Kydd

Thomas Kydd, Book 1

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

£0.00 for first 30 days

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Get 3 months for £0.99/mo

Get this deal

Try Premium Plus free

Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.

Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.

1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.

Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.

Access exclusive sales and deals.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Kydd

By: Julian Stockwin

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Get this deal

Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

1793 and Europe is ablaze with war. Thomas Paine Kydd, a young wig-maker from Guildford, is seized by the press gang to be a part of the crew of the 98-gun line-of-battle ship Duke William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast. Despite all that he goes through in danger of tempest and battle he comes to admire the skills and courage of the seamen - taking up the challenge himself to become a true sailor. Kydd is the first book in the acclaimed series, and is based on real events.

Action & Adventure

Fiction

Genre Fiction

Historical Fiction

Sea Adventures

War & Military

Adventure

Listeners also enjoyed...

Brewer's Luck: Hornblower's Legacy cover art

Admiral Collingwood: Nelson's Own Hero cover art

Johh Carter on Mars: Boxed Set cover art

Most relevant

This is where it all start for Thomas Payne Kydd, a wigmaker from Guildford who is press-ganged into service with Her Majesty's Navy. What ensues from here is a long-running series of genuine quality by an author who not only writes a thrilling yarn with engaging characters but who also knows his subject in great depth.

This novel introduces Kydd in the hardest of circumstances as a pressed man and follows him as he struggles to come to terms with a life at sea and the brutal rules that apply to it. It also introduces the highly enigmatic Nicholas Renzi.

As a first book in the series it is not without its issues. The naval terminology is borne from deep knowledge but can confuse the layman (like me) at times. The book is fairly derivative of other naval historical fiction and the characters clearly need more investment before we see them become fully rounded. Though in fairness, the character of a pressed man would be either one of a defeated man from the start or would take time to develop.

This may sound slightly critical but peruse the reviews of the rest of the series and it's easy to see the quality that Stockwin brings to bear. The book itself is still highly enjoyable. What is undoubted though is that Christian Rodska hits the right tone right from the very beginning and does a superb job of the narration.

This has become one of my favourite series in the genre. If the above seems critical and you like this kind of fiction I would say don't be put off. This is just the beginning and when all is said it's a more than decent start!