SEAN THOMAS RUSSELL

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..

As the streets of Paris are overrun with revolutionary fervour, England prepares for the inevitable war with France. Along the south coast, the Royal Navy readies its fleet and its most capable officers. Lieutenant Charles Hayden is a man of undeniable ability. The son of an Englishman, his allegiance to the English Crown is beyond dispute. But, with a French mother, and without any influence in the Admiralty, he is seemingly overlooked for his first commission as Master and Commander. Instead, he is posted to an aging frigate, the Themis, under the command of Captain Josiah Hart, a man known throughout the service as 'Faint Hart'. When the Themis takes to sea to hunt the enemy, Lieutenant Hayden is immediately caught between a tyrannical captain and a crew pushed to the verge of mutiny. Disaffection turns to violence, and Hayden is wrenchingly torn between honour and duty, as the magnificent Royal Navy engages the French in a centuries-old struggle for power.

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.

Para todo oficial de la Armada Real británica, defender un orden jerárquico basado en la disciplina suponía la mejor forma de alcanzar una elevada posición social. Así que, cuando los ecos subversivos de las revoluciones francesa y americana llegaron a las islas, los capitanes al mando de los barcos de Su Majestad tuvieron que enfrentarse a un nuevo desafio que amenazaba los cimientos de una institucion clave para mantener el poder ingles. Con sus amplios conocimientos de la historia naval y de las artes de la navegacion, el autor narra el dilema de un joven marino atrapado entre su absoluta lealtad a la corona y la inclinacion hacia las nuevas ideas que defendian la igualdad de las personas. Corre el año 1793 y los primeros compases de las guerras napoleonicas inauguran la epoca mas gloriosa de la Armada britanica. El mar se ha convertido en el principal campo de batalla entre Gran Bretaña y Francia, en una contienda en la que esta en juego la vigencia del viejo orden establecido frente a las nuevas ideas revolucionarias. Sin perspectivas de ascenso, el joven oficial Charles Saunders Hayden, de madre francesa, se ve obligado a aceptar una complicada mision a bordo de la fragata H.M.S. Themis, cuyo capitan, sospechoso de pusilanimidad a la hora de hostigar a los buques franceses, resulta ser un despota aficionado al ron y al latigo. Asi pues, a bordo de una nave descuidada, con una tripulacion resentida y al borde del amotinamiento, Hayden tendra que demostrar mucho mas que sus grandes dotes de marino para no verse arrastrado por las circunstancias.Una novela maravillosamente amena para los fans de Patrick OBrian, impecablemente documentada. The Bookseller.

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''s 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.

Following the top-ten bestselling success of A Battle Won, Under Enemy Colours and A Ship of War, Sean Thomas Russells captivating fourth novel Until The Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead is the maritime adventure of 2014. Under the command of Captain Charles Hayden, Royal Navy frigate HMS Themis is sent to counter the threat of the French forces in the West Indies. In the middle of the vast Atlantic, Hayden discovers two Spanish noblemen, castaway in a ships boat - a stroke of almost impossible good fortune. The Spaniards explanation for their plight seems so improbable that Haydens officers suspect them of being criminals or even spies. But they have secrets far more shocking than that - secrets which will haunt Hayden in his new posting. Upon reaching the Barbados station, Hayden finds himself under the command of the vainglorious Sir William Jones, an impetuous and foolhardy officer. Refusing orders will cost Hayden his command. Accepting them might cost him his ship and crew. UNTIL THE SEA SHALL GIVE UP HER DEAD is the brilliant fourth tale in the epic maritime adventures of Charles Hayden. A masterpiece already rivalling the stories of Bernard Cornwell and Patrick OBrian.Praise for Sean Thomas Russell:Russells encyclopaedic command of nautical lore, joined to his rare ability to spin a ripping yarn, combine to place the reader right in the middle of the action, of which there is plenty Neal StephensonWell-written, plenty of adventure . . . places the reader in the midst of the action of battleThe Marine SocietyAn impressive, sweeping and momentous naval epicCrew Report Sean Thomas Russell is a lifelong sailor whose passion for the sea - and his love of nautical history - inspired the adventures of Charles Hayden. His latest book follows bestsellers A Battle Won, Under Enemy Colours and A Ship of War. Sean lives on Vancouver Island. www.sthomasrussell.com

A Ship of War is a stunning new maritime adventure from Top Ten bestselling author Sean Thomas Russell, following the great success of A Battle Won and Under Enemy Colours. For fans of Bernard Cornwell and Patrick OBrian, A Ship of War is the third instalment in the electrifying historical series of Charles Hayden and the Themis.Hayden kept his eye fixed upon the chasing ship...The screech of an iron ball passed narrowly by. There was no room now for error1794. As the terror rages in France, Captain Charles Hayden leaves Plymouth with orders to gather intelligence from a spy off the Le Havre coast. But the enemy lies in wait. In the foulest of weather, Haydens seamanship is tested to the limit and a terrifying cat and mouse chase begins. Faced with a powerful French squadron Hayden knows he must elude capture at any cost. In his possession are details of an imminent attack on British soil which must be delivered before all is lost.Ahead lie shipwrecks, storms, battles and dramatic escapes - and at the centre of it all, the courage and heroism of a lone captain . . .A Ship of War is the brilliant third tale in the epic maritime adventures of Charles Hayden. A masterpiece already rivalling the stories of Bernard Cornwell and Patrick OBrian.Praise for Sean Thomas Russell:An unqualified seal of approval. This is gloriously readable stuff.The BooksellerRussells encyclopaedic command of nautical lore, joined to his rare ability to spin a ripping yarn, combine to place the reader right in the middle of the action, of which there is plenty.Neal Stephenson (author)Well-written, plenty of adventure . . . places the reader in the midst of the action of battle.Marine SocietySean Thomas Russell is a lifelong sailor whose passion for the sea - and his love of nautical history - inspired the adventures of Charles Hayden. A Ship of War follows bestsellers A Battle Won and Under Enemy Colours. Sean lives on Vancouver Island.

Winter 1793 - the Reign of Terror rips through revolutionary France, as every able-bodied man is pressed into military service. The city of Toulon has turned itself over to the British - the red ensign of Lord Admiral Hoods flagship, Victory, offering a defiant symbol of protection to its people. In Plymouth, Master and Commander Charles Hayden is summoned to the port admiral - his orders are to return to the ill-fated frigate, HMS Themis. Placed in temporary command, he is to join the escort for the last convoy of the season - braving the wintry seas to supply Hoods fleet in the Mediterranean. Haydens uncanny knack for attracting the attention of the French navy sees the Themis thrown back into action only hours out of port. Soon, Haydens captaincy and military skill are stretched to their utmost as he finds himself at the vanguard of this brutal clash of empires.

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, shes 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 Themiss 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.