The Iberian Flame cover art

The Iberian Flame

Thomas Kydd 20

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - Guardian

1808. With the Peninsula in turmoil, Napoleon Bonaparte signs a treaty to dismember Portugal and put his brother, Joseph, on the throne of Spain.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Renzi, the Lord Farndon, undertakes a deadly mission to stir up partisan unrest to disrupt this Napoleonic alliance with Spain.

Thrust into the crucible of the uprising, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is dismayed to come up against an old foe from his past - now his superior and commander - who is determined to break him. Kydd will soon face the greatest decision of his professional career.

Bonaparte, incensed by the reverses suffered to his honour, gathers together a crushing force and marches at speed into Spain. After several bloody encounters the greatly outnumbered British expedition have no option other than make a fighting retreat to the coast. Only the Navy can save them.

But the flame of insurrection has been lit - and the Peninsular War has begun.

(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd Action & Adventure Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Sea Adventures Fiction War Adventure

Critic reviews

A stirring tale that grips the reader from the opening pages, holding the attention to the end
The novel's prose is fast paced and engaging . . . Stockwin's considerable experience of the Navy shines through to provide informative and shrewd observations throughout. There is so much here for those who are fans of seafaring adventures, but also an excellently sustained sense of the history, politically and socially, of the period. A highly recommended swashbuckler of a novel
All stars
Most relevant
When I listened to the first Thomas Kydd novel I had no idea that just over three years later I would be finishing the 20th book all read by that pure salty breeze Mr Christian Rodska. It's been a hell of a ride and I am already looking forwards to the next one

I don't think that this finished as one of my favourites within the series but it has an awful lot to offer all the same. It starts in what now is a familiar format with effectively a Kydd mini-adventure tacked on the front. These are like little windows into Stockwin's wider research which is quite prodigious. This one sees Kydd entangled with French officers in England on parole and opened my eyes to yet another facet and custom of this fascinating period.

There is another face-off with an authority figure meaning that not only England's fate but Kydd's own lies in the balance. A number of adventures follow based around Spanish and Portuguese resistance to Napoleon's armies as Stockwin follows detailed historical events. As a result there's a lot of different adventures and tasks for Kydd meaning that perhaps the novel doesn't quite hit the heights of some previous ones.

There's still plenty of action, enjoyable historical detail, some skullduggery from Renzi and of course the salty spray to the ears that is Christian Rodska making it highly enjoyable.

Kydd's Flame Still Shines Brightly!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a gripping and historical yarn . Well researched and brilliantly narrated by Christian Rodska

another masterpiece

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Yet again delivers a great story of the trials and tribulations of life in the King's Navy. Brilliantly performed as always by Christian Rodska

Stockwin keeps on giving

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I've been critical of a few of the books in this series, particularly after the Battle of Trafagar had been fought in book 11, "Vicktory", I've found there to be a slower pace, with long drawn out sections of politics and civilian time on land, and a few less exciting naval excursions. I think this is in part due to Stockwins determination to follow almost every day of Kydd's life, which includes a period where blockade etc was in high use.

The series is picking up pace again over the last few, and this book featured largely action and tension as the Iberian Peninsular rises against Bonaparte and then the British begin finally their campaign on European soil. The action switches been army and navy, with of course Kydd being involved throughout in one way or another.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, and several well known military figures make appearances as the campaign commenses!

My favourite since Victory!

Very enjoyable!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very slow more historical than anything very odd for these set of books I’ve read twenty

Review

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.