Tyger

Kydd is somewhat like Aubrey, when he is on land he should really learn to keep his mouth shut.

While in London the brave sea capital manages to flap off his mouth three sheets to the wind and runs afoul of the Admiralty. His punishment is command of a frigate with a mutinous crew. A variety of unsavory missions to the Baltic and even the Arctic follow, with threat of loss of command altogether. Hard to distinguish oneself while running in a blockade fleet. But a harrowing sea battle with nonstop action finally comes and he has won the hearts and minds of his crew, and is restored to good graces politically, as the public love of a hero trumps even curmudgeonly old Admirals.

Recommended for lovers of the Age of Sail genre. But Kydd show more really needs a Mautrin to round out his personality. show less

This nautical novel set in the Napoleonic era was an outstanding example of its genre and a worthy successor to the Hornblower novels. Sir Thomas Kydd, lately captain of the L'Aurore, a French prize, is slated to captain a new frigate being built. An unscrupulous newspaper reporter surreptitiously overhears Kydd in confidential conversation with a friend about the outcome of a court-martial and has printed distortions, which outrage the Admiralty. The Admiralty "punishes" Kydd by his transfer instead to captaincy of a ship on which a mutiny recently had taken place, HMS Tyger. Kydd is tasked with turning the situation around and winning the trust and loyalty of the still-discontented crew. A fifth columnist is rooted out, then Kydd is show more sent ostensibly to see possible French strength in the Baltic. He determines if Archangel in Russia would be an alternative port if something would happen to St. Petersburg. He deals with a fur-smuggling ring and there is an exciting climactic battle with the French in captured Prussian ships.

The novel's strong points were the story--non-stop action--and a sympathetic and shrewd Kydd. I got a taste of shipboard life; I'm glad there were no floggings. Pacing was excellent and descriptions vivid, especially those of the Arctic. Glossary was valuable for nautical terms and slang but could have been more complete. I wish the novel had included a line drawing of a British frigate of that period, with parts labeled, to help me visualize better. Now I'm eager to read the rest of the series from the beginning.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to LibraryThing for sending me this novel as part of the Early Reviewer program. The opinions are my own honest ones. show less

Julian Stockwin has taken a few skeins of naval history and woven them into an interesting part of his fictional hero Kydd's career. We travel to the Arctic, interdict some illegal fur trade and for an encore; assist a Prussian Army to escape from Napolean's encirclement. A rousing sea battle by the former ship of mutiny, HMS Tyger, against Prussian ships manned by the French concludes this exciting and enlightening episode of a very good series.

What a fantastic selection! While I have read other nautical adventure stories (Horatio Hornblower, Aubrey / Maturin, etc.), this was my first foray into the Kidd series, and I was not disappointed. It contained a great mixture of flight-of-fancy and realism, with exactly the right degree of technical detail to keep the story flowing while making the action visceral for the reader. As others have noted, the one downside was that, without having read the others in the series, I felt like I was "missing something" every time Kidd's previous adventures were mentioned (which, unfortunately, was a rather frequent occurrence). That being said, I feel it is my duty to pursue the other volumes in the series posthaste!

For some reason I can't get this book to show up through Early Reviewers. Hopefully they'll fix it and I'll get credit for my review.

This was the first Kydd Sea Adventure I read and when I saw that it was #16, I had my doubts about how much I would understand or enjoy it without 15 books worth of previous events. I needn't have worried.

First, the book begins with a natural transition -- Kydd's beloved ship is drydocked for repairs and he's given command of the mutinous Tyger as punishment for some unwise remarks. Any backstory from the previous books is touched upon just enough for understanding.

It's a gripping read as Kydd tries to win over his new crew and save his career. He's involved in several different missions, which give a good show more view of the scope of the Napoleonic wars. I must admit to holding my breath in the aftermath of the final battle and shedding a tear or two by the end.

There's lots of seafaring & Regency lingo, but there's a glossary in the back. I might not go back and read the previous books, but I probably will continue the series going forward. show less

(McBooks and Library Thing Earl;y Reviewers advance copy for review.) This is my second Captain Kidd nautical fiction and I'm hooked! (Pasha was OK but lacked the action I expected...) Tyger--Thomas Kidd #16 had all the intrigue, battles, storms, and British naval history that make for a first-rate nautical yarn. I just ordered a half-dozen other books by Julian Stockwin! Strongly recommend reading the series if you are a fan of Forester and O'Brian!

If you enjoy nautical fiction, or you've enjoyed the other books in the Kydd series by Julian Stockwin, you'll certainly enjoy this book. Swashbuckling fun is how I'd describe it. Stockwin has a good grasp on both the history as well as the reality of maritime warfare and life at sea and he continues to not disappoint with this book.