Mutiny: A Kydd Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures Book 4)

I enjoyed the experience of hearing about a pressed man, moving up the ranks. It's a little bit of a different twist from reading books about the Napoleonic wars.

This novel finds Thomas Kydd serving as a master's mate on board the 64 gun ship Achilles. Initially they go to Gibraltar in early 1797, where Kydd becomes involved with a married woman. His friend, Nicholas Renzi, gets him temporary duty on a frigate bound on a special mission to the Adriatic Sea in order to pry him loose from an affair that could ruin his career (and maybe get him horsewhipped by the woman's husband). This adds a side adventure to the plot with a good description of events in Venice as Napolean closes in to occupy the city. We also learn something of Renzi's past life.After returning to his ship in Gibraltar, the Achilles returns to England and is diverted to the Nore after learning of the mutiny at Spithead. That only delays the problem, and actually gets the ship into a bigger problem when the mutiny spreads to the Nore and the North Sea fleet. Kydd finds himself drawn into the plot and putting his life on the line as a mutineer.The novel is one of the better descriptions of the events at the Nore and within the North Sea fleet. The author has carried out some good research, and gives a good description of the area at that time, as well as the events within the mutiny. Nicholas Renzi needs to go to great lengths to preserve Kydd's life, but makes him a turncoat to the foredeck hands. Kydd also loses Kitty, the new love in his life (sailors seem to have raging hormones that take them from woman to woman).The novel ends with action at the Battle of Camperdown, and Kydd's step up to a temporary rank of lieutenant and a meeting with Admiral Onslow, from the same town in England, which brings him to the admiral's attention. The Admiral knows of the school run by Kydd's parents.One reason I did not give the novel a five star rating is because of errors in the extraneous material introduced by the author, always a problem especially when an author inserts color commentary. Some literary license can be tolerated, but not errors in basic geography. In the last sentence of Chapter Two, for example, he puts Naples in the northern Adriatic (please invest in a map before you write the next novel). There is also a problem with the interlude in Gibraltar as women and children had been evacuated before the time indicated in the novel. The evacuation is covered in the biography of Peter Puget, who commanded the ships used for the evacuation.I would note that I have the same problem with Stockwin's novels that I had with O'Brien's novels, i.e., too much action in too short a time period, with ships zipping about at high speed from one point to the next. In reality, sailing was a slow business, especially if you encountered head winds. Also, the descriptions of ship handling may leave the reader a bit glassy-eyed if one is not a deep-water sailor. It was a very technical profession which Stockwin has made very evident.I would question the author's comments about the lack of masters mates, which some accounts from the period seem to indicate were fairly common. Perhaps this was a transition period where more emphasis was placed on midshipmen (who, essentially, were untrained apprentices and highly expendable).

Mostly about the mutiny of the British fleet at Spithead and the Noire during the Napoleonic wars. Very little sea action.Kydd's character as revealed in this volume of the series is not very attractive to me. The way he got out of trouble for his actions during the mutiny was pretty unrealistic. Unless you have a serious interest in the mutiny, you may, as I did, find much of this full or even boring.

The first three Kydd adventures gave me great pleasure. This one was a disappointment.The first 150 pages consist of three disconnected stories. In Gibraltar, Kydd becomes infatuated with a married woman. Then he's wisked away on an incursion into the Adriatic which, for awhile, holds promise of becoming an interesting tale. But eventually he sails back to Gibraltar with this adventure inconclusive and unsatisfying. Upon his return, Kydd fears a confrontation with the lady's husband. However, a fortuitous and improbable misunderstanding keeps the husband in the dark. And so, when Kydd departs for England, his romance comes to an inconclusive and unsatisfying end. Crossing the Bay of Biscay, there's a naval battle (finally). But after a great beginning, this confrontation also is inconclusive and unsatisfying. None of these three stories has anything to do with the mutiny or with each other.But at around page 150, begins the infamous Noor mutiny, from which this book derives its name.When a fictional character is dropped into a great historical event, the author must write two stories: the big story of the epic event, and the little story, consisting of the hero's personal tale. And, it is essential that the big story remain in the background while the smaller, personal tale is kept center stage. But here, Kydd has no personal tale. He has no goals outside of the mutiny, and even there, he is ineffective. As acknowledged on page 299: "[Kidd] had been carried along by events and was as powerless to affect them as a leaf in a fast stream." Kydd has been reduced from his normal status as action hero to a mere observer of events. More damningly, the events consist mainly of strategy meetings, negotiations, and political maneuvering. The title of this book should be "Mutiny: A Kydd Bureaucratic Adventure."However, at the 300-page mark, Kydd's old friend Renzi swings into action. It is he who provides the "little story." Renzi must save Kydd from the certain doom towards which Kydd is being carried. Kydd has no idea how to save himself and for most of the time is even unaware of his own danger. Renzi shows insight, cleverness, daring and a dash of perfidy in his efforts to save his old friend. Although Kydd is this book's main character, Renzi proves to be the hero.Then suddenly, Stockwin wakes up and remembers that his title has promised a sea adventure. So, he ends his book with a fleet action--a fleet action which, not surprisingly, has nothing to do with the rest of the book, not the mutiny, not the married lady, not the Adriatic incursion, and not the early sea battle. Although I must admit, it is a wonderfully written fleet action.In sum, the first 150 pages of "Mutiny" are irrelevant. The next 150 pages are boring. The final 50 pages save the book, getting it three stars.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and heartily recommend it to anyone who, like myself, wishes to be immersed in the world of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars.Mr. Stockwin knows how to spin a yarn and I am looking forward to starting book 5.

Mutiny really look at the main character in a different light. In a previous book he deserts his ship but gets away with it by a ruse.In mutiny he is all in for the mutiny and gets right behind the ring leaders, throwing his career and life in balance, I had to admire him for standing by his principles to the point of possibly facing the hangman.However when everything goes wrong and the ringleaders are rounded up, Kydds principles go right out of the window, he has no qualms on turning his back on his coconspirators, even to the point of standing by and watching them be hanged!On top of that his lame excuse gets him promoted the Lieutenant. This was a stretch (pun intended) for me and departed even further from reality than the previous Kydd books.I have persevered and am reading Quarterdeck. Only to find Kydd smugly mention how he watched his fellow mutineers on the gallows. Has this guy no shame?I am fast losing interest in him, as it appears he will do anything and step on anyone to further his extremely rapid rise through the ranks.

Read this book in 2005, and its the 4th volume of the wonderful "Thomas Kydd" series.The year is AD 1797, Kydd, now master's mate, in company of his best high-born friend Nicholas Renzi and the rest of the crew, sails the the fabled Rock of Gibraltar, and in an attempt to win a lady's heart he joins a dangerous to Venice to rescue a diplomat from the clutches of the French.After this experience and heading first back to Gibraltar, Kydd and his men set sail to England, to be confronted with an unusual situation.This unusual situation is their involuntary involvement in the Mutiny at the Nore, with thousands of men holding their ships and cannons at ransom while the Government is nearly bankrupt.This insurrection will finally fail, but it will instil one other important matter and that is when the Dutch threaten England, and the French looking for the kill, England must overcome this threat from the Dutch, and that will be sealed with a glorious but also a very bloody victory at the Battle of Camperdown.What is to follow is a brilliant naval adventure, in which the Mutiny at the Nore as well as the Battle of Camperdown is wonderfully pictured in all its ferocity and bloodletting during this famous Battle, and all this is brought to us in a most authentic and impressive fashion by the author.Highly recommended, for this is another top-class naval adventure to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Marvellous Mutiny"!

This is a story of the harshness surrounding the lives of our Naval seamen.Their daily battles of survival against cruelty handed out by sadistic men of some power. Yet these same seamen must also face the horrors of action and battles against the enemies of Britain.In this maelstrom of activity our Thomas Kydd has to make a choice. His naive outlook on the realities of life puts him in a most awkward and difficult place. His love for the navy, his loyalty to his country, both are being weighed against his strong loyalties to his fellow sailors. His choice is not easy. To find himself in irons and facing the hangmans rope plus his future destroyed has him rethinking his actions and what other options had he. Then a miracle in the form of a reprieve finds his fortunes reversed. His one friend Nicholas has secured his freedom and the opportunity to make another start.He is assigned to a ship and headed for a battle with the Dutch.This book is another rip roaring story which is compelling and transports the reader back to the time of these historic events.Now I am forced to purchase the next one in this series.

I love this series. I had cooled a bit by book two - Artemis - due to Renzi's incessant whinging and holier-than-thou attitude, his complete reluctance to do anything - anything - that may compromise his absurd set of noble principles, even if it means imminent defeat; but he has a few redeeming qualities, the greatest being his relegation - or promotion - to ship's clerk and so staying out of the way, to a large extent, leaving Kydd and his shipmates to fight the French. Kydd however is caught between a rock and a hard place when the entire Navy mutinies - does he stay as an aloof Officer, or join the mutineers?

Mutiny is never an easy thing to write about. That said whilst I found this book a more challenging read it did cover the horror of the Sheerness mutiny.Judd escapes death and joins a new ship and battle with the Dutch fleet.It brings about the dramatic promotion of both Judd and Nicholas to the quarter deck. Goodness knows what comes next, however I am sure it will be another good read.