Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "pirates"

The Treasure of Barracuda by Llanos Campos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A long time ago, back when pirates sailed on wooden ships in the Caribbean Sea, an eleven-year-old lad with freckles has a most particular, and dangerous, adventure. Sparks invites you to join him on his journey, but warns that you must listen well. Every word is true; he never tells a lie! In his world mistakes can get you hurt, or worse, and you don’t get second chances. Along the way he imparts sage advice – such as never sit in a tavern with your back to the door – from lessons he’s learned in the three years he’s been a member of the Southern Cross.

With only a rusty hook for a left hand and a face badly scarred, Captain Barracuda is feared far and wide by other pirates. He’s clever, shows no mercy, and brags about having zero friends. He spends most of his time alone, or in conference with Nuño, the man he trusts the most among the crew, and the man who “adopted Sparks after he was abandoned at the age of eight. Sparks, however, has many friends among the fifty-three pirates: Two Molars, One-Eyed Boasnovas, John the Whale, Erik the Belgian, Malik the Malian, and Russian Kitty.

For six years Barracuda has searched for treasure buried by the oldest pirate to sail the South Seas – Phineas Krane. Many other pirates have hunted for this treasure, but only Barracuda is clever enough to find it. And he should since he even spent time in jail to gather clues from a man everyone else thought was crazy. When the Southern Cross arrives at the island of Kopra, Barracuda leads them to the exact spot where his men must dig. But the treasure within the chest isn’t gold, silver, and gems. Oh no, it’s “a blasted book!”

Barracuda is so angry he shuts himself in his cabin and doesn’t emerge until they return to Maracaibo. Once the ship docks, he fires the entire crew. Sparks and his mates are dumbfounded and not quite certain what to do. Then Barracuda advertises for a new crew and prospective candidates are to come to the Southern Cross on Saturday. Imagine his surprise when the weekend arrives and the only men on the dock are Sparks, Nuño, One-Eyed Boasnovas, John the Whale, and all the other pirates who used to sail with the captain. Since he needs a crew and they need work, what else can he do but take them all back?. And the last to board – sneaking onto the Southern Cross – is Two Molars with a package.

One night, they catch Two Molars hiding under the pantry steps reading a book by candlelight. Eyes widen when he confesses that it’s Phineas Krane’s book and that he just had to read it because he saw his name in it. Well, soon everyone wants to hear the story, so Two Molars must read aloud. But he’s not the best reader and it takes time for him to figure out strange words. Then Sparks has a brilliant idea – he wants to learn to read. Before long so does everyone else. There are just two problems: Two Molars isn’t the best teacher and there’s only one book, but fifty-two pirates.

Anyone who’s ever attempted to read knows just how confusing a task it can be, what with words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently. Before long, Two Molars becomes so frustrated he quits. But the pirates aren’t deterred. Sometimes it just takes time before what you’re taught snaps into place. And sometimes what you think isn’t treasure is actually a grand treasure . . . one that just might lead to even greater booty . . . if you’re willing to take a chance and brave dangerous places and come face-to-face with scurvy, untrustworthy people! Especially when you know you’re not the only one looking for Phineas Krane’s treasure.

The Treasure of Barracuda may be written for pirate apprentices, but I loved this book. I laughed, frowned, and held my breath as Sparks guided me through his adventure. It won the 2014 Barco de Vapor Award for Children’s Literature in Spain and is one of the best books I’ve read this year; adult pirates will enjoy it as much as younger ones. For those unfamiliar with pirate and nautical language, Barracuda’s Glossary will help you understand the world of pirates and sailing ships. Schimel’s translation of the original Spanish is seamless. Campos hooks you from the first page, and the innovative language and roller coaster action keeps you reading. Sardà’s colorful artwork is expressive and brings Sparks, Barracuda, and the other Southern Crosses to life. What’s even better is the promise of more adventures to come with Sparks and his mates.




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Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Pretending to be someone she’s not and hiding skills that could free her are difficult for Alosa, but to succeed in her mission, she has no other choice. She just can’t make her capture seem too easy for Captain Draxen and the rest of the pirates of Night Farer. She also wants to make certain her crew gets away unharmed . . . well, at least the three she trusts who are true members of her real crew. Her father handpicked the rest from among the debtors, thieves, and disobeyers who come to his attention.

Once he boards her ship, Draxen reveals that he knows exactly who she is: Princess Alosa, daughter of Kalligan, the Pirate King. When she attempts to negotiate her surrender, a battle of wits ensues. An accord is finally reached, but not without shedding blood, and his crew puts her crew in longboats and tells them it will take them 2 ½ days to reach the nearest port. Once there they are to deliver his ransom note to the Pirate King. Then Draxen sinks their ship.

Furious at losing face in front of his men, Draxen threatens Alosa before locking her in a cell. Getting out isn’t a problem; she’s quit adept at picking locks and well-trained by her father, but sneaking out must wait until the pirates are asleep. Only then will it be a tad safer to search Night Farer to complete her mission.

Many years ago a map was torn into sections and given to three pirate lords. These pieces have been handed down from father to son through generations. Her father has one. The second was held by Draxen’s father, but he’s dead now, which means Draxen may or may not have the map. In fact, he may not even know about it. It’s her job to find it; only then can she set in motion the rest of her father’s plan. Once he has all three sections and reassembles the map, it will lead him to the Isla de Canta – an island filled with treasure and protected by magical sirens.

Draxen’s brother Riden is tasked with interrogating Alosa to discover the exact location of Kalligan’s hideaway. While he’s out searching for herhter, Draxen will sail to the hideaway and lay an ambush. The Pirate King introduced the concept of honesty to make deals and negotiate with rival lords. Draxen prefers the old ways and being honest goes against the grain of many pirates. Hence his reason for capturing Alosa.

Having been raised by a vicious father, Riden has seen the crueler side of life. He doesn’t want to see Alosa hurt, but he’s not against allowing others to hurt her if she fails to answer his questions. Almost from the start, she recognizes Riden feels responsible for some situation. She just doesn’t know what or why. But she does understand that all he truly wants is to be loved and accepted.

Riden has a special skill, one that allows him to elicit information without others knowing this is what he’s doing. His technique differs from usual interrogations, and Alosa enjoys their cat-and-mouse game. Until she realizes she has shared some secrets, such as her willingness to do whatever her father asks just to please him. Riden also senses Alosa keeps a more important secret . . . but it’s one she can’t afford to reveal to him or anyone else.

From first sentence to last, Alosa weaves a magical web filled with powerful emotions that compel you to keep turning pages. She drops hints throughout her tale, but never reveals the truth until the exact moment you need to know. Levenseller deftly melds fantasy with pirate lore and betrayal. Just when you think you know what comes next, she inserts an unexpected twist that heightens the tension and sends you plummeting. The intended audience may be young adults, but anyone will enjoy this story because it touches on themes we all can relate to: the need for acceptance, a desire to be loved, and trying to please one’s parents no matter how high they set the bar.

Daughter of the Pirate King is a great fantasy made even better with the promise of a sequel. After all, there’s still one piece of map to find.




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Quest for Blackbeard: The True Story of Edward Thache and His World by Baylus C. Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Who was Blackbeard? The answer to this is far from simple, because many legends surround this elusive person. In Quest for Blackbeard, Brooks sifts through genealogical and historical records to provide a fact-based response to this question. His use of these primary documents, some of which haven’t been seen before, allow him to distill facts from fiction. He does refer to secondary sources, but only to highlight how these narratives diverge from or defend his findings.

Since 1724 and written six years after Blackbeard’s death, a main source on pirates, including Blackbeard, has been Captain Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates ever. Its author was a contemporary, familiar with the political and social constraints of the early eighteenth century. His true identity remains unknown, although Daniel Defoe and Nathaniel Mist are two candidates for this person. Brooks sides with historian Arne Bialuschewski, who makes a good case for the latter being Johnson, and this becomes evident as readers delve into the pages of Quest for Blackbeard. Over time, however, historians have come to recognize that Johnson blurred true history with fiction, so A General History is more semi-biographical in nature. This is why Brooks seeks information from more reliable resources to uncover the truth about Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard the pirate.

While Blackbeard’s piratical career is known, his origins are mired in mystery. Brooks, with assistance from other researchers and genealogists, has uncovered documentary evidence in Jamaica that sheds light on this quandary. Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Thache, although through the years it has been spelled Teach, Thatch, Theach, and Tach – a byproduct of an era when spelling wasn’t uniform. He was probably born in the environs of Bristol, England, and immigrated to Jamaica as a young lad with his parents and sister. His family had wealth and social standing in the island’s capital of Spanish Town (St. Jago de la Vega). During Queen Anne’s War (known as the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe), he served aboard HMS Windsor. While no ship’s logs or muster books support this – and Brooks provides good reasons why this might be – a Jamaican deed provides this information.

History has often been taught in a vacuum, so our understanding of events doesn’t always include the whole picture. In order to truly understand Thache, it’s important to view him from the perspective of the world in which he lived and through the eyes of those who either knew him or were impacted by him. Brooks ably provides this historical context, sometimes diverting from the straight and narrow, but he always brings the focus back to Thache. For this reason, readers simply seeking a book just about Blackbeard won’t find it within these pages. Instead, we are treated to a treasure trove of information that gives a better understanding of Thache’s world, piracy in general, and how politics, the media, and changing attitudes influence how he was and is viewed.

Brooks touches on a wide variety of interconnected topics that may have influenced Blackbeard in varying degrees. These include Jacobites, class, and religion, as well as locations such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Carolinas. Among the many pirates discussed are Elizabethan Sea Dogs, Benjamin Hornigold, Henry Avery, Robert Searle, Charles Vane, Henry Jennings, Samuel Bellamy, and Stede Bonnet. Brooks also spotlights men who either supported or worked against pirates, such as Sir Thomas Modyford, Nicholas Trott, Charles Eden, Tobias Knight, William Rhett, and Alexander Spotswood. By examining all these people within the proper historical context, Brooks suggests we need to revisit and revise our “general modern view of dirty, poor, and destitute pirates, at least their leaders.” (9)

Throughout the 651 pages of this book Brooks shares what other historians and authors have written about Blackbeard. Among these are Peter Earle, Colin Woodard, Marcus Rediker, Mark Hanna, Robert E. Lee, and David Cordingly – names many readers familiar with pirate histories readily recognize. While Brooks agrees with some, he disagrees with others. Authors’ personal biases and agendas influence their writing, and readers should understand these while reading non-fiction. Brooks certainly recognizes this and, for the most part, his presentation is equally weighted; however, his discussions on armchair historians (those with no formal training in historical research) and those who “adopted” Thache as a North Carolinian demonstrate his own biases because the arguments come across more as rants than impartial evaluations.

While revising our understanding of pirates is one of Brooks’ goals in writing Quest for Blackbeard, he states two others. One pertains to corrupt private colonies and the need for “central government control for any progress to commence once . . . Britain dominated in America.” (9) The second pinpoints an epicenter for the dawning of the Golden Age of Piracy: the July 1715 hurricane that resulted in the catastrophic wreck of eleven of Spain’s treasure ships. The information he puts forth in this narrative masterfully supports these goals.

Each of the fifteen chapters begins with a quotation and has numerous subheadings. Footnotes are provided on pages where the source is referred to, but there is no bibliography. This requires readers, who are interested in locating the resource, to find its original footnote for the full citation. Figures (illustrations, maps, family trees, timelines, and charts) are renumbered with each chapter and no master list with page numbers is provided for easy reference. Nor are they always referred to within the narrative. There are three appendices, although the references to them within the narrative aren’t uniformly indicated. (The print in Appendix C is small and may require a magnifying glass to read.) The extensive index, however, mitigates these oversights to some degree.

Quest for Blackbeard is an absorbing account of Brooks’ quest to learn the history behind the legend. He admits that genealogy involves assumptions and identifies where he speculates on some aspects of Thache’s life and his contemporaries. This is why readers will encounter words such as likely, probably, and possibly throughout their reading. But these suppositions don’t detract from the importance of his research. The book is an invaluable addition to any pirate collection, and the “new” historical evidence and thought-provoking conclusions provide stimulating areas for future research and conversation.




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Pirates in Truth and Tale by Helen Hollick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One might ask why we need another book that focuses on the ‘Golden Age’ of piracy – you know the one that takes place mostly in the Caribbean between 1713 and 1730 – but Hollick’s examination is far more than simply about those swashbuckling scoundrels. She sets the stage in her foreword, summarizing several key points:

a. real pirates versus their fictional counterparts;
b. society’s changing attitudes toward them, as well as its fascination with them;
c. definitions for all the various terms that denote pirates;
d. piracy through the ages; and
e. reality vs romanticism.

To emphasize these points her first chapter discusses “What We Think We Know about Pirates,” while the second focuses on “What We Ought to Know” and includes the caveat “(Skip This Chapter If You Don’t Want To Be Disillusioned).”

Within the 328 pages, she introduces us to a wide array of pirates, including some who rarely show up in other history books. Aside from the usual suspects (in no particular order) – Henry Jennings, Charles Vane, Samuel Bellamy, William Dampier, Bartholomew Roberts, Blackbeard, Jack Rackham, and William Kidd to name only a few – we also meet Daniel Montbars, Jan Baert, and Ignatius Pell (only a sampling). In addition, you’ll find a handful of governors, including Thomas Modyford, Alexander Spotswood, and Woodes Rogers. There are chapters on the 1715 wreck of the Spanish treasure fleet, medicine, ships, weaponry, clothing, and safe havens, not to mention interesting tidbits like the pirate plunder that funded a college.

Don’t fear though! Women get a fair shake, too. In addition to Anne Bonny and Mary Read, you’ll learn about Jeanne de Clisson, Elise Eskilsdotter, Ladies Mary and Elizabeth Killigrew, Jacquotte Delahaye, Anne Dieu-le-Veut, Jeanne Baret, Rachel Wall, and Grace O’Malley. What you might not expect are the other women who went to sea, such as Jeanne Baret, Hannah Snell, and Mary Lacy. Or the fact that a number of sea-songs concern females who donned male attire, joined the Royal Navy, and then were unmasked.

Nor is piracy the only topic explored within this book, although these are all related in some way. Since many pirates began life either as naval personnel or merchant marines, and because they rarely left behind detailed notes on the mundane details of their daily lives, Hollick discusses the tobacco and slave trades, indenture, fidelity, tattooing, shipboard life and navigation, and superstitions.

But wait! If you think that’s all, there’s still more. After all, the subtitle of this book is “Truth and Tales.” Not only does Hollick examine fictional pirates in print and film, she talks about writing from her own perspective as the author of the Sea Witch adventures, which star Captain Jesamiah Acorne, and she treats us to excerpts from some of his piratical adventures, as well as from Celia Reese’s Pirates! and James L. Nelson’s The Only Life That Mattered. Among the pirates of fiction you’ll find Captains Hook and Sparrow, Long John Silver, and Black Sails. As for Pirates of the Caribbean, she also shares the impact this series of movies has had on people’s lives. While she shares what books and movies get right and wrong, she also makes a great observation:

The limitless realm of the imagination when telling stories or writing fiction gives us leave to plunder reality as blatantly as those rascal scallywags plundered treasure. (29)

In addition to all this information, the book also includes a timeline that begins in 1492 with Columbus’s “discovery” of the Caribbean and Americas, and ends with the death of Governor Spotswood in 1740. There are a Glossary of Terms – more varied than often seen in nautical books – and Nautical Measurements, which come before the bibliography. There is no index, but scattered throughout the book are color photographs with interesting captions.

Another item that Hollick addresses pertains to an often-asked question: What about a pirate named so-and-so? To reinforce the fact that the majority of pirates are simply unknown or merely names in a document, she lists the crews of Stede Bonnet, Blackbeard, Edward Lowe, George Lowther, and Charles Vane. Most simply provide the person’s name and the trial’s outcome – all that is known about them. Only a few include additional information.

The book consists of fifty-three chapters, each two to thirteen pages long with the majority falling somewhere in between. Her explanation of the War of the Spanish Succession is concise and easy to understand, one of the best I’ve encountered. Much of the information on sea shanties and tattooing, which predominantly covers the time period after the Golden Age, pertains to sailors in general. The same is true about prisons and punishments, but all four subjects are enlightening. On occasion it’s difficult to distinguish what’s more myth than fact – good examples being Blackbeard’s many wives and pirate flags – since there are no footnotes or endnotes and myths are one topic she doesn’t cover.

The statement that the skill of smuggling led to the Revolutionary War and American Independence is an oversimplification. Gory details are explicit, but the book is geared toward adults and mature readers, just like her Jesamiah Acorne stories. There are enough misspelled words – not including the differences in spelling between British and American English – and missing words that readers will notice. But there is far more to recommend this book than these minor problems.

There are also two chapters that deserve special mention. The first is highly helpful for those who wish to mimic the way pirates spoke on Talk Like a Pirate Day. Hollick lives in the West Country, the region where many seamen and pirates hailed from in the past, so she offers her expertise so you can learn some Devonish and speak it with a West Country accent.

At least for me, the most intriguing chapter concerns the real identity of Captain Charles Johnson, the mysterious author who wrote A General History of the Pyrates. She talks about the two current likely candidates – Nathaniel Mist and Daniel Defoe – and provides plausible reasons why neither choice is convincing. She puts forth her own contender– and no, I cannot even be tortured into sharing who that person is – which makes perfect sense, even if there’s no hard evidence to support this possibility. Even the reason for using the pseudonym of Charles Johnson works.

Don’t be fooled. This pirate book is unlike any other one. It resembles a scavenger hunt, and you’re never quite certain where the trail will lead next. Yet Pirates is entertaining and enlightening, with a good mix of facts and fiction. At times tongue-in-cheek, Hollick’s narrative holds your interest and keeps the pages turning. The inclusion of details outside the narrower scope of piracy provides a global perspective, rather than simply viewing the Golden Age marauders in isolation. Two additional strengths are the inclusion of lesser-known facts and general information that can’t be found in other piratical volumes. The questions she poses make you think and question what you’ve read in other books on piracy.

But this book may not be for everyone. Those who seek serious pirate history will probably want to look elsewhere. Pirates is geared toward readers seeking general information spiced with an entertaining cornucopia of fact and fiction that makes the book a tremendous resource for a pirate trivia game.




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The Pirate Next Door: The Untold Story of Eighteenth Century Pirates' Wives, Families and Communities by Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Video and print provide readers with a one-dimensional view of pirates. They are portrayed as single, idle, uneducated, and poor seamen who distanced themselves from society. They cared only for themselves and their ill-gotten gains. Geanacopoulos’s research, however, shows the opposite is true. They possessed strong family ties and some degree of education; they also came from families with varying degrees of status. They were criminals, but sometimes economic restrictions, such as the Navigation Acts, and cultural factors, such as downsizing in times of peace, provided greater impetus to go on the account than simply to plunder. In digging deeper for the truth, she discovered that government propaganda and dubious sources have led us to believe in this one-dimensional portrayal.

Of the eighty married pirates, this book delves into the lives of four specific captains to prove how wrong our misconceptions are. In doing so, she shows how women played far greater roles in their lives than originally thought. She focuses on men whose exploits occurred between 1695 and 1720 and who were connected to New England, a region with close ties to piracy. While each chapter discusses their personal lives, their ties to community (both in society and among the brethren of the coast), and the women they loved, each one also focuses on a specific aspect that the women in their lives best demonstrates.

Samuel Bellamy – “Black Sam” and His Lady on the Shore
Paulsgrave Williams – Deep Roots and Family Ties
William Kidd – The Woman Behind the Pirate
Samuel Burgess – Window into the Private Lives of Pirates

Maps and illustrations are included, as are end notes, a bibliography, and an index. The book begins with a summary of Caribbean piracy and the time period, but contains one misstatement pertaining to Bellamy’s marital status. He never married Maria Hallett, but the desire to do so was a motivating factor in his leaving Cape Cod. In spite of this, Geanacopoulos’s introduction is easy to read and quite interesting in its own right. Her explanation on how she reconstructed the pirates’ lives is equally enlightening and fascinating since historical documents provide far more information than we’ve been led to believe.

Recent research into Maria Hallett hints that there may be more truth than fiction in the enduring legend – delightful news for romantics. Equally compelling is the bewildered stranger who stopped at a tavern soon after the wreck of the Whydah, a tidbit often omitted in histories on Bellamy. The chapter on Williams is a welcome addition to pirate lore, since his story is often eclipsed by Bellamy and the shipwreck. Sarah Kidd’s story perhaps best demonstrates the flipside of the pirate. Equally fascinating is Burgess’s chapter, not because he was a pirate – which he once was – but because he rendered an invaluable service to pirates and their families. The letters shared within these pages provide strong evidence that at least some “enemies of all mankind” were really human beings who cared about loved ones left behind.

At no time, however, does Geanacopoulos romanticize these men’s chosen profession. She merely shows that, as with any criminal, there is more to them than just their nefarious deeds. The Pirate Next Door is an engaging and compelling window into four real pirates. This work also an invaluable resource that ably contradicts many misconceptions we have about pirates. It is a must read for anyone who wants to know the whole truth.




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Belerion Odyssey by William H. Russeth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sixteen-year-old Doros Alastor Papalos lives in the mountains, where he tends sheep. He likes the peaceful solitude, but it is a lonely life, one he has endured since the age of eleven. At least it keeps him safe from his Spartan master, who wants him to become a soldier. But the life he knows comes to an abrupt end one night when several Spartan lads come to slay him as a rite of passage. He kills the intruders, but knows he must flee. He is a slave, and he will be executed if he’s caught. But where can he go?

Advice from an old man suggests the safest place to go is the sea, so Doros heads for Pylos to find a ship and a captain willing to teach him the ropes. But Doros doesn’t know the dangers of a port city, and the temptress who offers him a drink sells him to pirates. Nor is he the only one she dupes. When Doros awakens, he discovers that Lykaon, the Spartan warrior sent to track down the murderer, has also been shanghaied.

Daidalos, the captain of the pirate ship, pays dearly for Doros and, wanting to get the best value for the cost, he teaches Doros about ships and sailing. Since he climbs the mast like a monkey, Doros soon earns the nickname “Monkey Boy,” a moniker he despises. Since he knows how to swim, he is tasked with diving to the ocean floor to recover sunken treasure. While underwater, he pockets a large medallion as well as a small, green vial with a sparkling gold lump inside.

Soon after they recover the treasure, a storm overcomes the pirate ship and Doros, Lykaon, and Daidalos are the only survivors. All three are picked up by a passing trireme on its way fight the Persian navy. Since Lykaon is a warrior, he isn’t forced to work the oars that propel the warship, but Doros and Daidalos are. None, however, wish to fight in the upcoming battle, and they make their escape when the trireme sinks.

Upon washing ashore, they encounter Aella, who is running away from a cruel master. She will help them steal a boat and escape pursuit if they take her with them. Once back at sea, Doros finally has a chance to examine the vial’s contents and the medallion. With the others’ help, he comes to believe the markings on the medallion are a map to the location of Jason’s Golden Fleece. Tto make that journey, they need a bigger ship and more men. Not to mention money to buy supplies for the long journey from the Mediterranean to the island called Albion.

Belerion Odyssey takes place in 480 BC, a time when the Greek city-states and Persia are at war. The story begins with Monkey Boy being kicked over the side of the pirate ship to locate the treasure, dropping readers right into the action. What is a bit disconcerting in this first-person historical novel is that the storm approaches at the end of one chapter and the next takes place when Doros is eleven. The pirate story resumes in chapter seven. Only later do readers learn what happened when the storm overtakes the pirate ship.

Mutiny, kidnapping, betrayal, revenge, witchery, jealousy, and a dragon are just some of the elements that enliven this action-packed tale. It’s not the usual fare for a pirate adventure, but it’s a fresh change of pace from the more common Caribbean ones. Russeth skillfully interweaves myth, history and pirates to transport readers back to ancient times. Belerion Odyssey is a grand quest with an exotic flare that is sure to satisfy readers of historical fiction and pirate fans alike.




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Enemies of All Humankind: On the Narrative Construction of Legitimate Violence in Anglo-American Modernity by Sonja Schillings

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The concept of hostis humani generis dates back to Cicero, when he used this phrase to describe pirates as the enemies of all humankind. What Schilling does in this latest volume in Darmouth’s Re-mapping the Transnational series is to show the evolution of this concept and the application and use of legitimate violence to defeat these enemies from when it was first applied to pirates up to today’s terrorists, particularly as it pertains to the growth and maturation of America.

The author divides the book into four parts and uses both fiction and non-fiction to showcase her argument.

Introduction
Part I. The Emperor and the Pirate: Legitimate Violence as a Modern Dilemma
1. Augustine of Hippo: The City of God
2. Charles Johnson: A General History of the Pyrates
3. Charles Ellms: The Pirates’ Own Book

Part II. Race, Space, and the Formation of the Hostis Humani Generis Constellation
4. Piratae and Praedones: The Racialization of Hostis Humani Generis
5. John Locke, William Blackstone, and the Invader in the State of Nature
6. Hostis Humani Generis and the American Historical Novel: James Fenimore Cooper’s The Deerslayer

Part III. The American Civilization Thesis: Internalizing the Other
7. The Frontier Thesis as a Third Model of Civilization
8. The Democratic Frontiersman and the Totalitarian Leviathan
9. Free Agency and the Pure Woman Paradox
10. The Foundational Pirata in Richard Wright’s Native Son

Part IV. “It Is Underneath Us”: The Planetary Zone in between as an American Dilemma
11. The Institutional Frontier: A New Type of Criminal
12. Who Is Innocent? The Later Cold War Years
13. Moshin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the War on Terror
Conclusion

The book also includes a list of abbreviations, end notes, an extensive list of the works cited, and an index.

Victims of violence rarely control what happens to them, but over time, especially in Western tradition, the idea of legitimate violence – the use of force to subdue aggression – has been employed to defend innocent targets. What Schilling does in this book is show how the theory of legitimate violence has developed and evolved over time; how discussions on hostis humani generis are and have been maintained throughout the history of the United States; and how the parameters of both have changed over the centuries to warrant the protection of new victims.

Who are the perpetrators who fall under the umbrella of hostis humani generis and against whom legitimate violence is permitted? The initial enemies were pirates, but the passage of time has also permitted slavers, torturers, and terrorists, as well as any group that commits crimes against humanity, to be so labeled. While the concept of hostis humani generis is actually a legal fiction, its close association to piracy often leads scholars to believe they must first understand the pirate in order to comprehend why such people warrant the labeling of enemies of all humankind. But Schilling disagrees with this belief for two reasons. First, the definition of “pirate” changed over time, and that flexibility introduces inconsistency into such an analysis. Secondly, other perpetrators of violence replaced pirates as such enemies. This is why she refers to hostis humani generis as a constellation, a group of people related by their violent acts against innocent people.

The first two parts of this study are of particular interest to those who study and read about pirates, although Barbary corsairs, Somali pirates, and comparisons to the sample texts in chapters two and three are mentioned elsewhere. In the first section, Schilling discusses the origin of hostis humani generis and Saint Augustine’s broadening of the concept. This constellation finally comes into its own in the 16th century as European countries extended their borders to include territories in the New World. The second section focuses more on the law and invaders such as the renegadoes from the Barbary States.

While many readers will clearly understand that some of the texts that are used here to support her argument fall definitively into either non-fiction or fiction, Schilling doesn’t clarify that Johnson’s A General History of the Pyrates and Ellms’ A Pirates’ Own Book are actually a mix of both. These two authors interwove facts with imagination to better capture their readers’ interest. Overall, Enemies of All Humankind is a thought-provoking, scholarly examination that will stimulate interesting discussion on a topic that has particular relevance not only to the study of the past, but also to global events unfolding every day in our own world.




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Magic of Blood and Sea by Cassandra Rose Clarke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Don’t get married. Don’t trust beautiful people. Choices have consequences.

Getting married isn’t Ananna of the Tanarau’s idea. Her parents thought this one up. All she wants is to captain her own ship. But the Confederation doesn’t allow female captains. But there’s always a way to circumvent rules, especially when you’re a pirate.

Anyway, the second is her hard and fast rule. Tarrin of the Hariri is beautiful. His family wants to elevate the clan, marriage being one way to do so. (Murder and mutiny are the other two.) Since her family ranks higher, this wedding is a business arrangement between parents. Even worse, his clan is the only one that spends more time on land than on water. Born and raised on the sea, she wants to stay there, not sail in the monstrosities they use to navigate on land.

Which brings her back to the first rule. Her only other option is to run, which she does. Even though it means isolating herself from her family. But why dwell on the past? Besides, she can sell her wedding dress for coins to buy what she needs at the market before hightailing it as far from the Hariri as possible.

But choices do have consequences, and reneging on this alliance turns out to be life-changing. More than miffed at this insult, the Hariri hire an assassin to kill her. Luckily, she comes across a shopkeeper who sells her magic vials guaranteed to thwart the assassin. Only they don’t work when she comes face-to-face with Naji of the Jadorr’a. Turns out the shopkeeper hails from the Mists, an Otherworld member who’s been chasing after the assassin for years.

Just as Naji is about to deliver the killing blow, Ananna slays a snake that was about to kill him. Darn! Now instead of executing her, he must protect her. Honor demands it. Ananna only saved him because she HATES snakes. She goes along with his protection, but at the first opportunity she’ll escape. Even though with his scarred face and many tattoos, he is intriguing.

To shield her from danger when he’s not with her, Naji uses blood magic to create a charm she can wear around her neck. It will protect her from the Mists, who will entice her to betray him with empty promises, and anyone else the Hariri hire to kill her. But the moment Ananna tries to run away, she discovers the whole truth about the consequence of saving Naji’s life. Any danger she faces and any distance she travels from him cause him agonizing pain . . . pain that could kill him.

Their lives intertwined by magic, they set off across the desert together only to run into a hornet’s nest of monstrous land ships and Tarrin. He gives her one last chance to marry him, but she refuses. So the two fight, with the rest of the Hariri ships and Naji soon joining in. Another choice with haunting consequences: Ananna wins, but Naji is severely wounded. He knows a river witch who can help heal him, and together they begin the arduous journey to reach the witch in time.

She’s beautiful, so Ananna doesn’t trust her and is even a bit jealous of her, since Naji seems moonstruck over the witch. But Ananna learns one important piece of information that complicates their situation – Naji is cursed. And it’s an impossible curse, which means it can’t be removed. The only one who may be able to help is Wizard Eirnin, who lives on the Isles of the Sky – a cold, often sunless, and magical place fraught with danger. Getting there will be a problem, because no sane sailor would dare set foot there. Then there’s the question as to whether the wizard will deign to help them if they can find him. Even if there is a cure, it’s probably just as impossible as the curse itself.

Comprised of two stories – The Assassin’s Curse and The Pirate’s Wish – Magic of Blood and Sea combines magic, romance, and nautical adventure in such a way that you never want Ananna’s and Naji’s story to end. Clarke spins a captivating tale of trust, love, friendship, and sacrifice. Her characters seem more than just figments of imagination, and Ananna springs from the pages almost from the first sentence to whisk you away with her. Once Naji joins her, they transport you to their world and yours is forgotten. Together they show that life and love can blossom from the impossible.




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The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin W. Sandler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Originally constructed for a member of parliament involved in the slave trade, the Whydah was bound for England when Samuel Bellamy and his fellow pirates attacked her in February 1717. In 1984 Barry Clifford and his team of divers discovered what remained of her off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Born in 1689, Englishman Samuel Bellamy found himself unemployed after his stint in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession. He eventually journeyed to New England, where he hoped to seek his fortune. He met Paulsgrave Williams, son of an influential Rhode Island family, and the two decided to try their hand at diving on the Spanish treasure fleet that had sunk off the Florida coast in 1715. The fortune both sought failed to materialize, so they went on the account in hopes of finding adventure and wealth. Along the way they encountered other infamous pirates, such as Benjamin Hornigold, Olivier Levasseur, and Edward Teach. Bellamy also came to captain his own pirate ship, which led him to acquire new crew members. Among these were John King (the youngest known pirate), John Julian (a Moskito Indian), and Tom Davis (a carpenter forced to join). They captured many vessels, but the Whydah finally delivered what Bellamy desired most – an ideal pirate ship loaded with treasure. But tragedy struck when she and all but two of her crew sank during a violent storm.

In the aftermath of the wreck, many sought the treasure, but locating the Whydah proved elusive. Centuries passed before she finally gave up her secrets. This volume, written for middle-grade readers, recounts the story of this ship, the pirates who attacked her, and the hunt to locate the first verified pirate shipwreck. Sandler also includes the legends surrounding Bellamy; what the recovered artifacts have taught us about piracy during the early eighteenth century; and the establishment of a museum to showcase these artifacts.

This fascinating tale is recounted in twelve chapters, each of which includes a feature that further illuminates some facet pertaining to the information in the chapter. Among these historical sidepieces are discussions on the slave trade, pirate life and tactics, the history of diving, and preserving artifacts. To further enhance the reading experience, Sandler incorporates quotations from period documents or people involved in the hunt and discovery of the shipwreck, black-and-white illustrations, and maps.

The inclusion of an index makes this history of the Whydah more accessible than Clifford’s own books that often lack this important feature. Sandler clearly mentions any alterations he makes, such as rewording passages from Captain Johnson’s A General History of Pyrates into modern-day language for easier reading, and points out when the historical record remains silent about a particular aspect of the story, such as the legend of Maria Hallett. The inclusion of lesser-known facts, such as two of the divers who helped in the search, will surprise many. The chronological unfolding of events and the smooth flow of the narrative make this an inviting tale that snares the reader’s attention. This might be a book aimed at young pirate readers (ages ten and up), but adults will find it an equally intriguing adventure.




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The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson by Ólafur Egilsson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


July 1627. Ships are sighted in waters around Iceland. With Danish warships still to arrive, the villagers can do little to stop the Barbary corsairs who come ashore in search of slaves. Among the 4,000 captured are Reverend Ólafur Egilsson, his pregnant wife, and two young sons. Once at the slave market, he is separated from his family, and while they remain in Algiers, his captors free him to secure the ransom money. In his sixties, he travels by foot and boat through Europe to Denmark, but unable to raise the money, he arrives in Iceland almost a year later. A decade passes before 35 slaves are ransomed; only 27 of whom successfully survive the journey home.

After his return to Iceland, Egilsson wrote about this event, known in Iceland as the Tyrkjaránið (the Turkish Raid), but it has never been accessible to those unfamiliar with Icelandic. Now translated into English, his tale brings to life the horrors of that raid – one conducted not just by men born and raised in Algiers and Salé (Morocco), but also by Europeans who renounced their faith to join the ranks of the corsairs of North Africa and the Ottoman Empire. His story also tells of the voyage to Algiers, the devastating and humiliating experiences of being sold into slavery, his religious turmoil, and his travels and struggles to secure the necessary ransom to rescue his family and friends. In addition, he talks about the people and countries that he visited, providing readers with rare glimpses of 17th-century customs, religions, and ways of life.

To complement Egilsson’s work, the editors include five translated letters. One is a sheriff’s account of the raid; the others are from slaves. Maps and images are interspersed throughout the book, which also includes an index, suggestions for further reading, and four appendices. The latter contains information about Algiers, Salé, and Iceland at the time in which the Icelanders were taken; the sources used in translating the manuscript, which survives only as copies and copies of copies; and aspects of early modern Europe (famous people, religious and historical events, publications, and science) in Egilsson’s lifetime.

Footnotes enhance readers’ understanding of unfamiliar elements within the narrative. They sometimes provide help with pronunciation and compare Egilsson’s account with first-person accounts from contemporaries, such as Father Pierre Dan, a Trinitarian friar who redeemed captives in Algiers. The introduction gives an excellent grounding in events leading up to the attack and the world in which Egilsson lived. If Hreinsson and Nichols know what happened to any of the captives, they editors supply this information as well.

A seamless and riveting translation, The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson goes far beyond a mere sharing of experiences at the hands of the Barbary corsairs. This haunting account opens our modern eyes to the realities of the past and shows us that we’re not the only ones who struggle to overcome tragedy, adversity, and heartache.




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