TARS is a gripping firsthand account of life in the Royal Navy at its bloodiest and most tempestuous phase, beginning in 1758. Through the lives of the main protagonists - a small band of sailors aboard HMS Monmouth - TRAFALGAR author Tim Clayton paints a vivid picture of the navy and the era, from close-quarter battles and roistering on the streets of London to the political decisions that built up and knocked down empires. In this death-or-glory era the navy became the main weapon of an aggressive and power-hungry government, and fighting at sea was carried out at ever-closer quarters and with ever-increasing amounts of firepower. As the lives of the Monmouth's crew unfold we follow the ship of the line into raging battles in the ever-bloody war against France - and meet some of the great forgotten characters of the age, such as Lieutenant Augustus Hervey and his many romantic conquests. Using never-before published first-person sources, TARS takes us through these men's daily struggles as Britain for the first time ruled the waves.