The Surgion's Mate is a sweeping historical fiction novel of adventure, intrigue and romance, taking place during the Napoleonic War. Our hero, Jack Swift, is a lowly surgeon's assistant in the English Navy, an orphan who escaped the Great Terror in France as a child. His ambitions drive him to take on an espionage assignment in France, where he becomes embroiled in Napoleon's land war at the risk of his own life. In the process, he learns the meanings of duty, courage, and responsibility, and finds his true love. It is a 19th century coming-of-age story.