Nathan Peake Books In Order

Publication Order of Nathan Peake Books

“Nathan Peake” series is a set of novels by Seth Hunter, one of the many pseudonyms of the author Paul Bryers. Seth came to be in 2006 at the London offices of an imprint of Hachette named “Headline,” where he had been invited to write “The Time of Terror,” the debut novel of the series. He felt the new project was different from anything he had ever done and hence he thought using a pseudonym would be proper. Since he was not sure if they would be any good, he thought he could bury Seth at Sea and quietly move on.

Seth Hunter had always loved historical naval fiction and spent much of his time while studying for his advanced levels reading “Hornblowr.” He would go on to read other classics from the likes of Dudley Pope and Alexander Kent and he was hooked. Later on he read Patrick O’Brian who he believes is the master of the genre. He read and reread every novel in the “Aubrey Maturin” novels and read them again when the author passed on a few years ago. Seth has also directed several documentaries about the sea and sailing and was the author of BBC Radio 4’s “Floating Republic.” He also authored, directed and produced several television dramas such as “Mary Bryant” and “Nelson’s Trafalgar.” At some point, he thought about writing a naval novel but did not have the confidence to set it at sea. As such, even though he wrote Nathan Peake as a naval commander, he was more of an agent or a spy than a seafarer. The modest ambition he had at the time was to write something of John Le Carre meets Patrick O’Brian in Revolutionary Paris. He also consulted with Brian Lavery and Colin Cross, two naval historians whose help was huge in helping get “The Time of the Terror” published in 2010.

Over the years, Seth Hunter has had a great time writing the “Nathan Peake” series. He has sailed the Med and the English Channel which are the setting for three of the novels. While he usually sails the Papagena his own boat in familiar waters, he usually hires crews and boats when he is on unfamiliar waters in the Sea of Andaman, The Gulf of Mexico, the backwaters of Kerala and the Arabian Sea. While he loves sailing and can haul in sail and sheets, he cannot navigate even to save his life. Nonetheless, he does just fine in the familiar waters of Sainsbury.
The “Nathan Peake” series of novels are about a lucky and young captain that serves in the King’s Navy during the Napoleonic and French Revolution Wars. In “The Time of Terror,” the first novel of the series, Peake gets a chance to prove himself when the war with the French breaks out. While not a captain yet, he wreaks havoc on the French economy and goes right to Paris to fulfill his mission. In “The Tide of War” the second of the series, Peake becomes a captain while working in the Caribbean, where he fights a notorious French warship causing havoc in the British colonies during the French Revolution. He also has some interesting family situations that he has to deal with during this time. In “The Price of Glory” the third novel of the series, Peake is involved in a naval assault on the Revolutionary government but he has to change guise and pose as an American captain/merchant. He now works in the intelligence services complete with a dirked boot.

“The Time of Terror” the first novel of the “Nathan Peake” series of novels sees patriots betrayed, friends turn against each other and lovers paying the ultimate price. The novel is set in 1793 where Nathan Peake the British naval commander is patrolling the English coast looking for bootleggers. He is desperate for some great action and when France declares war on England, he knows his time has come. In the bloody chaos of the “Terror,” he is charged with wrecking the French economy by bootlegging fake banknotes into the French capital. His work takes him down to the backstreets of Paris into the sinister catacombs and streets controlled by violent mobs. His mission also brings him into contact with famous characters of the time. Some of the people he rubs shoulders with include Thomas Paine the American/British revolutionary author, Mary Wollstonecraft the English feminist and her lover Gilbert Imlay the America who is working for George Washington in Paris. As voices condemning the Terror continue to rise, Peake remains determined to save the life of the woman he loves even as he fights the French.

In “The Tide of War” the second novel of the series sees the tide of war rising even higher. War has become a dangerous proposition as even the pros cannot tell between friend and foe. The novel is set in 1794 where Nathan Peake is now a captain sent to be in charge of a 32 gun frigate in the Caribbean. It is a ship known for mutiny and the previous captain had been killed, his throat cut and his body dumped on a beach in New Orleans. The men responsible had not yet been apprehended and so this is no easy assignment. But first Peake needs to find Virginie the French war ship that was spreading mayhem, rebellion and war in the British colonies. On the way there he has to deal with the witch queen La Princessa Negra who is a seductress extraordinaire that could very well lead him astray. He also falls for the intrigues of Gilbert Imlay, an American agent of George Washington.

“The Price of Glory” the third novel of the “Nathan Peake” series continues to follow the life and times of Nathan Peake the Royal Navy Captain. The novel is set following the French Revolution where the lead participates in a failed loyalist mutiny in France. Seeing himself as a man of ingenuity, audacity and honor in the mold of Captains Ramage, Aubrey and Hornblower, he risks his crew and ship. His actions earn him the attention of the Admiralty who punish him by sending him back to France but now as an undercover intelligence agent. He now needs to spy on American Gilbert Imlay who has been proven to be an amoral double agent. Peake also gets involved with several French courtesans and meets Napoleon Buonaparte, a bitter Corsican. While he is looking forward to reuniting with his former lover oblivious that he was guillotined he has to deal with a secret police officer out for his blood. Rumors of the Holy Grail, sea battles, gold treasure, and duels make for a thrilling work full of intrigue, action, suspense and colorful historical detail coupled with miraculous coincidence and miraculous escapes.