By Force of Arms: An Isaac Biddlecomb Novel

by James L. Nelson

Overview

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, Isaac 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, Isaac 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, fate tests Isaac’s 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493056521
Publisher:	Globe Pequot Publishing
Publication date:	11/01/2021
Series:	Isaac Biddlecomb Novels , #1
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

James L. Nelson is the award-winning author of more than twenty works of maritime fiction and history. His books cover the gamut from Vikings to piracy in Colonial America to naval action during the American Revolution and the Civil War. His novel Glory in the Name was the winner of the American Library Association/William Young Boyd Award for Best Military Fiction and his nonfiction George Washington’s Secret Navy won the Naval Order’s Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature. He has lectured all over the country and has appeared on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and BookTV. He currently lives in Harpswell, Maine, with his former Golden Hinde shipmate and wife, Lisa.

What People are Saying About This

Nathan Miller

"Spoice is the main brace's to James L. Nelson and By Force of Arms. Failing in the wak of C. S. Forester, Nelson has done an excellent job of combining historical authencity with firm characterization and lively action....This is a fine yarn, deathly probe."

Patrick O'Brian

Authenticity runs throughout the book, carrying total conviction…Nelson writes with the eagerness of a young man sailing his first command.
— (Patrick O'Brian, author of the Aubrey/ Maturin series)