What do you think?
Rate this book
The Brethren of the Coast #1
The Guardship
WHEN THE PAST THREATENS TO CATCH UP WITH HIM, CAN HE MUSTER THE STRENGTH HE NEEDS?
When Thomas Marlowe decides to renounce his life as a pirate - and keep it a secret, he uses the bounty he has amassed to purchase a fine Virginia plantation from a beautiful young widow, Elizabeth Tinling.
While defending her honour, he kills the favourite son of one of the colony's most powerful families. But in a clever piece of manoeuvring, he manages to win command of the Plymouth Prize, the colony's decrepit guardship, and is charged with leading the King's sailors in battle against the cutthroats who infest the waters off Virginia's shores.
A threat from his illicit past appears, however, as an old pirate enemy plots to seize the colony's wealth, forcing Marlowe to choose between losing all - or facing the one man he fears.
The Guardship is the first book of the Brethren of the Coast trilogy. Marlowe's story continues in The Blackbirder.
When Thomas Marlowe decides to renounce his life as a pirate - and keep it a secret, he uses the bounty he has amassed to purchase a fine Virginia plantation from a beautiful young widow, Elizabeth Tinling.
While defending her honour, he kills the favourite son of one of the colony's most powerful families. But in a clever piece of manoeuvring, he manages to win command of the Plymouth Prize, the colony's decrepit guardship, and is charged with leading the King's sailors in battle against the cutthroats who infest the waters off Virginia's shores.
A threat from his illicit past appears, however, as an old pirate enemy plots to seize the colony's wealth, forcing Marlowe to choose between losing all - or facing the one man he fears.
The Guardship is the first book of the Brethren of the Coast trilogy. Marlowe's story continues in The Blackbirder.
477 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
108 people are currently reading
853 people want to read
About the author
James L. Nelson
61 books360 followersJames L. Nelson (1962-) is an American historical nautical novelist. He was born in Lewiston, Maine. In 1980, Nelson graduated from Lewiston High School. Nelson attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for two years, and then transferred to UCLA, with the ambition of becoming a film director. Nelson, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter Betsy lived for two years in Steubenville, Ohio, while Lisa attended Franciscan University. They also have two boys, Nate and Jack. They now live in Harpswell, Maine, where Nelson continues to write full time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 29, 2020
Pirates, pirate hunters and colonial politics
Another fine historical novel from James Nelson. This one features an exciting tale set mostly in Colonial Virginia - Williamsburg, the Tidewater country, the James river and Chesapeake Bay. There are pirates, pirate hunters, freed slaves, planters and above all "gentlemen" who are regarded as such only by condition of birth and true gentlemen who are made such by their actions and the content of their characters. And also a very fine lady made such by her actions and character.
Another fine historical novel from James Nelson. This one features an exciting tale set mostly in Colonial Virginia - Williamsburg, the Tidewater country, the James river and Chesapeake Bay. There are pirates, pirate hunters, freed slaves, planters and above all "gentlemen" who are regarded as such only by condition of birth and true gentlemen who are made such by their actions and the content of their characters. And also a very fine lady made such by her actions and character.
July 10, 2022
4.5/5
I’ve always been somewhat of an “armchair historian”; I love learning about history. Medieval, the ancient world, Colonial America, the US Civil War….this is what got me interested in it all. Now, I lap up anything, from any period, at any time or place. Somehow, pirates always got largely overlooked; most likely because of the cartoonish depictions we’re all so used to in the US. Johnny Depp, Jolly Rogers of dubious origins, Halloween costumes, Disney rides, and of course…
”AaaArrRrrRrgGGggGh!” Where does the cartoon end and the truth begin?
Well, James Nelson’s The Guardship may be a fair enough place to begin. It’s a novel, meant for entertainment , but James Nelson seems to have some nautical street cred: he was the captain of a full size replica of The Golden Hind, a 1577 galleon that Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe on. The seaworthy replica was meticulously built to the standards of the sixteenth century, and also completed a circumnavigation of the globe. Nelson is one of the few men on the planet with these kinds of skills, so the guy certainly knows a thing or two about maritime history.
Also, the book feels very realistic, for whatever that’s worth.
This book is about a mysterious wealthy planter in the Virginia tidewater, Thomas Marlowe, who has a bit of a shady and uncertain past, but nonetheless lands command of the Guardship in Williamsburg, the Plymouth Prize. His job is to enforce the law, but people quickly notice that Marlowe has an unusual way of operating that smells a lot more like privateering than proper behavior of the Kings Men. And lately there’s been a pirate ship, led by infamous pirate LeRois, terrorizing the local merchants. Will confronting these pirates bring up some ghosts from Marlowe’s murky past that he had hoped to keep buried? Read it and find out!
This review is long already, and I haven’t even touched on everything I loved about it, so I’ll be quick now. The writing was smooth, and the pacing was spot on. I usually like books that build slower, which this not one, but it doesn’t matter. The novel starts of with a bang—in the first couple chapters we get a feel for the type of man Thomas Marlowe is, and this was perfectly done. From there, the action begins and really doesn’t stop throughout the course of the entire novel. Marlowe is an excellent main character—obviously a good person with genuine values and standards. He practices what he preaches, and he lives by his own rules. However, he’s just gray enough to make him feel realistic. He’s a genuine article, but also a badass who doesn’t take a single ounce of shit from anyone.
The early Colonial setting was fantastic. You feel as though you’re right alongside Marlowe, in the stinky pubs or sailing down the James River to the Atlantic.
”The air was filled with the sounds of a late night in a port city—drunken laughter from any of several taverns, muted behind closed doors, arguments, the occasional scream, pistol shots. And behind it all was the constant buzz of the insects, frogs, and birds that lived in the swampy regions that surrounded the place.”
The info on the pirates was amazing. The way he describes the pirates approach of a vessel they plan to board was pretty terrifying; the way the pirates would chant about death, bang bones and drums, etc. It was psychological warfare, pure and simple, designed to terrify their target. And it very often worked.
Anyway, I’ll stop there. If you like historical fiction, Colonial USA, pirates, or anything even remotely similar, give this one a go. It’s one of those books that has very few flaws, and I have a hard time seeing how anyone could dislike this book to be honest. I will without a doubt be reading more Nelson books, especially the rest of these Brethren of the Coast series.
I’ve always been somewhat of an “armchair historian”; I love learning about history. Medieval, the ancient world, Colonial America, the US Civil War….this is what got me interested in it all. Now, I lap up anything, from any period, at any time or place. Somehow, pirates always got largely overlooked; most likely because of the cartoonish depictions we’re all so used to in the US. Johnny Depp, Jolly Rogers of dubious origins, Halloween costumes, Disney rides, and of course…
”AaaArrRrrRrgGGggGh!” Where does the cartoon end and the truth begin?
Well, James Nelson’s The Guardship may be a fair enough place to begin. It’s a novel, meant for entertainment , but James Nelson seems to have some nautical street cred: he was the captain of a full size replica of The Golden Hind, a 1577 galleon that Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe on. The seaworthy replica was meticulously built to the standards of the sixteenth century, and also completed a circumnavigation of the globe. Nelson is one of the few men on the planet with these kinds of skills, so the guy certainly knows a thing or two about maritime history.
Also, the book feels very realistic, for whatever that’s worth.
This book is about a mysterious wealthy planter in the Virginia tidewater, Thomas Marlowe, who has a bit of a shady and uncertain past, but nonetheless lands command of the Guardship in Williamsburg, the Plymouth Prize. His job is to enforce the law, but people quickly notice that Marlowe has an unusual way of operating that smells a lot more like privateering than proper behavior of the Kings Men. And lately there’s been a pirate ship, led by infamous pirate LeRois, terrorizing the local merchants. Will confronting these pirates bring up some ghosts from Marlowe’s murky past that he had hoped to keep buried? Read it and find out!
This review is long already, and I haven’t even touched on everything I loved about it, so I’ll be quick now. The writing was smooth, and the pacing was spot on. I usually like books that build slower, which this not one, but it doesn’t matter. The novel starts of with a bang—in the first couple chapters we get a feel for the type of man Thomas Marlowe is, and this was perfectly done. From there, the action begins and really doesn’t stop throughout the course of the entire novel. Marlowe is an excellent main character—obviously a good person with genuine values and standards. He practices what he preaches, and he lives by his own rules. However, he’s just gray enough to make him feel realistic. He’s a genuine article, but also a badass who doesn’t take a single ounce of shit from anyone.
The early Colonial setting was fantastic. You feel as though you’re right alongside Marlowe, in the stinky pubs or sailing down the James River to the Atlantic.
”The air was filled with the sounds of a late night in a port city—drunken laughter from any of several taverns, muted behind closed doors, arguments, the occasional scream, pistol shots. And behind it all was the constant buzz of the insects, frogs, and birds that lived in the swampy regions that surrounded the place.”
The info on the pirates was amazing. The way he describes the pirates approach of a vessel they plan to board was pretty terrifying; the way the pirates would chant about death, bang bones and drums, etc. It was psychological warfare, pure and simple, designed to terrify their target. And it very often worked.
Anyway, I’ll stop there. If you like historical fiction, Colonial USA, pirates, or anything even remotely similar, give this one a go. It’s one of those books that has very few flaws, and I have a hard time seeing how anyone could dislike this book to be honest. I will without a doubt be reading more Nelson books, especially the rest of these Brethren of the Coast series.
July 11, 2015
I went into this novel with a pre-cemented love of all things pirates, particularly Captain Blood, by Raphael Sabatini. The only pirate novel that has disappointed me is Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides, which was confusing, slow at times, and too "other-worldly" for a pirate novel. Here, Nelson has concocted a group of characters are are all interesting and engaging, and thrust them into an adventurous tale of a man's desire to escape his villainous past and start over again in the New World. For a time he succeeds, but it's fairly clear early on that he will not hold his secret long. Like any good pirate novel, Nelson has included an engaging and in ways, unexpected love story. The Guardship is the first in a three-novel series of the main character, Thomas Marlowe, but it could very well stand alone, like Captain Blood, as a complete story that ends more than satisfactorily at the end.
I also want to focus on Nelson as a writer--he is exceptional. He was inspired by parents who were both English teachers, and their influence on him shows in his vocabulary, and original sentence structure. One of his many effective strategies is to explain the scene from the perspective of the protagonist, and then immediately begin at the beginning of that same scene, but tell it from the perspective of the antagonist, or any other character important to the scene. This is brilliant. He does this a number of times throughout the story, and I cannot imagine loving this novel as much as I do had he not provided the stories from multiple perspectives. Nelson is a great writer, folks, and not a one-hit wonder. I enthusiastically will delve into the final two books in this trilogy, but for now, am overwhelmed by how much I enjoyed this novel. It brought me several days of pure enjoyment as I watched the injustice, and the revenge play out just as I would have hoped. Sheer perfection!
I also want to focus on Nelson as a writer--he is exceptional. He was inspired by parents who were both English teachers, and their influence on him shows in his vocabulary, and original sentence structure. One of his many effective strategies is to explain the scene from the perspective of the protagonist, and then immediately begin at the beginning of that same scene, but tell it from the perspective of the antagonist, or any other character important to the scene. This is brilliant. He does this a number of times throughout the story, and I cannot imagine loving this novel as much as I do had he not provided the stories from multiple perspectives. Nelson is a great writer, folks, and not a one-hit wonder. I enthusiastically will delve into the final two books in this trilogy, but for now, am overwhelmed by how much I enjoyed this novel. It brought me several days of pure enjoyment as I watched the injustice, and the revenge play out just as I would have hoped. Sheer perfection!
October 8, 2025
Un classico dell'avventura...non vedo l'ora di leggere gli episodi successivi!
June 2, 2025
Virgina 1701, Thomas Marlowe, ricco possessore di una piantagione di tabacco, è costretto a duellare con il rampollo di una delle famiglie più in vista di quella terra per l’onore della giovane Elizabeth Tinling, dopo questo accadimento si troverà a doversi difendere dai colpi bassi della stessa famiglia dell’uomo pronto a vendicarlo, oltre a ció Marlowe si vedrà impegnato, dopo aver preso a carico l’onere di essere guardiacoste, a combattere anche un temibile pirata, il Capitano Jean-Pierre LeRois che gli darà filo da torce.
Il guardiacoste peró saprà come combatterlo poichè nel suo passato c’è qualcosa che gli darà un vantaggio, qualcosa che lo stesso Marlowe ci terrà a tener segreto.
“Il pirata”, scritto da James L. Nelson ed edito in Italia nel 2014 è un bel romanzo che riesce a unire le grandi lotte marinare a momenti d’amore ed intrecci di potere.
Una storia estremamente vibrante, senza un attimo di respiro che va in crescendo sino al finale ben orchestrato e sicuramente degno del racconto tutto.
Interessante e ben riuscita è la narrazione, vista da diversi punti di vista, quello del protagonista, della sua giovane amata Elizabeth, del folle LeRois e della famiglia Willenson, antagonista del protagonista, capace di intrecciarsi perfettamente per creare un racconto corale denso e vibrante.
I personaggi, uno su tutti il protagonista, antieroe per eccellenza, sono ottimamente caratterizzati, credibili e ben inseriti negli accadimenti riuscendo cosí a dare largo respiro alla narrazione che, anche grazie ad una varietà di ambienti in cui si svolgono i fatti, rendono il tutto fluido e scorrevole.
Un romanzo di pirati, ma non solo, che non vede, come si potrebbe pensare, gran parte dell’azione in mare, bensì anche e forse in gran parte, sulla terraferma.
Assolutamente consigliato a chi ama il genere.
Il guardiacoste peró saprà come combatterlo poichè nel suo passato c’è qualcosa che gli darà un vantaggio, qualcosa che lo stesso Marlowe ci terrà a tener segreto.
“Il pirata”, scritto da James L. Nelson ed edito in Italia nel 2014 è un bel romanzo che riesce a unire le grandi lotte marinare a momenti d’amore ed intrecci di potere.
Una storia estremamente vibrante, senza un attimo di respiro che va in crescendo sino al finale ben orchestrato e sicuramente degno del racconto tutto.
Interessante e ben riuscita è la narrazione, vista da diversi punti di vista, quello del protagonista, della sua giovane amata Elizabeth, del folle LeRois e della famiglia Willenson, antagonista del protagonista, capace di intrecciarsi perfettamente per creare un racconto corale denso e vibrante.
I personaggi, uno su tutti il protagonista, antieroe per eccellenza, sono ottimamente caratterizzati, credibili e ben inseriti negli accadimenti riuscendo cosí a dare largo respiro alla narrazione che, anche grazie ad una varietà di ambienti in cui si svolgono i fatti, rendono il tutto fluido e scorrevole.
Un romanzo di pirati, ma non solo, che non vede, come si potrebbe pensare, gran parte dell’azione in mare, bensì anche e forse in gran parte, sulla terraferma.
Assolutamente consigliato a chi ama il genere.
August 28, 2025
A pirate adventure of epic proportions- I myself felt at times I was on the Guardship, and the amount of sea/ship knowledge gained from this reading is unmatched. 4 stars-
March 9, 2025
Offering nearly everything one could want from a classic colonial pirate adventure, James L. Nelson's "The Guardship" intertwines gripping revenge plots between its cast of few but deeply developed characters, delivering an accessible swashbuckling tale that nearly anyone can find enjoyment in.
March 23, 2016
Puedo decir que es un buen libro pero hasta ahi. Es de esas literaturas que te ayudan a pasar el rato y llenandote de conocimientos con respecto a un punto especifico, en este caso la pirateria en la costa de la Estados Unidos colonizada, en que el tabaco era el principal producto y hacian de virginia el estado mas prospero de esta colonia britanica. Los personajes tienen un plus, que estan bien hecho y por ello vives la historia con ellos, hasta el punto de la historia pasar a ser intrigante en cuanto a los acontecimientos. Los escenarios estan bien escritos a como era un colonia inglesa para esa epoca: la economia, la politica, la esclavitud, entre otros aspectos resaltantes de la historia. Parto de la idea que el ser humano puede cambiar pero en una etapa muy temprana de su vida, en este caso Malaquias Barrow cambio a Thomas Marlow a la edad de 25 años, seres del cielo a la tierra por la influencia de un buen maestro. Un ejemplo interesante a estudiar.
December 12, 2017
Had read this author's "Revolution at Sea" series and enjoyed that. It was set mainly around Rhode Island, which I was familiar with, and this book is set in and around Williamsburg and Tidewater, which I'm even more familiar with, so I thought I'd enjoy it even more. Sad to say I didn't. The book is best when it's on the water and the author's experience with sailing ships is put to great use in creating realistic, tense nautical action. When it's ashore, the action is only a cut above a soap opera with rather cardboard characters. It was this part of the book that caused me to start and stop reading it over the course of about two months. Although I have to say the author does get his Virginia geography pretty spot on, creating a realistic setting for these characters, blasé though they may be.
May 16, 2016
This was a pretty fun, light romance, very swash-buckling adventure tale. Sort of formulaic, but a good read in spite of that.
I don't usually go for the adventure books, and almost never for the romances, but this one wasn't too sappy-drippy with the love story, and who doesn't love a pirate that is trying to remake himself into a gentleman?
I'll probably read the next book in the series, just because I want to see how things end up for Elizabeth and Marlowe.
I don't usually go for the adventure books, and almost never for the romances, but this one wasn't too sappy-drippy with the love story, and who doesn't love a pirate that is trying to remake himself into a gentleman?
I'll probably read the next book in the series, just because I want to see how things end up for Elizabeth and Marlowe.
April 14, 2010
In the early 18th Century, Thomas Marlowe fights a duel over a woman's honor and gains the enmity of a powerful family in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is awarded the captaincy of the guardship, a man-of-war defending Williamsburg against pirates.
This swashbuckling adventure should be next to "Treasure Island" on your shelf. Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!
This swashbuckling adventure should be next to "Treasure Island" on your shelf. Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!
January 8, 2017
another heave ho yo ho ho ripping yarn. Great swashbuckler!
March 26, 2018
I had a hard time retaining my interest in the storyline and characters. It wasn’t bad writing; for some reason, I was just never engaged in the adventure.
May 8, 2018
History and Adventure
This is the story of Captain Marlowe, a pirate who decides to go straight around the year 1700. Retired to a tobacco plantation near the new state capital, Williamsburg, his former pirate captain is after him and when he accepted command of the colony’s guardship he unwittingly sets up a climactic battle with the pirate ship Vengeance.
The story has numerous subplots including a romance, and the author shows his ability to create a suspenseful plot with loads of action and intrigue.
However, this book didn’t come off quite as well as his series of Viking Ireland books. While he doesn’t make obvious errors in naval terminology or local color — I would notice both of those, having visited Williamsburg many times and owned 7 boats over a lifetime of sailing — I found quite a few improbable events in the plot. The ships are not described enough that I felt I knew what they were like, and what description was there seemed like it might be wrong.
For example, full rigged ships are described with spritsail topmasts like the VASA (1628), while there’s a gaff rigged sloop with modern, triangular headsails. I think by 1700 all full rigged ships would be built with a jibboom and modern headsails, and a Navy boatswain could easily convert any older vessels. When the new Vengeance goes aground while pusuiing the guardship, the battle should have ended in half an hour. Marlowe should have tacked immediately, crossing the pirates’ bow and delivered a raking broadside. Another tack and the other broadside and there wouldn’t have been much left of the pirates. Launching small boats using stay and yard tackles — his reason for continuing to flee — takes far too long to expose the guardship to boarders on the disengaged side! Indeed, several of the naval actions seem poorly conceived. The notion that the captured merchantman is more than a match for the Navy guardship simply isn’t believable.
Plus, the notion that Marlowe could have been commissioned into the Royal Navy just on the governor’s say so seems sketchy compared to the bureaucratic Admiralty. Marlowe doesn’t have any records of prior service and of course he can’t admit he learned to fight a warship from Captain Lerois the pirate! So, just too many flaws that make it hard to suspend disbelief.
This is the story of Captain Marlowe, a pirate who decides to go straight around the year 1700. Retired to a tobacco plantation near the new state capital, Williamsburg, his former pirate captain is after him and when he accepted command of the colony’s guardship he unwittingly sets up a climactic battle with the pirate ship Vengeance.
The story has numerous subplots including a romance, and the author shows his ability to create a suspenseful plot with loads of action and intrigue.
However, this book didn’t come off quite as well as his series of Viking Ireland books. While he doesn’t make obvious errors in naval terminology or local color — I would notice both of those, having visited Williamsburg many times and owned 7 boats over a lifetime of sailing — I found quite a few improbable events in the plot. The ships are not described enough that I felt I knew what they were like, and what description was there seemed like it might be wrong.
For example, full rigged ships are described with spritsail topmasts like the VASA (1628), while there’s a gaff rigged sloop with modern, triangular headsails. I think by 1700 all full rigged ships would be built with a jibboom and modern headsails, and a Navy boatswain could easily convert any older vessels. When the new Vengeance goes aground while pusuiing the guardship, the battle should have ended in half an hour. Marlowe should have tacked immediately, crossing the pirates’ bow and delivered a raking broadside. Another tack and the other broadside and there wouldn’t have been much left of the pirates. Launching small boats using stay and yard tackles — his reason for continuing to flee — takes far too long to expose the guardship to boarders on the disengaged side! Indeed, several of the naval actions seem poorly conceived. The notion that the captured merchantman is more than a match for the Navy guardship simply isn’t believable.
Plus, the notion that Marlowe could have been commissioned into the Royal Navy just on the governor’s say so seems sketchy compared to the bureaucratic Admiralty. Marlowe doesn’t have any records of prior service and of course he can’t admit he learned to fight a warship from Captain Lerois the pirate! So, just too many flaws that make it hard to suspend disbelief.
August 26, 2025
I've definitely got a soft spot for pirate narratives, going all the way back to Rafael Sabatini's excellent Captain Blood. This first in the "Brethren of the Coast" trilogy is not Pirates of the Caribbean, but more like Pirates of the Chesapeake. At the dawn of the 18th century, Williamsburg, Virginia is Britain's ramshackle colonial quasi-capital. Tobacco plantation owners form the wealthy elite, and their tobacco crops harvested by enslaved people bring in wealth. But that trade is attractive to pirates lurking in the waters around the Chesapeake Bay.
A new addition to this plantation elite is the mysterious Thomas Marlowe, who seems to have more cash than most are used to seeing. One of his first acts is to free the slaves of the plantation he's purchased, allowing them to stay as freeman paid wages. As pirates threaten with coastal raids, the Captain of the colony's one titular guardship is revealed as a thief and Marlowe is given temporary command. There is, of course, a fetching widow, some nasty venal plantation owners, hidden identities, and a pirate nemesis.
There's plenty of plotting, intrigue, and action, sure to satisfy fans of historical adventure fiction. It's nothing groundbreaking, but I enjoyed the colonial setting and will gladly read the other two in the series.
A new addition to this plantation elite is the mysterious Thomas Marlowe, who seems to have more cash than most are used to seeing. One of his first acts is to free the slaves of the plantation he's purchased, allowing them to stay as freeman paid wages. As pirates threaten with coastal raids, the Captain of the colony's one titular guardship is revealed as a thief and Marlowe is given temporary command. There is, of course, a fetching widow, some nasty venal plantation owners, hidden identities, and a pirate nemesis.
There's plenty of plotting, intrigue, and action, sure to satisfy fans of historical adventure fiction. It's nothing groundbreaking, but I enjoyed the colonial setting and will gladly read the other two in the series.
July 12, 2023
Perennially uncertain about this. I can't fault the author's knowledge of the setting and themes. I always felt in safe hands that his accuracy was perfect, but I feel like some storytelling ability was sacrificed to accommodate that. I enjoyed the start, I thought the set-up for the adventure in the first few chapters was very well done but then it started fizzling out and I lost engagement with what was happening. There were a lot of seemingly key moments with just fade off without consequences (most notably Elizabeth being broken out of the jail) There's no real "arc" to the story, it's just "pirates doing things" until suddenly an ending comes along for no other reason apart from there had to be one eventually. It was just a bit too long to hold my interest, especially with a lack of any significant twists and turns.
August 28, 2018
It honestly surprises me that this book does not have a higher rating. I went into it with mediocre expectations, having just picked it off the bookshelf by chance. Wow, was I blown away. It is quite the page turner. Sometimes it seemed that buildup and tension didn't lead to anything, but it held my attention nonetheless and the stakes were certainly high enough that it mattered to know what would happen next. The characters were all likeable, even the antagonists in their own way. I'm not one for romance but found myself rooting for the main couple anyway. If you're worried, the romance does not make up a huge part of this book. The focus is on the action. An all around enjoyable and recommended read. 5 stars because I simply could not stop reading it.
July 14, 2017
This is not the usual genre I read, but somewhere along my travels I ended up with the second book in this series, so I thought I should read the first one. I thought if nothing else I would enjoy the historical aspects, but I really enjoyed the whole book. Pirates, intrigue and excitement on the high seas, what more could you ask for? I liked the characters and I really liked how the author gave a lot of detail about the history of the area and the ships without dragging you through it or going on and on. He balanced what you needed to know to understand the story without boring you with too many details. A good, adventurous read, I look forward to the second one!
October 23, 2022
Gobbled this one up and proceeded to to binge right through the rest of the Brethren of the Coast trilogy. Definitely scratched my 'sailing ship stories' itch. Marlowe is a fascinating character, whose best friend (doesn't make it to the end of the series) is the erudite fellow that polishes a pirate into a southern gentleman. Other good characters -- a great villain who resists getting slain until the end (?), a luscious southern belle with a secret past -- but Marlowe's the hero, and everything one expects from this semi-formulaic genre.
December 12, 2023
Thomas Marlowe, a reformed pirate, takes on the job of captaining the guardship meant to protect the Chesapeake Bay from pirates. This takes place in 1701 and includes the ancestor of Nelson's protagonist from the Revolution at Sea series. It's a very well told story during the time when the Virginia Colony was still considering itself to be part of the British Empire, but was still a place in great flux. Marlowe's instincts are that he wants to be a good man, but when cornered he reverts to his time as a pirate.
October 23, 2019
I picked this novel up in a charity shop, and I am glad I did! Nelson tells the story of Thomas Marlowe, a man on the make in Colonial Virginia. But he has a dark secret, which of course emerges as the plot unfolds. What follows is an enjoyable romp full of swash and buckle, a wee bit of suggested bodice ripping, and pirates! All good fun, and I will keep an eye out for the rest of the series. Nelson isn't quite Patrick O'Brian, but then who is? 8/10.
September 6, 2020
A great start to a new series by James Nelson. Thomas Marlowe has left his pirate past behind him, settling in the Virginia tidewaters. He has purchased a plantation, freed the slaves and made them partners. When he is called upon to defend the shipments of tobacco from pirates, he comes face to face with his past.
Well written by Nelson, one of the best at these stories. If you like Bernard Cornwell, you will feel right at home here. Looking forward to the next two books in the series.
Well written by Nelson, one of the best at these stories. If you like Bernard Cornwell, you will feel right at home here. Looking forward to the next two books in the series.
August 6, 2023
I had every intention of finishing the Hornblower books before starting another sea-faring series. But I was curious about this book, set in the US, before the afore-mentioned exploits. Wow, I am so glad I dipped my toe in. This book had everything; action, adventure, pirates, romance, revenge, jealousy, pride and prejudice, both on land and at sea. Gripping from start to finish, whilst maintaining depth of character and description throughout. I may have to put Hornblower on hold for a while!
June 21, 2024
Actually a 2.5. This historical fiction is set in 1701 Colonial Virginia, Williamsburg and Jamestown. The colonies used the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay to travel and transport goods. The pirates often hid in the inlets to attack the vessels. Guardships were British royal navy ships patrolling the bay to protect the colonists. Nelson does a great job of describing life in the colony. He also describes in detail the care and sailing maneuvers of the ships.
June 24, 2024
This was AWESOME!
It’s so GOOD, that it has made me write my first review on GR EVER :)
Really entertaining tale, page turner, great adventure, cool and likeable characters and something else, maybe Nelson’s writing that puts it above similar books and have the extra “WOW factor”…
I thought I would like this book, but I absolutely loved it.
Truly recommend to anyone interested in a quality historical adventure novel!! Will definately read more from Nelson!
It’s so GOOD, that it has made me write my first review on GR EVER :)
Really entertaining tale, page turner, great adventure, cool and likeable characters and something else, maybe Nelson’s writing that puts it above similar books and have the extra “WOW factor”…
I thought I would like this book, but I absolutely loved it.
Truly recommend to anyone interested in a quality historical adventure novel!! Will definately read more from Nelson!
August 31, 2024
Swashbuckling, stabby and full of shit talking pirates. What’s not to love? The premise is simple: a bad dude escapes a band of bad friends and reinvents himself as a good dude but then the bad friends find him and he’s forced to become a bad dude again to protect good people. Just the right amount of action and wisdom for this dumb dude to thoroughly enjoy aka a perfect dad book. Stephen Nelson feels criminally underrated and I’m excited to take on his Irish Viking series soon.
August 21, 2025
Rather disappointing - as there is not a single deep dimension in this book and it is full of cliches - especially about pirates and naval engagements. In the end the main character defeats his enemies, gains respectability, and marries the beautiful girl. I guess that if I want high quality literature, adventure, naval, humor, and historical novels I need to return to the Aubrey-Maturin series for the nth time; and give up the hope of discovering something new that is worth reading.
December 4, 2020
Gritty
It is no surprise that the author served in many areas of a sailing ship. His descriptions and technical language are very impressive , I think.not having that background I can only guess but the important thing is that they have a true ring which gives life and colour to the story which by the way is a cracker hope you enjoy it as much ad I did
It is no surprise that the author served in many areas of a sailing ship. His descriptions and technical language are very impressive , I think.not having that background I can only guess but the important thing is that they have a true ring which gives life and colour to the story which by the way is a cracker hope you enjoy it as much ad I did
October 13, 2021
Revisiting an old friend
One of the first books of Nelson that I read. Enjoyed it throughly again. Former pirate trying to establish a new life and a new identity in Virginia. Hoping to avoid his past from haunting him, he is put in charge of the guardship who’s duty is to protect shipping from the pirates.
One of the first books of Nelson that I read. Enjoyed it throughly again. Former pirate trying to establish a new life and a new identity in Virginia. Hoping to avoid his past from haunting him, he is put in charge of the guardship who’s duty is to protect shipping from the pirates.
July 29, 2023
I appreciate what Nelson is trying to accomplish and enjoyed the piratey battles and sailing. But it just doesn't sit comfortably for me to treat slavery, racism, sexism, and sexual abuse as trivial character traits of the bad guys, drop a historical deus ex machina so that the good guys are progressive, and then tell a bawdy and violent tale as if it were good clean fun in that context.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews