Quarterdeck

Thomas Kydd #5

by Julian Stockwin

Thomas Kydd was promoted to acting lieutenant at the bloody Battle of Camperdown in October 1797. Now, he must sit an examination to confirm his rank - or face an inglorious return before the mast. But this is only the first of many obstacles for a man who was pressed into the King's Service and discovered a calling for the sea. Kydd is from humble origins, yet he attains the lofty heights of the quarterdeck as an officer in His Majesty's Navy. If he is to avoid spending the rest of his career as a tarpaulin officer, he must also become a gentleman. Kydd and his enigmatic friend Nicholas Renzi set sail in HMS Tenacious for the North American station. Aboard the old 64-gun ship, Kydd comes to doubt he will ever match up to the high-born gentlemen officers. The frontier town of Halifax, which is also home to a British prince of the blood, provides a welcome diversion. Meanwhile, the young United States is in dispute with revolutionary France, the Quasi War, and Kydd finds himself in the USS Constellation in the heady days of the birth of the American Navy. On his return to Halifax, Kydd surmounts more hurdles, both personal and professional - will he ever see himself as truly one of a band of brothers?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Nautical, Historical, Adventure, War, Action

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

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

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2005, and its the 5th volume of the amazing "Thomas Kydd" series.

After the Battle of Camperdown, in October AD 1797, where Thomas Kydd was promoted as acting-lieutenant, he must now face his exam, whether he belongs to the high and mighty or an inglorious return before the mast as a common sailor.

In this test of hig-born gentlemen officers, the humbly born Thomas Kydd will get help from his best high-born friend, Nicholas Renzi, when they set sail in the 64-gun ship, HMS Tenacious, for the North American station.

Thomas Kydd and his crew enter the frontier town of Halifax, home to a British prince of the blood, but Kydd will also enter in the USS Constellation, part of the birth of American Navy, and take part while this young United States are in dispute with France, what is called the Quasi War.

Returning after a successful mission to Halifax Kydd will have to face more professional and personal discomforts, but if he wants to become one of the band of brothers he must try hard and act as one with the assured assistance from his friend Renzi.

What is to follow is a terrific naval adventure, with a lot of historical action, all told in an authentic and impressive manner by the author.

Highly recommended, for this is another great addition to this magnificent series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "An Excellent Quarterdeck"!

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kydd passes his lieutenant's exam and is the junior most officer on the ship. Coming from humble stock, he deals with loneliness, and is surprised how much it costs to be an officer.

There's sailing stuff, and battle, but then the whole ting becomes a slog as Kydd searches for his long lost uncle.

[Linda Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Julian Stockwin's Kydd series that I have read. I normally don't like to read a series out of order, but this one was offered for free and I wanted to test the waters. The water is fine! I will be purchasing this series from beginning to end.

If you love C. S. Forester and/or O'Brian you will also enjoy Stockwin just as much.

[Isaiah Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had some trouble following the maritime vocabulary and historical references, yet those are what made it a realistic story. The main character finds himself amid the turbulent Atlantic, world-powers at odds, and the social challenges that accompany climbing the Royal Naval ranks. I may read the next book in a few months!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into iron men and wooden ships, this series is for you. I've read a bunch of tales about the early British Navy and the detail included on the workings of these sailing vessels in the Kydd sagas is to be applauded. Fun stuff. Enjoy!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lieutenant Thomas Kydd sails to North America while still reflecting on his turn of fortune that landed him a position as officer on the quarterdeck. While he struggles to exhibit gentlemanly airs, he shows his courage in fighting the French and his hard-earned skills for navigating at sea. He’s a sympathetic character that we can’t help rooting for along with his friend, Nicholas Renzi. This is also a voyage of self-discovery as Kydd learns that what he has to offer is just as good as his high-bred fellow officers. Another fast-paced tale with exquisite seafaring details.

[Jake Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

another great Tom Kydd novel :)

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much improved over the last two books in the series. Tom Kydd is now a lieutenant!

[Joseph Feldman-Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this book a lot. Kydd continues to develop as a character, working out flaws and mistakes to make him more and more likable, and it shows among other characters. To me the most interesting moments are still his mistakes tho.

[Robin Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth 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.

This book is one of my personal fav's in the series, this is when Kydd gets his step, when he moves from one world to the next, its told so well and so powerfully you can just feel all the uncomfortable moments, all the resentment and all the enthusiasm of the various players in the story.

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)

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is not the first in the Thomas Kydd series of sea faring adventuers, in this instance set just before the start of the Napoleonic Wars, sufficient backstory is provided to keep the reader informed, and Stockwin move things along at a brisk pace. While for some there may not be enough sea battles, or minute of how things operate on a ship, this is a good read for fans of the genre.

Kydd is an exception for his day, a seaman who was press ganged into the navy, and through fortune and hard work managed to become a lieutenant. In some ways his greatest challenge now is to navigate the politics of the upper decks and not to kill his chances of further advancement.

His schooling as a gentlemen are done by his good friend and fellow officer Renzi and Kydd's sister while they are waiting for Kydd and Renzi's next posting. And, it develops that Kydd ends up on a ship who's captain frowns upon those who have risen through the ranks.

The central part of the story, in many ways, is Kydd's inner conflict with trying to find his place as an officer. This is further exacerbated by an assignment into the new United States where the class distinctions seems much less obvious to him.

[Alex Helling · Rating 3 out of 5]

The British have won the battle of Camperdown against the Dutch. And one of the consequences is that Thomas Kydd has been promoted to Lieutenant. In the first instance this means a chance to go home. But there is still a war on so Kydd is soon aboard the third rate Tenacious escorting a convoy to Halifax. The North America station is a quiet posting, but that does not mean things are going to be easy for a new lieutenant who has come up from the ranks in the class conscious Royal Navy. Quarterdeck is the fifth novel in the series following Kydd through the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars by Julian Stockwin.

Pros
Engaging story
Interesting side plots

Cons
Some plot elements feel like it is trying too hard, with precipitate ending
Minor quibbles

As with many of O’Brien’s novels (in my view the gold standard for age of sail fiction) Stockwin has realised that he can't always make the plot entirely focused on a specific naval mission; a battle or chasing an enemy raider. Here the naval combat is incidental to the wider plot focused on Kydd’s place in society. Newly promoted to a lieutenant would be fine. But he feels a fish out of water with the being a gentleman that comes with it which presents an interesting and unusual main plot element for a naval historical fiction book. But this main plot has a downside in that Stockwin clearly didn't know how to wind it up, so he ends up doing so in very quick fashion through essentially luck. Which is not very satisfying. I feel he probably would have done better not ending it so decisively, having an upturn and leaving it to other books in the future.

There are lots of side plots, which are variable. And side actions which are well drawn. That said there is probably more incidental combat in it than was actually needed, action is not actually necessary to get Kydd into some of the situations he gets into. With everything going on it feels quite fast paced even without a standout driving mission to keep up the tension.

As for the writing:

“They pulled through the wreathing fog-smoke, Kydd making certain of their course - its reciprocal would lead them back to their ship. Paradoxically the heavy breathing of the men at the oars sounded both near yet far in the unpleasant atmosphere that was weighing heavy on his sleeves and coat and trickling down his neck from his hat.” (p117)

I was very enthusiastic for the first two thirds to three quarters of Quarterdeck. Unfortunately I don't think the lead up to the end and the conclusion was very well handled. For a start there is a significant shift to focusing on British-American relations and even American politics. This comes about perfectly organically in the sense that a French frigate shelters from Tenacious in an American port. But from here I find things didn't work as well. First of all Kydd is pointed to as the obvious lieutenant to send ashore without explanation, and for essentially a diplomatic role this feels from what we know in the book to be untrue; Renzi should have been the obvious choice so it feels shoehorned for the plot (p227). We also at this point get scene changes to the US President and Ambassador Linton as points of view. This doesn't happen for anyone else and feels really odd. Particularly as what they were telling us was essentially background context that others who Kydd interacts with could have filled in (or Linton when meeting). And at the same time the period with the Americans doesn't really go anywhere and seems to just serve as a vehicle to give Kydd a boost out of the woes Stockwin has tossed him into.

There are also a couple of mistakes. First historical; we are told frigates will always be faster than a ship of the line (p219) which is not true… and in this case it seems to be in part because the French frigate is copper sheathed (p226) which did happen but was hardly universal. More damaging from a plot perspective there is an issue that he persuades the frigate Ceres to back off by referring to an earlier incident where there is a signalling problem (p307), the issue is that if Ceres has been there then she would surely have been used as a repeater (we are told there are none) and the incident wouldn't have happened. Of course the incident would have got around, but from second hand knowledge it is unlikely they would recognise the lieutenant involved.

This is my first time reading a Stockwin book, and I would certainly read others. But this one was not a great starting point. Lots of previous events are referred to throughout. But as I usually read on the basis of what I find in second hand bookshops I sometimes have to start at random points; I’ll be on the look out for the earlier books in the series!

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the Battle of Camperdown (October 1797), Thomas Kydd is promoted to lieutenant and assigned to HMS Tenacious, a 64-gun ship-of-the-line. He and his friend, Nicholas Renzi (who now holds the same rank), head to Kydd’s home while the ship undergoes repairs. During this leave, Thomas realizes that if he’s to succeed as a king’s officer, he needs to acquire the traits of a gentleman. An assignment that falls to Nicholas, who believes the request reasonable but nigh unto impossible. Still, with dogged determination, Thomas perseveres and benefits when his sister helps add further polish to his social graces.

When Kydd finally meets his new commander, all his hard work and practice cannot erase the fact that he is a tarpaulin officer (one who begins his career as a seaman who lives on the lower deck). Captain Houghton wants only gentleman officers, men he can rely on to represent the ship and the country appropriately. Therefore, Thomas is being reassigned . . . until urgent orders arrive that prevent that. Consequently, he becomes Tenacious’s fifth lieutenant, the most junior and the one responsible for the signal flags.

Assigned to the North American station, Tenacious leads a convoy of merchant ships west to Halifax. Not even out of sight of England, French privateers cut out slower vessels and it is Kydd who alerts the captain to this intrusion. As the voyage progresses, Thomas feels more and more like an outsider, someone who doesn’t belong among the other officers in the wardroom. It doesn’t help that Nicholas easily fits in and has found someone new with whom to have philosophical discussions. Before long, Thomas feels as if he’s caught between a world in which he doesn’t belong and one to which he can never return.

A misstep in reading the signal flags doesn’t help the situation; it merely serves to intensify the isolation and loneliness that he feels. Yet, what he doesn’t understand is that while he may lack all the social graces that the other officers have, he has knowledge and experience they lack because he has “come aft by the hawse.” This expertise comes in handy when he commands a ship’s boat amidst an ice field blanketed by fog from which the French emerge and fierce hand-to-hand combat ensues.

Thomas’s attitude begins to change during a dinner conversation on the admiral’s ship. Instead of worrying about his social station, he concentrates on becoming as informed as possible about global affairs and how events in one place affect events elsewhere in the world. Then someone from his past emerges who threatens his ability to lead men. Only his knowledge of life on the lower deck allows Thomas to effectively deal with the situation. An encounter with a French frigate with unexpected armament requires his knowledge of navigation and working in a shipyard to protect Achilles and those who serve on her.

Quarterdeck is an excellent account of what it is like to be a fish out of water in a world totally foreign to all that you know. It also shows the intricacies of what is required to be a lieutenant. Along the way, Kydd encounters three people who will influence his life in unexpected ways. One is a relative he has never met. The second is an American who wants the new United States Navy to be as successful as the Royal Navy. The third is a woman whose presence at a royal ball is “either inspired deviltry or the purest ignorance!” (312)

While readers may be unaware of the fact that one aspect of writing is to show how a character matures and changes between the beginning and end of a story, Stockwin does a superb job demonstrating this character arc in Quarterdeck. This allows us to experience the full gamut of emotions that Kydd does, while at the same time, we readily identify with each because in one way or another we’ve felt the same way.


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

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another pretty good Kydd novel. Like the others a couple of different storylines. Kydd going home after getting promoted. Getting used to a new ship and trying to behave like a gentleman. Once in his new station in Halifax he gets some time in town and to track down his uncle. Back at sea they are involved in a battle with a French Privateer near Cape Cod. He gets to go ashore and is seconded to the US Navy as an advisor.

[El Duende · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent page turner!

Okay, so Kydd's life is implausible. Who cares? Just be grateful that Julian Stockwin writes these incredibly entertaining seafaring novels. Quarterdeck is a special book in the series.

[Greg Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent series....if you were a mariner in a previous life. (I was)

[Jonatan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent sea-faring literature! What a ride from battlefield promotion to sitting the exam to learning to be a gentlemen and experiencing the birth of the US navy! Perefect sea adventure.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“[Knew] I was a wastin’ the years God gave me.”

There’s nothing quite like a rousing sea yarn. And the best seem to come in skeins. Stockwin’s offering distinguishes itself among distinguished company by taking us below the deck to see life as the tars saw it. Not since Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea have I read a story the sucked me so thoroughly into life a sea. Like so many others, the Kydd adventures are set in the glory days of the Royal Navy: when, like the Royal Air Force’s defense against Nazi tyranny, the Navy was all that stood between England and Bonapartist Europe.

“There is only one thing of more heroism than going aloft in such a hell: the moral courage to order others to do it.”

Quarterdeck marks Kydd’s transition from seaman to an officer, and a rocky transition it is. More than once Kidd (and others) question whether he has the stuff for commissioned service. Kydd's excursion to the United States offers a look at the formation of a new navy.

“It’s a land so big we don’t know how far it is t’the other side.”

Written by an English sailor, these books transports the reader to the deck of a ship under sail. Beyond thoroughly researched, this book has the feel of heaving deck and the smell of salt air--not to mention rank bilges and burnt gunpowder.

“[Research] is an aspect of being a writer that I particularly enjoy.”

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers below:

The book starts off with a prologue where Kydd is having his lieutenant's exam. A captain Essington gives him easy questions and pushes for him to pass his exam so he is successful. I'm reading this series out of order so I don't remember or know why this captain favors him.

He is commissioned into the 64 gun SOL Tenacious but gets some bad news right away. Captain Houghton doesn't like officers who are not gentlemen so he kicks him off the ship. But he is unable to get a replacement officer in time so in the end he has to take Kydd.

Their first mission is to sail to Halifax where the ship is to be part of the N. American squadron. The are several big events that I can remember. One is that he meets his long lost uncle here. His uncle has decided to shun society and live in the far backwoods with his Irish wife (the Irish were discriminated against at this time). Another is that he helps his ship capture a French privateer by using a drogue (shades of Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies).

Another is that he joins the newly establish American Navy as an observer and we see the beginning of the US navy. The last significant event is that he inadvertently helps out the Prince's mistress by bringing her to a society event and earns the Price's pleasure. This finally removes his stigma as a man before the mast, which is an underlying theme in the whole book (and the series).

Like the other books in the series, a lot happens in the book. As usual I fast read through some of the events I had no interest in. An excellent series overall.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Quarterdeck Kydd begins his career in the Gun Room as an officer. He feels very inadequate as he was not born a gentleman and enlists Renzi’s assistance to bring him up to speed. But Kydd is one of the luckiest guy in fiction and seems to always end up on his feet and finishes the book with a social coup that brings him social standing with his fellows. In between we learn many details (not covered in other books I’ve read) about the working of signal flags. Quite detailed and interesting. For some reason the Captain picks him for a mission to the United States where a French privateer has taken refuge. This gives the author a chance to outline US foreign policies of the time. His welcome is not entirely friendly as citizens of this seaport town are angry about impressment of Americans and the taking of American ships as prizes. The American navy is just in the process of being formed and Kydd meets a US Navy lieutenant who helps him sabotage the rudder of the privateer enabling Kydd’s ship to easily take it when it sailed out of port. As a result of his encounter with the American naval officer the US Secretary of the Navy makes a special request for Kydd to be a plenipotentiary aboard the US Constitution as she makes her way to sea. Kydd is first shut out but then accepted by the US Naval officers and is even offered a spot in the Constitution should he decide to become an American. He is tempted. But then his inadvertent social success seems to seal the deal for his future in the British Navy.

[Reggie Billingsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I worked in a bookstore we had a customer obsessed with Great Lakes stories. Historical mostly. I could order anything in that genre and he would buy it. Seafaring military tales such as Stockwin's, I suspect stand as hugely popular with a similar crowd.

A paperback of "Quarterdeck" came along and I thought, "Why not try it?"...stereotypically the cover sold me.

So I was surprised, despite the lengthy chapters, some so full of dense paragraphs of historical naval terminology I could barely figure out what was going on: where I only understood "the", "and" plus a few other land lubbing terms, my interest in Stockwin's tale crept forward and despite some absolutely necessary skimming on my part here and there (for sanity's sake), I was able to follow within reason.

Stockwin's characters and their motivations are conveyed in language that is still a tad simplistic and unnuanced, the plot turns on coincidence a few too many times and the social status issues, alas, remain in some ways still today.

Yet Stockwin's historical accuracy, due to a monstrous amount of dedicated research, comes across as both passionately accurate and vividly real in a period of past that should be better understood. I just might dip into a few others of the series and see what happens to Thomas Kydd.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Quarterdeck. Thomas Kydd and Nicholas Renzi are finally rated 4th and 5th Lieutenants on Tenacious, the Royal Navy ship they fought the French in at Camperdown. The gentleman’s world of the wardroom is as foreign to Kydd as it is familiar to Renzi and Thomas feels like a fish out of water, where he no longer fits in above or below decks and is left stranded by his preoccupied friend when he needs him most. In this instalment, their adventures take them across the Atlantic to Halifax, where events unfold to offer Kydd an unexpected opportunity to spend time aboard a new American 24 gun frigate. In the newly formed United States Navy, the class divisions of the British Navy are cast aside in favour of merit and honour - Will Thomas be tempted to make his short term arrangement more permanent, or will he persist in his ever more meaningless quest to be accepted as a gentleman by his captain and wardroom crew mates aboard Tenacious? And what of his friendship with Renzi? Has it run its course to a natural conclusion or will these two young seafaring philosophers repair their bond and remain brothers? I rate this one 4.5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jason Braida]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It introduced me to an era of North American history that I was not familiar with: The period of the Quasi-War, a period of the Quasi-War between the US and France which saw the establishment of the US Navy under president John Adams. And as a Canadian, the fact that much of the story was set in Halifax and the pre-confederation colonies of British North America was especially interesting to me. Watching Thomas Kydd navigate the transition from naval rating to officer in a Royal Navy obsessed with social rank and hierarchy was fascinating although the conclusion of this endeavour in the book's last chapter does seem somewhat contrived. All in all I am enjoying this series and will be adding the sixth book of this series to my "To Be Read" list.

[Maggie Shanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Kydd is a new lieutenant in the Royal Navy and proud of his promotion, but then he realizes that his job has more than just seamanship to juggle. Kydd is present at several sea battles and single handedly saves the day several times. I liked young intrepid Kydd and I was interested in Halifax and other aspects to the story, but I found the writing to be fractured. Several times the narrative jumps without smooth transitions and other times the use of pronouns made it difficult to tell who was suddenly talking. I also found the captain and the second in command to be almost interchangeable and never fully realized characters. Because I am interested in the topic and the character I will give more of the series a try, perhaps if I read them in order, they will make more sense.

[Richard Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history, good story

I have read all of Patrick O’Brien’s Captain Aubrey and CS Forester’s Hornblower. For historical detail and nautical accuracy I must admit that this series tops even them. That said, the characters are not as fully and realistically developed and the stories contain occasional elements that are either implausible or predictable. I find I can look past these weaknesses because I am enjoying the plot and the nautical history. Others who do not appreciate the amount of arcane details of life aboard ship may have less patience for the stories’ weaknesses. Overall I would say, If you like O’Brien and Forester, this series is certainly worth a try.

[Adam‘’s book reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 #. Quarterdeck Kydd is promoted to the officer Core as a lieutenant specifically Flag Lieutenant. He has trouble adapting to his new Life as an officer. He is assigned to a ship but he’s going to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia Canada which then was part of the British realm of control. Well in Canada he discovers a long lost family member in his temporarily reassigned to assist the U.S. NavyBefore returning to the British Navy in Nova Scotia.
In my opinion the book has way too few chapters in the chapters are too long. Also the author brings in people without much development or explaining why he bothers to bring in the people he does such as President John Adams

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came back to this series after finding a number of books at a used book store. So plunged back in somewhere in the middle of this series. This was not the strongest entry. The first part is the usual new lieutenant from before the mast fitting into a new wardroom, which is always good in these types of books but after that, not much action. With a number of shorter episodes in North America that really don't have the time to develop into anything too interesting. But, what the heck, it reads well and will lead to the next volume.

[Bob Rosenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hornblower, Bolitho, and now Kydd

I started in the middle of this series about a British tar climbing the ladder in the Royal Navy, but will look forward to picking it up from the beginning. It's a tried and true genre, of which I'm a veteran. I struggled on a few tries with Patrick O'Brian, but read every C.S. Forester and Alexander Kent novel years ago. Now I'll look forward to reading my next Julian Stockwin novel about the adventures of Thomas Paine Kydd, pressed into service and rising well above his birth.

[Hisham1969 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book in the series so far. Not a lot of action but plenty of nautical stuff. Kydd can be annoyingly whingy at times but I really started to like him in the last few chapters, although his sheer dumb luck got a bit over the top. I'm really looking forwards to the next instalment. One particular episode which I quite enjoyed had me wondering why no one has set a series in early 19th century US Navy yet.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful sea tale of early Englishman from a background that he must prove himself in very trying times.

As a sailor of sailboats I always enjoy reading most sea stories and this book kept me tuned in from start to finish. Not all writers I find can do this for me but Julian Hess the ability and I believe if you enjoy sea stories and history you'll love this one. Looking forward to more from this author