Ex-navy officer Stockwin's second novel is a rip-roaring yarn that confirms Hodder's faith in his ability to turn his vivid knowledge of 18th century seafaring into first-rate global adventure. Thomas Kydd, press-ganged into service as an ordinary seaman in the first novel, now wins promotion to petty officer and prefers his love of the sea to romance or his previous wigmaker's life on dry land. He is a prime example of manhood in the age of sail, immersed in the bloodlust of battle, exultation of victory, savage sights in Asia, comradeship below decks, the tumult above. His voyages on the frigate Artemis read very well, with a final sting in the tale that will cause readers in the historical novel niche to be thirsting for the next in the series.
