Release Date: 29/03/12
SYNOPSIS:
It's 1794, the height of the French Revolution. Charles Hayden sets off aboard the ill-fated HMS Themis with orders to destroy a French frigate sailing from Le Havre and to gather intelligence from a royalist spy. On discovering French plans for an imminent invasion of England, Hayden must return to Portsmouth to give warning before it's too late. But the enemy have been lying in wait for him, and so begins a dangerous chase out into the Atlantic and into the clutches of a powerful French squadron. After a failed attempt to masquerade as French sailors, Hayden and his officers are taken prisoner. A shipwreck following a storm and a case of mistaken identity befall Hayden and his men as they try in desperation to escape in order to warn the Lords of the Admiralty. Failure will mean the invasion of England - and the guillotine for Hayden.
REVIEW:
For me, Sean is one of these authors who does extremely well as turning his hand to multiple genre writing, always presenting a story that not only thrills but keeps you firmly within its fist from the first chapter onwards. As usual with his Historical Fiction the reader is transported back in time with the authors wonderful ability to bring the scenes to life with wonderful prose alongside an ability to almost have you feeling the sea breeze on your face.
It’s got some wonderful twists, a great set of prose alongside a pace that is hard to live up to as each new elements wends its way into the readers imagination that makes it extremely difficult to put down. All in another great adventure and one that I loved from start to finish. Magic.
Release Date: 05/02/09
SYNOPSIS:
It is 1793. The thunder of cannon fire echoes across the English Channel, chilling the stoutest hearts ...The opening skirmishes of the French Revolutionary War send ageing frigate HMS Themis into waters swarming with enemy ships of the line. Instructed to survey the French coastline, she's soon in the thick of the action: cutlasses slash and bayonets skewer, cannons splinter decks and sever limbs. Onto the smoky deck strides young Lieutenant Charles Hayden. With an English father and a French mother, the Admiralty are reluctant to give Hayden his first command. Instead, he is to act as a bulwark between the Themis' tyrannical Captain Hart and a mutinous crew. Steering a course between the cowardly captain and the treacherous crew, English common sense and French pride, Hayden must first master his wits before challenging the might of the French naval war machine.
REVIEW:
If you’re a fan of Patrick O’Brian’s “Lucky” Jack Aubrey and CS Forester’s Horatio Hornblower then you cannot afford to miss this new series by Sean Thomas Russell featuring Lieutenant Charles Hayden who helps restore the crew of the HMS Themis to their full glory as he battles against the insurrection from within the crew alongside fighting the good fight against the French.
It’s beautifully written and readers will find themselves carried away on the tide with the crew hoping as each battle is fought that favourite characters will survive against the odds. Add to this an authoritve background woven within the pages, decent prose and overall a rather fitting use of the English language for the principle characters. All in, this was a read I thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to other titles in the series.
