Jersey fishing captain, Jean Cotterell is rescued by a French frigate - The Hortense - off the Grand Banks of Nova Scotia in May 1794. His fishing vessel has foundered and he is the sole survivor. The Hortense is part of Republican Admiral Jan Van Stabel's great fleet of over 100 ships bringing corn to France. Lord Howe's Channel Fleet is off Brest, hoping to intercept them.

Life on The Hortense is like France under the Terror; chaotic, ungovernable, obsessed with savage, radical political theories. Separated from the French fleet in the Western Approaches she is intercepted by two British frigates and battle is joined...

The Antigallican is the first in a series of novels set at the end of the 18th century at sea, in Britain, in the Channel Islands and in Revolutionary France. In Jean Cotterell we find a character that bears comparison with Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe, in a narrative that will delight fans of Patrick O'Brian.

About the Author
Tom Bowling was the pseudonymn of the author John Milne, a Londoner born into a seafaring family in the Neckinger, a part of Bermondsey allegedly named after the Devil's Neckinger or noose worn by pirates executed there. He is the author of the Pocket Essential Pirates and Privateers and historical fiction set in the Napoleonic Wars, The Antigallican. John passed away in May 2022.

Reviews
With its captivating, pungent, and sharply drawn characters, this first instalment in a series of sea stories is a welcome addition to the Napoleonic sea story genre -- Margaret Barr * Historical Novels Review *
I believe [Tom Bowling] has a great future, and will become one of the leading authors in the historical naval fiction genre -- Robert Squarebriggs



Book Information
ISBN 9781842433218
Author Tom Bowling
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Oldcastle Books Ltd
Publisher Oldcastle Books Ltd