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Napoleon: The Escape
1818.
The Battle of Waterloo has been fought and won.
Napoleon has been exiled to St Helena, left by the British to spend the rest of his days rotting away in obscurity. But many still worship him as a God amongst men, and are desperate to see him free to rule and fight for them once again.
Samson Armstrong, an out-of-work ship’s captain, unwittingly stumbles on a plot to spring Napoleon from his imprisonment. Armstrong had been at sea during the Napoleonic Wars, commanding the ‘Tamarind’ for the East India Company. But with the war over, and Napoleon defeated, he has been sacked, like so many others, to scrape any living that he can.
Now, he once again finds himself caught up in the skirmish, as he overhears Napoleon’s favourite assassin, the spy Ledru, cementing plans to rescue the exiled emperor, with a rag-tag band of ex-Army men – and the latest American invention, the submarine. They will go to any lengths to free the people’s ‘hero’ and revive the battle against British rule.
Amongst those who have turned their back on the English government is Lord Cochrane, the once-famous frigate captain known as the ‘Sea Wolf.’ With impassioned speeches, and the promise of a hefty reward, Samson is persuaded to captain the ‘Tamarind’ for their cause.
Meanwhile on the island, Napoleon has made himself dangerous enemies: the British governor in charge of him who despises his arrogant attitude, and a spurned mistress who has borne his child. Her new lover is the ex-dictator’s personal physician – and he is experimenting with arsenic…
As the ship and the submarines near their destination the walls close in on Napoleon. Will Samson and the motley crew arrive to rescue him in time?
What really happened on the island of St Helena?
Did Napoleon die… or did he escape?
‘Napoleon: The Escape’ is a thrilling naval adventure story, combining fact and fiction to create one possible outcome for the many rumours which have surrounded Napoleon’s death.
Jan Needle has had more than forty books published, including the best-selling 'Death Order', ‘The Death Card’, ‘Nelson: The Poisoned River’ and ‘Nelson: The Dreadful Havoc’.
Praise for Jan Needle:
'Brilliant. I found myself being drawn back into that twilight world again, despite myself. I was grossly entertained and thrilled... [Jan Needle] is a rare talent.' Jimmy Boyle
'A thundering great novel. What's really amazing is how much he seems to know about so many different things...what more could you want from a thriller? A cracking good read.' Tony Parker, New Statesman & Society
'So topical...[Needle] develops a complex, ingenious plot at breakneck speed and has a sharp underdog's eye.' John McVicar, Time Out
'Compelling, vivid, racy...describes with unnerving prescience just what is going on...it will appeal equally to conspiracy and cock-up theorists.' Guardian
'Recalls the golden age of British investigative reporting: hard-hitting, crusading, alarming prescience.' The Times
The Battle of Waterloo has been fought and won.
Napoleon has been exiled to St Helena, left by the British to spend the rest of his days rotting away in obscurity. But many still worship him as a God amongst men, and are desperate to see him free to rule and fight for them once again.
Samson Armstrong, an out-of-work ship’s captain, unwittingly stumbles on a plot to spring Napoleon from his imprisonment. Armstrong had been at sea during the Napoleonic Wars, commanding the ‘Tamarind’ for the East India Company. But with the war over, and Napoleon defeated, he has been sacked, like so many others, to scrape any living that he can.
Now, he once again finds himself caught up in the skirmish, as he overhears Napoleon’s favourite assassin, the spy Ledru, cementing plans to rescue the exiled emperor, with a rag-tag band of ex-Army men – and the latest American invention, the submarine. They will go to any lengths to free the people’s ‘hero’ and revive the battle against British rule.
Amongst those who have turned their back on the English government is Lord Cochrane, the once-famous frigate captain known as the ‘Sea Wolf.’ With impassioned speeches, and the promise of a hefty reward, Samson is persuaded to captain the ‘Tamarind’ for their cause.
Meanwhile on the island, Napoleon has made himself dangerous enemies: the British governor in charge of him who despises his arrogant attitude, and a spurned mistress who has borne his child. Her new lover is the ex-dictator’s personal physician – and he is experimenting with arsenic…
As the ship and the submarines near their destination the walls close in on Napoleon. Will Samson and the motley crew arrive to rescue him in time?
What really happened on the island of St Helena?
Did Napoleon die… or did he escape?
‘Napoleon: The Escape’ is a thrilling naval adventure story, combining fact and fiction to create one possible outcome for the many rumours which have surrounded Napoleon’s death.
Jan Needle has had more than forty books published, including the best-selling 'Death Order', ‘The Death Card’, ‘Nelson: The Poisoned River’ and ‘Nelson: The Dreadful Havoc’.
Praise for Jan Needle:
'Brilliant. I found myself being drawn back into that twilight world again, despite myself. I was grossly entertained and thrilled... [Jan Needle] is a rare talent.' Jimmy Boyle
'A thundering great novel. What's really amazing is how much he seems to know about so many different things...what more could you want from a thriller? A cracking good read.' Tony Parker, New Statesman & Society
'So topical...[Needle] develops a complex, ingenious plot at breakneck speed and has a sharp underdog's eye.' John McVicar, Time Out
'Compelling, vivid, racy...describes with unnerving prescience just what is going on...it will appeal equally to conspiracy and cock-up theorists.' Guardian
'Recalls the golden age of British investigative reporting: hard-hitting, crusading, alarming prescience.' The Times
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 25, 2015
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About the author
Jan Needle
73 books33 followersJan Needle has written more than forty books, including novels for adults and children and literary criticism. He also writes plays for stage, TV and radio, including serials and series like Grange Hill, The Bill and Brookside. His first novel, Wild Wood, is a retelling of The Wind in the Willows with Toad, Rat, Mole and Co as the ‘villains’ - a sort of undeserving rural squirearchy – and the stoats and weasels as heroes. A new version was brought out recently by Golden Duck, with the original wonderful illustrations by the late Willie Rushton.
Although he is currently working on a film of perhaps his most celebrated children’s book, My Mate Shofiq, Jan has recently been concentrating on historical novels about his first and most enduring love, the sea, and a series of extremely gritty thrillers. His aim has always been to transcend standard genre writing, which has sometimes brought him disapproval. The ‘hero’ of his first naval fiction, A Fine Boy for Killing, is a borderline sadist, and life on the frigate Welfare undermines almost every heroic myth popularized by earlier writers. Loved or hated, his novels refuse to be ignored.
His thrillers are also firmly in the ‘noir’ spectrum. The most recent is The Bonus Boys, which features a hard-as-nails investigator called Andrew Forbes and his Scottish lover Rosanna ‘the Mouse’ Nixon, who first appeared in Kicking Off, a chilling warning about the fissile state of Britain’s crumbling prisons. More are in the pipeline, as are additions to a series of novellas about crime, the 18th century navy, and the secret world of spies and spying. Even the possibility that Napoleon escaped from his exile on St Helena is examined. Like many ‘mere conspiracy theories’ it uncovers some extraordinary possibilities.
Jan also attempts, in conjunction with Walker Books, to widen the readership for certain classic novels. They include so far Moby Dick, Dracula, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Woman in White, all aimed at a young adult audience . In his spare time, he sails boats and plays a variety of musical instruments.
Although he is currently working on a film of perhaps his most celebrated children’s book, My Mate Shofiq, Jan has recently been concentrating on historical novels about his first and most enduring love, the sea, and a series of extremely gritty thrillers. His aim has always been to transcend standard genre writing, which has sometimes brought him disapproval. The ‘hero’ of his first naval fiction, A Fine Boy for Killing, is a borderline sadist, and life on the frigate Welfare undermines almost every heroic myth popularized by earlier writers. Loved or hated, his novels refuse to be ignored.
His thrillers are also firmly in the ‘noir’ spectrum. The most recent is The Bonus Boys, which features a hard-as-nails investigator called Andrew Forbes and his Scottish lover Rosanna ‘the Mouse’ Nixon, who first appeared in Kicking Off, a chilling warning about the fissile state of Britain’s crumbling prisons. More are in the pipeline, as are additions to a series of novellas about crime, the 18th century navy, and the secret world of spies and spying. Even the possibility that Napoleon escaped from his exile on St Helena is examined. Like many ‘mere conspiracy theories’ it uncovers some extraordinary possibilities.
Jan also attempts, in conjunction with Walker Books, to widen the readership for certain classic novels. They include so far Moby Dick, Dracula, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Woman in White, all aimed at a young adult audience . In his spare time, he sails boats and plays a variety of musical instruments.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 29, 2015
Kindle Short about a plot to rescue Napoleon from St Helena and take him to South America (Peru) to found a new empire, using the newly invented submarine. Partly based on factual accounts of Napoleons exile on the island and his treatment by the Governor it makes for an interesting read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review