Isaac Biddlecomb

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 find 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. "A rollicking good sea story." "Rousing plots, historical authenticity, and seafaring as vivid as a slap of salt spray…Delivers plenty of action…Nelson's page-turner brings the Revolution to life on the high seas." "Nelson's seagoing experience is evident in his clear, convincing description of the sailing…The characters are strong and realistic, the plot and action believable and brisk…An engaging start to what promises to be a fine adventure series in a neglected milieu." "Nelson has done an excellent job of combining historical authenticity with firm characterization and lively action…This is a fine yarn, deftly told." "Lively and highly readable…Exploring the lives of seamen, merchant captains, and Royal naval officers, By Force of Arms offers a realistic and minutely detailed account of shipboard life during the period."

The Maddest Idea continues the powerful saga of the American Revolution with another stirring, dramatic maritime adventure. In the late summer of 1775, General George Washington discovers that his cache of gunpowder has dwindled to a mere nine shots per man. A desperate plan is hatched-to send a ship under the command of Captain Isaac Biddlecomb to Bermuda to capture the British powder known to be there. But the plan is a trap, set by a traitor among the patriots, and one from which even Biddlecomb cannot escape. Washington dispatches his aide-de-camp, Major Edward Fitzgerald, to hunt the traitor down, while Biddlecomb must rely on cunning and seamanship to free his men and the ship and to capture the gunpowder that is the lifeblood of the fight for liberty. Divided by an ocean but bound by the cause, as well as by their own private fears, Biddlecomb and Fitzgerald must take on a common enemy-the greatest military power on earth. This is a powerful saga of the American Revolution-a stirring maritime adventure in the epic, true-to-life tradition of Patrick O'Brian. "The Maddest Idea is sprightly in style and accurate in historical sweep and detail. Nelson has no apologies to make by sailing in company with {C. S.} Forester and Patrick O'Brian." "Nelson still paints his characters with broad strokes, but now his pacing is brisk, and the salt air blows through every chapter. He has also well captured the improvised quality of the American war effort in 1775 and the divided loyalties of colonists who had only just begun to think of themselves as Americans. Nelson now sails honorably with the squadron of naval fiction scribes currently led by Patrick O'Brian."

With the flash of cutlass and the roar of cannon fire, this sweeping saga of high-seas adventure continues-as the revolutionaries' fight for freedom explodes into all-out war. It's the winter of 1776, a year that brings with it a fiery new spirit of colonial independence. Tensions simmering over a decade have finally come to a boil, and the rebel government in Philadelphia, determined to cast off the chains of British tyranny, has authorized the creation of the United States Navy-a brazen act of American aggression against the greatest maritime power in the world. Still battered from her fight in Bermudan waters, the brig-of-war Charlemagne, under Captain Isaac Biddlecomb, sets sail on a daring mission to raid the British store of arms on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. But even as the captain takes the lead in the first amphibious assault in American naval history, he discovers that his greatest enemy is an undisciplined crew led to the brink of mutiny by their sectional hatreds. Beset by treachery and betrayal, in danger of losing his command and his ship, Biddlecomb must find a way to unite his men against a cruel and common foe, as the Royal Navy prepares to sink the Charlemagne-and the revolution-under the merciless blasts of its guns. "Nelson…writes characters who burst out of their stereotypes. Isaac Biddlecomb…makes himself a hero…{and} the reader is treated to cameos of Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and other founding fathers…Nelson's capacious knowledge of sailing and period maritime practices informs the book on every page and…his rounded characters, tense action, and battle sequences will certainly please fans of historical fiction."

James L. Nelson's revolution at sea saga has brought to life a never-before-seen side of America's war for independence. With his expertise of a seasoned mariner, a historian's vivid attention to detail, and a natural gift for sensational storytelling, Lords of the Ocean carries us along on his bold and stirring course through history. In the summer of 1776, a fleet of British transport ships is looming off Staten Island, while the remnants of General George Washington's army huddle behind hastily constructed fortifications on Brooklyn Height. There, Washington is preparing for the final destruction of the Continental army. Now Captain Isaac Biddlcomb receives a monumental order: to transport to France the most dangerous secret weapon in the country's arsenal: scientist and philosopher Benjamin Franklin. Biddlecomb's seemingly simple mission to deliver Franklin to the court of Louis XVI is just the first volley in a grand scheme. While he is boldly raiding the English coast and Franklin is discussing strategy at Versailles, they both conspire to blow French neutrality out of the water-and turn the colonial uprising in to a full-scale war. "A real page-turner, with plenty of first-class fight scenes for aficionados of sailing warfare. Some of those scenes are almost comic, such as the spectacle of both Biddlecombe and a traitorous American simultaneously trying to rescue some of Isaac's crew from Bristol Harbor, while others are strictly edge-of-the-seat affairs. Keenly aware of the plot possibilities offered by the events of history and the technology of sailing ships, Nelson continues to earn the loyalty of his steadfast readers."

It is 1777, the Year of the Hangman, and Captain Isaac Biddlecomb is bound for Philadelphia with his wife and child in the Continental brig Charlemagne. His orders are to take command of the newly built twenty-gun frigate Falmouth and get her out to sea before she is taken by General Richard Howe's invading army.Unbeknownst to Biddlecomb, the entire British fleet stands between him and the new nation's capital. Forced to run his beloved Charlemagne aground, Biddlecomb comes face-to-face with his mortal enemy, Royal Navy Lieutenant John Smeaton.Meanwhile, General Washington has yielded Philadelphia to Britain's might. As Biddlecomb and his crew battle to reach the prized Falmouth, only shipwright Malachi Foote and a ragtag band of deserters from the Continental Army stand between the vessel and the seemingly unstoppable British Army. "Nelson knows sailing, and he knows people. In Biddlecomb he has an all-too-human hero willing to step over any barrier to keep the British at bay and his own career on track."