A blend of highs and lows that will affect each reader in different ways. It is consummate storytelling that is not to be missed.

– Pirates and Privateers

Fans of fast-paced adventure will get their fill with this book.

– Historical Novels Review Online

A rousingly exciting and delicious full-immersion in the perils of seafaring and society during the great Age of Sail!

– Dewey Lambdin, author of the Alan Lewrie series

Period dialect and seagoing argot aplenty add credibility to the adventure, and the unworldly Kydd is an apt lens for the reader's journey.

– Publishers Weekly

Comparable to C.C. Humphreys’s Jack Absolute series and the naval tales of the great Patrick O’Brian.

– Library Journal

The vantage point of the common sailor gives the nautical novel a fresh twist. In Stockwin’s hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world.

– The Guardian

Stockwin's writing is enriched by his own experiences in the Royal Navy, which gives scenes of fighting and tempest an authenticity to delight anyone who shares his passion for the sea.

– Daily Telegraph

Elegantly plotted . . . the writing has the power of a broadside at close range.

– Oxford Times

Stockwin's descriptions of the bloody reality of naval combat 200 years ago are memorably vivid, and reveal a profound respect for the seamen who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help save their country.

– Yorkshire Evening Post

Likable Tom and his shipmates make a snug fit in that page-turning Forester and O'Brian tradition—thanks to retired Royal Navy author Stockwin.

– Kirkus Reviews