The author of the Master of the Sea series, is back
with a standalone battle book that will blow all others
out of the water. 1587. Two nations are locked in bitter
conflict. One strives for dominance, the other for
survival. After decades of religious strife, Elizabeth
sits on the throne of England. The reformation
continues. Catholic revolts have been ruthlessly
quashed, and Elizabeth has ordered the execution of her
cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. On the continent bloody
religious wars rage, but England stands apart, her
surrounding seas keeping her safe from the land armies
of her would-be enemies. Only at sea do the English show
their teeth. Sea captains and adventurers, hungry for
the spoils of trade from the Spanish Main, regularly
attack the gold-laden galleons of Catholic Spain. They
are terriers nipping at the feet of war-horses but their
victories disrupt the treasury of Spain, England's
greatest threat, and Elizabeth's refusal to rein in her
sea-captains further antagonises Philip II. Thomas
Varian is a captain in Drake's formidable navy, rising
quickly through the ranks. But he guards a secret - one
for which he would pay with his life if discovered: he
is a Catholic.He is about to find his conflicting
loyalty to his religion, to his Queen, and to his
country tested under the most formidable of
circumstances: facing the mighty Armada. Unknown to
Varian, he will also be facing his long-estranged
father, who is fighting on the side of the Spanish
enemy... |
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