He challenged the greatest empire on earth with a ragtag bunch of renegades-and brought it to its knees. "Empire of Blue Water" is the real story o...
read full description
reviews
Sep 05, 2011
Hannah
rated it: 
I would definitely recommend this book. I was surprised how much I didn't know about pirates, or at least how little is accurately described in popular culture. It really is kind of a war book, mostly full of descriptions of battles and stuff, but they are interesting battles, and it's really impressive to see some of the tactics the pirates used against properly trained armies to defeat them! And I can't get over how political it all was, much more than criminal.
Did you know that More...
Did you know that More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Aug 26, 2008
Kay
rated it:
Pirates (or privateers) always make sensational subjects, so author Stephan Talty didn't need much embellishment to make the tale of Henry Morgan into a fast-paced and thrilling book. I've read a handful of other accounts of Morgan and other privateers and found this one of the most successful renderings. And while Morgan cuts a definite dash, Talty doesn't shy from making it clear that it was ruthlessness as well as leadership skills, strategic thinking, and inventiveness that led to his succ
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 20, 2011
This was a great book. It was a fascinating nonfiction book about Port Royal in Jamaica during the 17th century. The true story of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Captain Henry Morgan really had a huge part to play in defeating the Spanish in the New World. The book describes the difference between buccaneers, pirates, and privateers, and also describes how the divisions betweem were often blurred and nonexistent. These men were courageous and tenacious. They were also lawless and uncivi
More...
Jun 14, 2009
Eric
rated it: 
Fantastic book about privateer Henry Morgan. This is a very readable tale of Morgan's battle with the Spanish. The author takes time to build the settings, describing places like Port Royal, Panama City, and other places in great detail. He also juxtaposes the lawless Caribbean with political climate in London and Madrid which is very useful for understanding how a pirate like Morgan could have accomplished so much so quickly. While the book is non-fiction, the author has created a fictional
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 13, 2011
Kevin
rated it: 
At first not very engaging. The beginning seemed to get bogged down in a lot of details that didn’t seem relevant to the story of the “pirate army.” This is actually more a bio of Morgan and an incidental history of 18th c. pirates. But the author does warm to his subject and by the end is quite eloquent, almost wistful for the passing of Morgan’s brand of piracy and disparaging of the more ruthless later versions, like Blackbeard. Morgan’s brand was actually state sanctioned guerilla attack
More...
Sep 16, 2011
Tom
rated it:
Really liked it. The author gushes a little in his admiration for the privateer leader Henry Morgan, but also doesn't gloss over Morgan's many faults. Morgan was a tactical genius, but had moments of paralyzing self-doubt. He was an amazing leader on land, but a truly crappy sailor. Morgan drank himself into an early grave... or at least what would now be considered an early grave. The story of Morgan is very entertaining in its own right. I don't think the author needed the device of "
More...
Feb 09, 2009
Bettie
rated it:
Unabridged. Read by John H Mayer.
----
The term tsunami comes from the Japanese meaning harbor ("tsu", 津) and wave ("nami", 波). [a. Jap. tsunami, tunami, f. tsu harbour + nami waves.—Oxford English Dictionary:]. For the plural, one can either follow ordinary English practice and add an s, or use an invariable plural as in Japanese. Tsunami are common throughout Japanese history; approximately 195 events in Japan have been recorded.
---- More...
----
The term tsunami comes from the Japanese meaning harbor ("tsu", 津) and wave ("nami", 波). [a. Jap. tsunami, tunami, f. tsu harbour + nami waves.—Oxford English Dictionary:]. For the plural, one can either follow ordinary English practice and add an s, or use an invariable plural as in Japanese. Tsunami are common throughout Japanese history; approximately 195 events in Japan have been recorded.
---- More...
Jun 25, 2008
Alice
rated it:
3.5 stars. Enjoyed it! A nice popular history (he's not a purist, you guys - he makes up a 'character' to represent the common pirate/seaman...the device was a little cheesy, but I didn't really mind). It's a good story, is the main thing - I didn't know anything about this period/region, and now I do. Whoooooo hoo!
Aug 11, 2011
Jeremiah
rated it:
Captain Morgan has earned the right to have his picture on my bottle of Rum. While it is true that he drank himself to death, it is also true that the drink was clearly the only thing that could kill him. This book proves the awesomeness of Captain Morgan. His strategic brilliance and charisma shows through time and time again. Some reviews of this book were rather negative with regards to the fictional character, Rodrick, whose story is a likely parallel of any typical deck hand, but I felt
More...
Oct 27, 2009
Christine (AR)
rated it:
Pirates! Real ones. Captain Morgan and the English privateers of Port Royal party in Jamaica and terrorize the Spanish Empire.
Fantastic! Swashbuckling adventures, backstabbing European politics, horrific tropical diseases, mountains of treasure -- and it all ends with a giant natural cataclysm that sinks the pirate city into the sea. I loved it!
(And it's so interesting that this book takes place at the same time as The Wordy Shipmates. Despite Vowell's zippy writing style More...
Fantastic! Swashbuckling adventures, backstabbing European politics, horrific tropical diseases, mountains of treasure -- and it all ends with a giant natural cataclysm that sinks the pirate city into the sea. I loved it!
(And it's so interesting that this book takes place at the same time as The Wordy Shipmates. Despite Vowell's zippy writing style More...
Sep 19, 2011
Esther
rated it:
Wow. I feel like I've got to take a week off after reading this one. A lot happens, man. (This is one of those books that proves reality is far more incredible than fiction.)I can say nothing more than that this must be the epitome of pirate literature - it may not be pirate Bible, but it's pirate Shakespeare at the very least. Loved it. Henry Morgan is a colossal figure in history, and this book gives him his due. (I read "Cup of Gold" by John Steinbeck about a thousand years ago - al
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 03, 2010
Larry
rated it: 
This book is full of wrong information, bad scholarship, and howlers (ex: p. 47 stating that unstable subsoils were caused by glaciers IN JAMAICA!; p 203 stated that Panama City is the oldest city in the Western Hemisphere (Santo Domingo in Hispaniola is).
I know that this book is for the general reader, but the publishers are willing to foist a really badly written, poorly rescearched work on the public thinking that nobody will notice (I was gullible and bought the book on the packa More...
I know that this book is for the general reader, but the publishers are willing to foist a really badly written, poorly rescearched work on the public thinking that nobody will notice (I was gullible and bought the book on the packa More...
Nov 05, 2009
Melanie
rated it:
This book will challenge everything you've learned about pirates from the movies. Real pirates were more brutal, less well-dressed, and drunker than in any movie. They were also utterly profligate, which attributed to their demise as much as the iron fist of any government.
One of the most enlightening aspects of 'Blue Water' has to be the analysis of shocking level of ineptitude with which Spain administered her colonies. Without the (non)contribution of the Spanish, the pirates woul More...
One of the most enlightening aspects of 'Blue Water' has to be the analysis of shocking level of ineptitude with which Spain administered her colonies. Without the (non)contribution of the Spanish, the pirates woul More...
Sep 16, 2009
Zach
rated it:
Really interesting history. Not just a book on piracy, the author effectively lays out the Spanish colonial system and how it given Spain tremendous power but also how it encouraged piracy and often state-sponsored privateering and how the structure of the colonies (the focus not on development/settlement of the New World, but purely on extracting as much gold/silver) made the Spanish empire vulnerable.
The author also effectively describes how Jamaica, and specifically Port Royal w More...
The author also effectively describes how Jamaica, and specifically Port Royal w More...
Feb 06, 2009
Linda
rated it:
As often as Jack Sparrow uttered the word "Pirate" as his explanation for his questionable behavior, I didn't really understand what that meant until reading this book. Talty helps us look past the romanticism of Errol Flynn and Johnny Depp to see what it meant to be a pirate in the Caribbean.
I particularly appreciate the insights into the politics of the time that allowed the pirates to flourish. Talty even talks about the weather and the geology of the area. Tsunami More...
I particularly appreciate the insights into the politics of the time that allowed the pirates to flourish. Talty even talks about the weather and the geology of the area. Tsunami More...
Jul 29, 2011
The namesake for spiced rum--Captain Morgan, the famous pirate, and his rise and ultimate fall are depicted in this book--very interesting read--not a part of history that I know anything about, and so things that happen, I do not have the background to fully understand--but the story itseld is well told. If you want to know more about the development of the Caribbean, understand the context of the English-Spanish feud, and perhaps even think about why North and South America took different pat
More...
Aug 17, 2009
Mikkee
rated it:
This book was chosen by another member of our book club. It is not a book I would have chosen to read which is the beauty of book club. It was an interesting book in better understanding the history of this region and it's impact on England, Spain, and the colonies, was richly woven in the story.
I give this book 3 stars because it would hold my attention, then make me fall asleep. I also found some aspects of the pirate's life and the forms of torture performed by all sides in t More...
I give this book 3 stars because it would hold my attention, then make me fall asleep. I also found some aspects of the pirate's life and the forms of torture performed by all sides in t More...
Apr 14, 2009
Rich
rated it:
Talty brings the world of piracy to vivid, and real life, looking at the world of the famous/infamous pirate, privateer, land-owner, and lieutenant governor of Jamaica, Henry Morgan.
Morgan was an excellent stratgetist, and had the charisma to attract many followers, but was actually a pretty lousy sailor. But he succeeded in making a reputation for himself throughout the Carribean.
Talty also looks at the political world that created pirates and privateers-the shiftin More...
Morgan was an excellent stratgetist, and had the charisma to attract many followers, but was actually a pretty lousy sailor. But he succeeded in making a reputation for himself throughout the Carribean.
Talty also looks at the political world that created pirates and privateers-the shiftin More...
Dec 27, 2008
Perryville
rated it:
Yo ho, Yo ho! It appears that pirates will continue to be all the rage this summer, especially with Disney’s recent release of the third and final installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. In this raucous new book, journalist Stephan Talty sets out to tell the true story of the original pirates of the Caribbean. Tracing the journey of ambitious young Welshman Henry Morgan and his crew of disgruntled sailors, runaways, and derelicts, Talty reveals how an army of sea-loving rogues man
More...
Mar 23, 2011
Joe
rated it:
This was a very detailed history, with multiple sources to support the story line. It primarily focused on Henry Morgan, and the history of the Caribbean during the Jamaican Port Royal era. It detailed 4 land raids led by Henry, and ended with his demise after serving as a governor's aide on the Island. The final pages detailed the earthquake ans tsunami that destroyed Port Royal in 1692.
This book provided a look at the Spanish dominated Caribbean, as adversaries to the English represented More...
This book provided a look at the Spanish dominated Caribbean, as adversaries to the English represented More...
Oct 19, 2010
Leslie
rated it:
Empire of Blue Water is a very accessible history of the rise and fall of Captain Henry Morgan - privateer/pirate of the Caribbean in the latter half of the 1600s. During this time period, privateering was actually commissioned by England so that these ruffians of the sea would harass Spanish treasure ships on their way home to Madrid. Part of the "booty" was sent back to England and its monarch's coffers and a percentage also went to the pirates themselves. Henry Morgan became very g
More...
Sep 16, 2010
Alex
rated it:
EMPIRE OF BLUE WATER: CAPTAIN MORGAN’S GREAT PIRATE ARMY, THE EPIC BATTLE FOR THE AMERICAS, AND THE CATASTROPHE THAT ENDED THE OUTLAWS’ BLOODY REIGN BY STEPHEN TALTY: Take a journey back to the dawn of the age of piracy in the Caribbean, in the mid-seventeenth century. England, having just overcome years of civil war after Charles I was executed and Oliver Cromwell has finally died, Charles II becoming king, is at war with Spain. On the other side of the Atlantic, in the Caribbean controlled b
More...
Jul 28, 2011
After the near extermination of its inhabitants and before the triangle trade claimed its thousands of victims, nations ruled by greed and bad faith decided their claims to this "new" world with black powder and cutlass. That red cloaked man you see smiling from the spiced rum bottle helped define a century of aggression that turned the political map of the Caribbean into what we see today. This is the story of a real Captain Morgan, written with passion for a distant time and place.
May 11, 2011
Barbra
rated it:
Must say I picked this book up because the cover was cool. I do this a lot, not always a good thing. However, in this case I am so glad I did. I just loved this book. Not only did I learn a bunch of cool stuff about pirates but the the narrative was so enjoyable. I recommend this book to everyone! Stephan Talty breaths life into history with such ease, you don't even realize you are reading non-fiction.
Apr 17, 2008
John
rated it:
Overall, a very interesting look into a time period and area I really didn't know much about. Talty is an engaging writer (as a reader you are very aware of Talty as the narrator, which some might find annoying, I'm ok with it).
One downside for me was that even though this book was about Henry Morgan, I never felt "close" to Morgan. I don't think this is Talty's fault, indeed at one point he laments that Morgan never wrote a memoir so he does the best he can with the sources he More...
One downside for me was that even though this book was about Henry Morgan, I never felt "close" to Morgan. I don't think this is Talty's fault, indeed at one point he laments that Morgan never wrote a memoir so he does the best he can with the sources he More...
Aug 23, 2011
Anthony
rated it:
A well written history of piracy in general and of henry Morgan in particular, "Empire of Blue Water" occasionally seems very dry in reading. It does however, provide a wonderful insight into one of the most famous of all the pirates, and how he managed to survive his own career when so many others were hunted down and hanged. The book seems well documented, though near the end it is stated that Anne Bonny died in prison while Mary Read disappeared, which seems to contradict most resea
More...
Nov 25, 2008
Ollie
rated it:
I liked this book. It protrays an accurate account of the pirateer Henry Morgan. It describes his adventures, disasters, and conflicts. I don't think it would have been as good with the invention of the lowly pirate under Captain Morgan. It depicts the "average" man and his role of pirate.
Dec 17, 2009
Wayne
rated it:
A book on how great spiced rum is . . . I kid. Before the famous booze Captain Morgan changed the landscape in the Caribbean, kicking the Spanish in the teeth and strengthening the British empire for years to come through piracy. Book reads like an adventure novel and I recommend highly.
Dec 28, 2008
LynnB
rated it:
Although some reviewers haven't liked the use of the representational pirate, Roderick, I found it to be an easy way for the author to insert information about the life of a pirate in a general way. The book was easy to read, but imparted a lot of information at the same time.
