that the greatest threat to the Knights lies within their own ranks, where various factions vie secretly for master.

From the “greatest living practitioner of historical fiction” (Christian Science Monitor) Thomas Keneally and his eldest daughter Meg Keneally comes the first novel in a fast-paced, gripping, and witty historical crime series.In the Port Macquarie penal settlement for second offenders, Hugh Monsarrat hungers for freedom. Originally imprisoned for forging documents to pass himself off as a lawyer, he is now the trusted clerk of the settlement’s commandant.

Autumn 1803, and Britain remains under the threat of invasion. HMS Prometheus is needed to reinforce Nelson's squadron blockading the French off Toulon, but a major action has left her severely damaged and the British Fleet outnumbered. Prometheus must be brought back to fighting order without delay, and the work proves more than a simple refit.Barbary pirates, shore batteries and the powerful French Navy are conventional foes, although the men of Prometheus