
By Force of Arms
The Revolution at Sea Series, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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John Lee
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By:
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James L. Nelson
About this listen
As the War of Independence begins in earnest, American merchant seamen prepare to strike the first blows.
None strikes more deftly than Isaac Biddlecomb, captain of the Judea, whose smuggling activities are making a mockery of His Majesty’s Royal Navy. Pursued by HMS Rose, he sacrifices the ship he loved to the depths, together with the fortune he stood to gain, rather than surrender.
On the run from the enraged forces of King George, Biddlecomb disguises himself as a merchant seaman. He is reunited with Ezra Rumstick, a comrade and fierce rebel, as the revolution gathers momentum. On a brig bound for Jamaica and now serving as a lowly mate, Biddlecomb finds that fate tests his mettle as he is captured by the enemy and faces a life of servitude under the deranged captain and sadistic crew of the HMS Icarus.
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-
Story
April 12, 1861. With one jerk of a lanyard, one shell arching into the sky, years of tension exploded into civil war. And for those men who did not know in which direction their loyalty called them, it was a time for decisions. Such a one was Lieutenant Samuel Bowater, an officer of the United States Navy, a native of Charleston, South Carolina. Hard pressed to abandon the oath he swore to the United States, but unable to fight against his home state, Bowater accepts a commission in the nascent Confederate navy.
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A epic saga………………….
- By Bruce on 12-06-22
By: James L. Nelson
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East Indiaman
- East Indiaman Saga, Book 1
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Alan Medcroft
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In the unforgiving docklands of east London, young orphan William must do all he can to survive. Like the other ‘wharf rats', his life of petty crime is not a choice; it's a necessity. But William's misdeeds won't remain hidden for long. When the boy unknowingly steals from a murderous pirate captain, escape is his only option. He is forced to stow away and begin a life that will take him to the far side of the world; a life as a soldier of the East India Company.
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Most enjoyable
- By Benad Shoef on 03-10-25
By: Griff Hosker
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The King's Coat
- By: Dewey Lambdin
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1780, and 17-year-old Alan Lewrie is a brash, rebellious young libertine. So much so that his callous father believes a bit of naval discipline will turn the boy around. Fresh aboard the tall-masted Ariadne, Midshipman Lewrie heads for the war-torn Americas, finding - rather unexpectedly - that he is a born sailor, equally at home with the randy pleasures of the port and the raging battles on the high seas. But in a hail of cannonballs comes a bawdy surprise.
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"Sex, Swords, Sailing Ships"
- By Andrew on 05-16-10
By: Dewey Lambdin
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By the Mast Divided
- John Pearce, Book 1
- By: David Donachie
- Narrated by: Peter Wickham
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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London: 1793. Young firebrand John Pearce, on the run from the authorities, is illegally press-ganged from the Pelican tavern into brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on her way to war. In the first few days, Pearce discovers the Navy is a world in which he can prosper. And he is not alone; he is drawn to a group of men who eventually form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans, with Pearce their elected leader.
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Didn't work for me
- By Michael E on 07-23-08
By: David Donachie
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Fin Gall - A Novel of Viking Age Ireland
- Norsemen Saga Series #1
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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For centuries, the Vikings have swept out of the Norse countries and fallen on whatever lands they could reach aboard their longships, and few could resist the power of their violent onslaught. They came at first to plunder and then to settle, an encroachment fiercely resisted wherever they went. Such was the case in the southern lands of Ireland. En route to the Viking longphort there, known as Dubh-linn, Thorgrim Night Wolf and Ornolf the Restless stumble across an Irish ship.
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Tolerable with this trick
- By Victoria on 05-10-16
By: James L. Nelson
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Brewer's Luck: Hornblower's Legacy
- By: James Keffer
- Narrated by: Nigel Peever
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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After gaining valuable experience as an aide to Governor Lord Horatio Hornblower, William Brewer is rewarded with a posting as first lieutenant on the frigate HMS Defiant, bound for American waters. Early in their travels, it seems as though Brewer’s greatest challenge will be evading the wrath of a tyrannical captain who has taken an active dislike to him. But when a hurricane sweeps away the captain, the young lieutenant is forced to assume command of the damaged ship, and a crew suffering from low morale.
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Lots of Action and Fun on the High Seas
- By Spooky Mike on 11-11-19
By: James Keffer
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Ramage
- The Lord Ramage Novels, Book 1
- By: Dudley Pope
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In a daring foray, under the very nose of the French Mediterranean fleet, Lieutenant Lord Nicholas Ramage is to sail his tiny cutter close in to the Italian shore and rescue a party of stranded aristocrats from Napoleon's fast-advancing army.
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Engaging
- By Jean on 10-04-14
By: Dudley Pope
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Kingfisher
- The Decoy Ships, Book 1
- By: Christopher C. Tubbs
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Ralph Wrenn went to sea at the age of ten. Now nineteen and recently promoted, he serves as the fourth officer on the HMS Kingfisher. It masquerades as a merchant ship to capture Barbary pirate vessels. On one such mission, Ralph meets a beautiful and intriguing young woman. Now, he must contend not just with battles at sea but with a beguiling stranger who is not what she appears to be.
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Details
- By Bogie on 01-10-25
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The Colonial Post-Captain
- Carlisle and Holbrooke Naval Adventures Series, Book 1
- By: Chris Durbin
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Captain Carlisle hails from Virginia, a loyal colony of the British Crown. As the clouds of war gather, Carlisle's small frigate is ordered to Toulon on a reconnaissance mission. If battling the winter weather in the Gulf of Lions is not a sufficient challenge, Carlisle must also juggle the delicate diplomatic issues in this period of pre-war tension while contending with an increasingly belligerent French frigate. But Carlisle has additional problems unique to his colonial origins.
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A prelude to the Master and Commandeer Series
- By James R. Ellis on 05-06-23
By: Chris Durbin
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Master and Commander
- Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 1
- By: Patrick O'Brian
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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This, the first in the splendid series of Jack Aubrey novels, establishes the friendship between Captain Aubrey, Royal Navy, and Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and intelligence agent, against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Details of life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson's navy are faultlessly rendered: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men on the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the road of broadsides as the great ships close in battle.
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Choice of Narrators
- By Frank R. Adams on 04-23-10
By: Patrick O'Brian
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Under Enemy Colors
- By: S. Thomas Russell
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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At the time of the French Revolution, one of Britain's most skillful naval officers, Charles Saunders Hayden, is a young lieutenant, the son of an English father and a French mother. His abilities and his loyalty to the king of England are beyond dispute, yet his career seems doomed by his "mixed" heritage and lack of political connections. Consequently, Hayden is assigned to an aging frigate, the Themis, under the command of Captain Josiah Hart, a man known as "Faint Hart" throughout the service.
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Perfect for first timer
- By Blackmac on 08-07-08
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The Ill-Made Knight
- Chivalry, Book 1
- By: Christian Cameron
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 21 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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September, 1356. Poitiers. The greatest knights of the age were ready to give battle. On the English side, Edward, the Black Prince, who'd earned his spurs at Crecy. On the French side, the king and his son, the dauphin. With 12,000 knights. And then there is William Gold. A cook's boy - the lowest of the low - who had once been branded as a thief. William dreams of being a knight, but in this savage new world of intrigue, betrayal and greed, first he must learn to survive.
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Could be very good.
- By Taich on 08-12-22
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The Blackbirder
- Brethren of the Coast, Book 2
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In a blind rage, King James, ex-slave and now Marlowe's comrade in arms, slaughters the crew of a slave ship and makes himself the most wanted man in Virginia. The governor gives Marlowe a choice: Hunt James down and bring him back to hang or lose everything Marlowe has built for himself and his wife, Elizabeth. Marlowe sets out in pursuit of the ex-slave turned pirate, struggling to maintain control over his crew—rough privateers who care only for plunder—and following James's trail of destruction.
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and Needed.
- By GravelGertie on 06-17-24
By: James L. Nelson
great yarn
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Great sea story at the birth of the Nation
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Good story, mediocre reading
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Solid Sea Tale
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narrated by captain kirk??
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Amazing!
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I love that Biddlecomb is a Rhode Islander, and these books make me even hungrier to learn about my state. Biddlecomb's initial hesitancy about revolution seems realistic, and reminds me that almost 250 years ago there were a range of political opinions, not just black and white patriot vs. loyalist. Not unlike our time.
I wish this audiobook came with maps, and with illustrations of the ships. That's wish list though.
By Force of arms is a great audio purchase for me, as I know I will listen again.
My Favorite American Maritime Series and Favorite
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WOWWWW!
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OK story
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Well done but nothing different than the rest of the genre.
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