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    Invasion
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    Invasion
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    Invasion
    Ebook305 pages5 hours

    Invasion

    By Julian Stockwin

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    In the 10th book of the popular series, rumors fly of Napoleon's planned invasion of England, and British naval commander Thomas Kydd is sent to liaise with American inventor Robert Fulton, who has created "infernal machines" that can wreak mass destruction from a distance. Fulton believes that his inventions, namely the submarine and torpedo, will win the day for the power that possesses them, and Kydd must help him develop the devices. Despite his own belief that standing man-to-man is the only honorable way to fight, Kydd agrees to take part in the crucial testing of these weapons of mass destruction, which just may decide the fate of England.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRowmanLittlefield
    Release dateOct 1, 2009
    ISBN9781590134955
    Author

    Julian Stockwin

    Julian Stockwin is the internationally bestselling author of Kydd, Artemis, Seaflower, and Mutiny, the first four novels in the Kydd adventure series. Having joined the Royal Navy at age fifteen, he retired from the Royal Naval Reserve as a lieutenant commander and was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE). He and his wife live in Devon, England. Visit the author's website at JulianStockwin.com.

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    Reviews for Invasion

    3.5/5

    59 ratings17 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This is my first book from the early reviewers and I got it on my first try. With that said it is the 10th book in a series so I came into the series with no knowledge of the past stories. However I was able to pick with the main characters and enjoy the book and it's historical fiction of which I am a big fan. An easy read with a good pace I was able to complete it before the release date which was my goal. I am now interested in catching up with the series and looking forward to the next adventure of Captian Kydd.
    • 4/5
      Overall I found this pretty good but in comparison to other books in this series, not as flowing. I always enjoy learning the history of the time period, things you don't learn in school, like the Fencibles in this book. Looking forward to book 12 in the series!
    • 3/5
      Having not read any of the previous books, I was a little lost at first. But I just accepted that there were references I wouldn't get and pushed on. I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to starting back at the beginning with book one. I'd recommend this book, but I'd recommend starting at the beginning more.
    • 3/5
      I had the "walked into the middle of the movie" feeling in the first chapter of this book. Rightly so, as I found out it was the tenth book in the "Kydd" series. If you like continuity, you might consider starting with the first. Overall, a pretty good read. The author seemed to pay attention to the details of 18th century life, on and off the high seas. The language used, descriptions of the ships, geography, all seemed to ring true. I enjoyed the interaction between Captain Thomas Kydd and his friend, the ship's clerk, Nicholas Renzi. Renzi is very bookish and philosophical, as opposed to Kydd's passionate common sense approach to the world. With Napoleon's threat of invasion just across the Channel, Kydd and Renzi become involved in a situation with American inventor, Robert Fulton. The plot concerns the changing technology of warfare and the morality of more modern methods of military engagement. It's sort of an 18th century Kirk and Spock, with the details and accuracy of a Tom Clancy novel. I learned a bit and had fun reading this.
    • 4/5
      Commander Kydd, along with is ship's clerk and good friend Mr. Renzi issue forth on some new adventures. Being new to the series the first chapter was rather confusing and seemed more to resolve what appeared to be loose ends of a previous tale and simply work to get Kydd back in command of HMS Teazer. The first quarter of the tale deals mostly with transition and change for Kydd and the crew ending with a reassignment to the forefront of the fight with Napoleon's fleet. The second quarter deals with the new circumstances of their assignment: prevent Napoleon from invading.Despite what the summary states their interaction with Robert Fulton doesn't begin until the latter half of the book. Up to this point the plot has not really built up but more feels like a string of smaller stories, which work well, but set the reader up for the traditional plot working to move forward.All in all a good book although someone unfamiliar with maritime tales may be a bit lost at sea.
    • 3/5
      Invasion: A Kydd Sea Adventure by Julian Stockwin is just not my kind of book. I guess I had a pre-conceived idea that the book would be an historical novel. It was not. It turned out to be a fantacy novel with some, albeit few, historical facts packed around it. I was not impressed with the characters. While character development may have been accomplished in the previous books in the series, it was seriously lacking in this novel as a stand alone book. I felt throughout the read that I was reading about plastic people in a plastic time. The nautical terms were very well done for those with a nautical background, but were totally confusing to a reader who prefers solid ground.
    • 3/5
      This is the tenth book in the Kydd series, but it is the first book by Julian Stockwin I've read. As such, the first chapter seemed to deal with wrapping up events from the previous book. The new action really kicked off in the second chapter. Julian does a wonderful job immersing the reader in the period. However, at times this was a bit offputting as many descriptions used proper nautical terms, which I'm all for as long as they are used in such a way as the reader can discern their definition. Many descriptions and actions were lost on me because of this. Perhaps longtime readers or those with more of a seafaring background will not have this problem.Overall the story was entertaining. I enjoyed the chapters dealing with Fulton and his inventions the most. I think taken as a whole series I would give this work a higher rating. As a stand alone book it is merely OK for me.
    • 4/5
      Invasion is the 10th book in the Thomas Kidd series of British Navel novels. I have not read any of the previous books but I plan to do so after reading this one The book starts out with Kidd confronting his ex commanding officer, the one who revoked Kidd's commission, with proof he had been framed, and was promptly reinstated. From here we follow Kidd on his adventures as Captain of his ship, doing his best to help defend England from Napoleon, who is currently planning a massive invasion of the Island nation. We also watch as England steels an American artist/inventor, who has designed a submarine that can attack and sink ships undetected, to keep his invention from the French.Kidd is one of the few enlisted men who has breached the wall and became an Officer in His Majesties Navy.. He did well for himself during some previous mission for the Crown and is now independently wealthy, but his first love is his ship and the sea, defending his home country.Overall this is a great period piece detailing the British Navy's endeavors to try to repel Napoleon. You felt like you were there on the ship. The sea life was a little romanticized to make it seem more fun than I suspect it was but also made the book flow better and the story more enjoyable. Lots of sailing, several navel battles, and lots of intrigue.
    • 4/5
      To be honest, I almost put the book aside after reading all the detail about Kydd. I suffered through the details and was pleasently surprised the further into the book I read. It gives us an idea of what times were like in timesw gone by. It sets the American, French and English in another light. I really enjoyed the tough times that Mr Fulton had in trying to change one's thinking of proposed machines versus what we already know. Overall I enjoyed the book gratly. Thank you for a wonderful insight into places, times and machines gone by.
    • 3/5
      It’s always a bit strange to start with a series so far along. In this case, the whole back story of Captain Kydd isn’t all that necessary. The author does a nice enough job that filling in the details that you don’t get lost in the course of events. I had trouble with the dialog, it was certainly period appropriate but forced and uneven. Another problem I had was the rapid pace of action with little or no build up, things just happened. Still it’s a decent historical fiction novel and appropriate to the target audience.
    • 3/5
      At the half, I give it a solid 3 stars. The nautical terminology is unusually accessible for this kind of novel, and does not hinder understanding. A vocab list helps for full appreciation, but is not necessary to enjoy this book. Any time a bunch of symbols on a static page can get your heart pounding is impressive, and Stockwin's focus on action over the arcane ways of the Golden Age of Sail does just that. A fun read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, boats, and/or Britishness.I have not read the other books in the series. Yet.P.S. -- I managed to write an entire review of a sea adventure without using the word "rousing". Woo hoo!
    • 4/5
      Starting a series with a book so far along in the development, there's always the nagging feeling that it would have been better to know the back-story and to have started with #1. This, however, didn't stop my enjoyment of this compact and quite readable historical fiction that certainly whet my taste for more Kydd adventures. Those not well-read in this genre will find themselves perhaps overwhelmed by the terminology but the book flows comfortably regardless and it's an interesting adventure. I'll be back for more!
    • 4/5
      This is the first "sea adventure" novel I've ever read. I enjoyed the writing and the characters, and the author clearly did a lot of in depth research to make sure it jibed with actual events and technological advances of the time (he was spot on about the timing of Robert Fulton's movements and even the appearance of absinthe in Paris). The only drawback may be that I am not familiar with all the nautical lingo and can't identify with episodes at sea, with jibs flying and cannons blasting- it all runs together; fortunately these were at a minimum. In general, highly recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction and clever writing.
    • 4/5
      Nautical Fiction and especially the era of the Age of Sail, or the Napoleonic wars has long been a genre that has had many writers create long, well thought out series. Patrick O'Brian and and CS Forester are among the most well known. Julian Stockwin has his tenth adventure of Thomas Kydd, once a seaman but has passed through the ranks to become an officer.That has set up problems before for our hero, for he does not speak like the gentry and despite thinking that he should, he constantly reverted before to his origins. Now, he has decided to not go back and in a more modern fashion hires a tutor to help him learn to speak like the upper class that he thinks his wealth has now entitled him to.By having the hero come from the lower class, he has missed out on the training of the young gentlemen who all came from good families that aspired to command of a king's ship. Here our hero has the skill to sail well and lead, but he forgets his place too often.He is Captain Kirk, who is constantly with the red shirts in danger. Not Captain Picard sending his number one into danger. Far too often Kydd abuses his power still so that Stockwin can look through his heroes eyes to see what his happening.It is a fault in Nautical Fiction that authors want to have their heroes experience so many things that they put them ashore. As we students of history at the tenth book of the series could not be trusted to have some knowledge that there was an invasion fleet and force gathering in France, Kydd is sent to the Admiralty and given a briefing on it.Wait--the Admiral's flag lieutenant would have read the man in on such information, for Kydd commands a sloop. Not even a frigate. Then while in London, well he is now rich with prize money so the Captain at the Admiralty wants to take him to a party where the king happens to pass by.The sidekick, another factor since O'Brian had brought Martin to our attention, gets to go on a secret mission to Paris in the midst of the war. It fills out the book and we are introduced to the interlude of what this book is about, the development of modern weapons, torpedos and submarines under Robert Fulton. But we miss out on the sea. In the year between tales, this seems a let down. Even when Hornblower was sent around the world to the Western coast of the America's it was full of action in the midst of these wars. Here I find it lacking and think this is a bridge between some of the better books in the tale.
    • 4/5
      A British Naval captain encounters action and intrigue during the Napoleonic Wars, in this tenth novel of the Kydd series. It changes pace several times, from straight-out military action, to the ship and crew awaiting action in harbors, to espionage in Paris, to engineering trials and bureaucratic maneuvering. The characters we see the most of are Captain Kydd, his clerk Relvi, and the American inventor Robert Fulton (before the steamship, he tinkered with submarines). Some parts of the book are exciting; in other parts, characters wrestle with the morality of the changing nature of war. The book worked well enough even for my not having read the first nine novels in the series. I don't think it functions superbly as a standalone book, but anyone with some knowledge of the Napoleonic Wars (pre-Peninsular) or even just naval history in general ought to be able to dive right in. Some characters and references to characters were perhaps not as engaging as an acquaintance with them from the start might have enabled. Kydd's sudden decision to better himself might not seem contrived to a long-time reader, for instance, but to me it seemed like a set-up for how this rough sea captain was able to mix with high society (perhaps looking toward future books). The author clearly has done homework on the period, going by the details of speech, ship action, and so on (although the dialogue may seem a bit overdone at the beginning). The book did carry me along and retain my interest, even though from my knowledge of history I kind of knew how things were going to end. The danger of the Napoleonic fleet poised to invade England (and the fear and speculation) was well-conveyed. I liked the glimpse we get of William Pitt. I liked how some developments (simple actions as well as larger parts) were left to readers to interpret for themselves (or not). The Fulton angle added an interesting spin on the usual military history approach, though Fulton's character was sometimes annoying (as he may well have been in real life). Anyone with an interest in the period might wish to take a look at this book.
    • 4/5
      Kydd certainly lived in interesting times. In this book, 10 of the series, we meet Robert Fulton, yes, Fulton of the steamboats, Priestly, Cavendish, Popham, Congreve of rocket fame, and Jane Austen's brother a navy post captain. We follow, with interest, the development of early submersibles and we even find out why torpedoes are so named. Long gone practices like foying and hovelling are explored with the latter carrying a nice little subplot. Skillfully and interestingly, these ancient barnacles and people are woven into a neat tale about one of the lesser stories during Napoleonic times. How, did England prepare and defend against the intended invasion. It was the British Navy, this time standing fast, as did the RAF against that other Continental tyrant, Hitler, during the Battle of Britain.
    • 3/5
      Kidd seems to have his senses back and moves on to his usual self - striving to be part of the upper class - will it ever happen? Being a navy story, you have to be prepared to read lots of pages of how to rig sail, in all kinds of weather. I found the last part of the book about the first submarine a welcome addition.