Cindy Vallar's Blog, page 21

Review of Clifford Jackman's The Braver Thing

The Braver Thing by Clifford Jackman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Obed Coffin arrives in New Providence in the Bahamas on 21 April 1721. Although a Quaker with a wife and child, he has nowhere else to go. He is a seaman, carpenter, and helmsman, but only one ship seeks enlistments – a vessel of pirates, or so rumors go. The perfect place for the damned. But how can the crew trust a sober man?

He once sailed with Blackbeard, but took the king’s pardon. Now, James Kavanagh (also known as the Taoisach) has purchased the governor’s ship and is fitting it out for a long voyage. The destination is secret, but the scurvy men who vie for a place among the crew have a past that suggests this voyage will not be conducting normal trade.

Among those lucky, or perhaps unlucky, enough to gain a berth are an uneasy mix. Tom Apollo serves as first mate, but his constant companion, a thin rattan, garners few friends. He uses it not only on himself, but those not quick enough to heed his commands. Bradford Scudder once sailed with Sam Bellamy. He’s a friend of everyone, but the only true friend that Billy Quantrill has. John O’Brien and Robert Dickens both sailed with Charles Vane, so neither is pleased to find the pirate-turned-pirate hunter Benjamin Hornigold aboard, the man they hold responsible for Vane’s hanging. Then there’s Israel Hands, who also sailed with Blackbeard and now serves as Kavanagh’s enforcer.

From the Caribbean to Africa to Madagascar and the Indian Ocean to the Dutch East Indies, these men embark on a two-year voyage from which not all will return. Danger and intrigue lurk within and without. They amass a great hoard of treasure, which eventually turns the hunters into the hunted.

Readers familiar with the golden age of piracy will recognize many of the names and places mentioned in this gripping maelstrom of pirate adventure. Jackman’s knowledge of the time period, the history, and the psyche of these men are so intricately intertwined that readers are transported back in time to experience firsthand just how perilous going on the account could be. Throughout this fictional journey, he keeps within the bounds of history, straying only where facts cease to exist, such as concerns Benjamin Hornigold and what became of him after he disappears from the historical record.

The Braver Thing is one of the best novels to portray pirates in recent years. But, from the reader’s perspective, which is braver: delving into the midst of men bent on a Merry Life where no one trusts anyone, or resisting the allure and never taking the dare?




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Review of Connie Kelleher's The Alliance of Pirates

The Alliance of Pirates: Ireland and Atlantic piracy in the early seventeenth century by Connie Kelleher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A “Nursery and Storehouse of Pirates.” Sir Henry Mainwaring described Ireland as such in 1618. He certainly knew whereof he wrote, for having once been a pirate, he was intimately acquainted with the illicit goings-on there, especially in southwest Munster. Differentiating between privateering and piracy was difficult during this time, and the latter was intricately woven into the fabric of daily living in the region. What gave rise to Mainwaring’s comparison of Ireland to a breeding ground came about when King James I of England revoked all letters of marque and delved into government corruption within the admiralty. This drove many Englishmen to seek safer ports of call and where better than Munster and its remote coastline?

Using a chronological format and a multi-pronged approach, Kelleher shines a light on an oft-ignored period in piratical history and the overlooked aspect of a key component, the symbiotic relationship between land and sea. What differentiates piracy here is that rather than individuals preying on vulnerable ships, these pirates banded together to create an alliance that benefited all. Kelleher begins her examination looking at what came before and how this alliance formed. From there, she explores the alliance itself, government corruption, places the pirates frequented and what traces of their presence have been found, piracy as a business, the social world in which pirates lived (particularly on land), and the suppression of this marauding. The last chapter looks at not only the decline of piracy in Ireland, but also how it changed. That transformation includes both locally and globally, for the knowledge of English pirates, shared with the marauders of North Africa, allowed Barbary corsairs to expand their prowling field to include Iceland and Ireland. The most notable in the latter was the sacking of Baltimore in 1631.

The alliance formed into a cohesive unit by 1608, although many members had been marauding prior to that year. They chose Munster as their headquarters because they knew the region and people willing to help them or at least turn a blind eye to their activities. Among the clans that played significant roles were O’Sullivan Beara, O’Driscoll, and O’Mahoney. Most names mentioned aren’t familiar to readers, but key individuals discussed include Admiral Richard Bishop, Peter Easton, John Ward, Grace O’Malley, Henry Mainwaring, William Hull of Leamcon, and Thomas Crooke. Equally noteworthy are the bases that are discussed, for although the alliance was based in Munster, it also had ties to Newfoundland (Canada) and Mamora (Barbary Coast).

The result is a well-rounded and deftly presented look at a successful pirate alliance. Kelleher presents her research in a logical and easily understood fashion for lay readers and academics alike. To further enhance the experience, she includes a glossary, notes, bibliography, and index. Many pages contain full-color pictures or maps. The quality of the volume is reminiscent of a coffee table book, even though its dimensions are of normal size.

Anyone drawn to the book by its title goes away with a far better understanding of how, where, and why Ireland was a nursery for pirates. The Alliance of Pirates is an invaluable and welcome addition to piratical history.




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Review of Jamie Goodall's Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay

Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars by Jamie L. H. Goodall

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Sometimes people turn to piracy strictly because they want easy money. Other times they are driven to piracy. The latter is what happened to the first documented pirate of the Chesapeake Bay, a man named William Claiborne. His felonious activities occurred during the 1630s and are discussed in the introduction to Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay. Contrary to what this title suggests, Goodall describes her book as “a collection of stories that follow some of the Chesapeake’s most notorious pirates and valiant privateers and the local residents, merchants and government officials who aided, abetted and sometimes captured them.” (23) Her goals in bringing these individuals together in a single volume are to (a) identify who took part in these piratical acts and what role did they play; (b) locate where the nefarious exploits occurred; (c) explain why the Chesapeake Bay was both a haven and a target of piracy; and (d) identify what caused the depredations in this 200-mile region that extends from Havre de Grace, Maryland to Virginia Beach, Virginia to be suppressed. Of course, this supposes that all the depredations described within are acts of piracy. In actuality, they are not.

To achieve these objectives, she divides the book into five time periods: colonial (1630-1750), the Revolutionary War (1754-1783), the War of 1812 (1805-1815), the Civil War (1860-1865), and the Oyster Wars (1865-1959). (The latter is really about poaching, rather than piracy, although contemporary newspapers referred to those involved as “pirates.”) The majority of people mentioned will be unknown to most readers: Richard Ingle, Joseph Wheland Jr., George Little, John Yates Beall, and William Frank Whitehouse, among many others. A few – Lionel Delawafer (better known as Lionel Wafer, the pirate surgeon), William Kidd, Sam Bellamy, and Thomas Boyle, for example – are often discussed in books about pirates and privateers. Readers will also find a timeline of major conflicts, maps, pictures, glossary, notes, bibliography, and index.

This is an interesting summary of piratical and privateering activity in a vital, but often overlooked, region that introduces readers to individuals rarely discussed in other maritime history books. That said, some missteps call into question this historian’s research. For example, on page 36, the vivid description of a body gibbeted in May 1699 in the Thames River is identified as being that of Captain Kidd. Four pages later, the text reads, “On May 23, 1701, Kidd ultimately met his fate at the end of the hangman’s noose.” (In 1699, Kidd was in American colonial waters trying to clear his name after sailing the Quedah Merchant to the West Indies.) On page 45, Sam Bellamy’s first victim is identified as the Whidah. He had already captured at least two vessels the previous year after going on the account. In fact, when he captured the Whidah, he was aboard the Sultana, which he had taken in December 1716. Nor did the pirates run Whidah aground, as stated on page 47. A severe nor’easter drove her ashore. The final paragraph states: “Sam Bellamy and his few surviving crewmembers were imprisoned, condemned and executed for piracy. They met their makers at the end of the hangman’s noose.” While several members of Bellamy’s crew were hanged, Bellamy was not one of them and they weren’t aboard Whidah at the time that she sank. He died in the shipwreck. Only two men survived Whidah’s sinking; Thomas Davis was acquitted while John Julian was sold into slavery.




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Review of Hunting the Last Great Pirate by Michael Ford

Hunting the Last Great Pirate: Benito de Soto and the Rape of the Morning Star by Michael Edward Ashton Ford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The day pirates attacked the Morning Star was the start of a horrific and nearly fatal experience for most of the passengers and crew of this barque, but like all stories it begins long before 19 February 1828. Although pirates had plagued British shipping for most of the decade, the Royal Navy lacked sufficient resources to protect commercial ventures and suppress piracy. One safeguard was to sail in a convoy protected by a warship, yet even this did not guarantee a merchantman reached port. The vessel set sail only to vanish. All those left behind knew was that she never arrived at her destination. Such was the fate of the packet ship Topaz. Evidence suggests that she fell victim to pirates rather than being lost because of weather or a lack of seaworthiness. Unlike her, Morning Star limped into port and word spread.

The pirates of this generation were mostly of Spanish or Portuguese descent and many came from western colonies. Their motto seemed to follow the adage, “Dead men tell no tales.” Benito de Soto certainly heeded that advice. He, like many pirates, came from a murky background. Whether childhood friends or fellow pirates, he and Nicholas Fernandez banded together to steal a schooner and went on the account in 1824. Since Commodore David Porter and his American naval squadron were hunting down pirates in the Caribbean, de Soto and his men sailed to richer waters, which led them to cross paths with Morning Star. The barque – built by Quakers and captained by a man of that religion – was the ideal target for de Soto. She carried an enticing cargo. Her sluggishness slowed down the convoy until the escort ship abandoned her to protect the rest of the ships. Most importantly, not a single cannon guarded her decks or the fifty-three men, women, and children on board.

What made this pillaging and the brutalities the passengers and crew endured stand out from similar attacks was that, although the pirates sealed them belowdecks and set the ship on fire, one woman was determined not to die. This volume provides a vivid account of what happened that fateful day, as well as how these two ships crossed paths. The book also includes a selected bibliography, an index, and a center section of black-and-white pictures. Some chapters include a few source notes for the quotations, yet other information that is presented isn’t footnoted. For example, the author mentions Jean Laffite and possible ties that de Soto and Fernandez may have had with Laffite, but no historical references are provided to support these facts, which differ from what historians have uncovered in recent years.

But Hunting the Last Great Pirate is more than just the story of a deadly encounter with pirates. Ford provides the backdrop of world events at the time, as well as background on the ships and people involved, including the victims, the pirates, and those whose lives and decisions impacted either group. While the criminals were captured, prosecuting de Soto and his men proved far more complicated than anyone expected or desired. Through quotes from contemporary documents and testimonies from some of the pirates, Ford recounts the events in chronological sequence and includes an eyewitness account of what unfolded as the convoy parted ways with Morning Star. He adeptly shares how that abandonment impacted the prosecution and why some officials strove to cover up the scandal. Readers seeking a thorough and surprising account of this incident will discover that this book meets those criteria. In the process, they will come away with a far better understanding of what happened and why.




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Review of Ian Friel's Britain and the Ocean Road

Britain and the Ocean Road: Shipwrecks and People, 1297-1825 by Ian Friel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you seek information about shipwrecks, this book isn’t for you. If your interest lies in the victims and survivors of such wrecks, you’re likely to find more information in other volumes. If, however, you want a fascinating and outside-the-norm presentation of British maritime history, Britain and the Ocean Road may prove the perfect cup of tea. Presented in a chronological sequence, beginning in 1297 and ending in 1825, this first in a two-volume set explores that history using a particular shipwreck of a specific period as a facet of the development of the country’s dominance of the sea. Yet it’s not just a tale about ships and oceans; it’s also the story of England through the centuries, as well as her place on the world stage. Nor does it omit the people who played various roles in that history. During the voyage, readers discover tidbits about the oceans, weather, trade, naval warfare, and merchant shipping.

The first chapter, “Wine, Herrings and Blood,” discusses medieval seafaring, which was a combination of naval, merchant, and piratical shipping. It explores the rise of the Cinque ports, as well as the Anglo-French war during King Edward I’s reign that culminated in the destruction of the St Cross and twenty-two vessels from Great Yarmouth in 1297.

“Flimsy Cells” examines ships and pilgrims making their way to and from the Holy Land in 1446. Little is known about the men who died or the Cog Anne, one of the few ships to sail directly to the Mediterranean, and her final voyage. This necessitates the use of other firsthand accounts to recount what pilgrims endured on their inbound and outbound journeys during the Middle Ages.

The story of Henry VII’s royal warship Regent and the origins of the Royal Navy are the focus of chapter three, “Like a Volcano.” She was one of the earliest vessels built specifically to wage war at sea, and her size necessitated a new shipyard that eventually became the Portsmouth Naval Base. The chapter is principally about the development and technological advancements during a period when sailors, soldiers, and gunners comprised the crew of a warship. Life at sea, conditions aboard ship, and wages earned are also discussed, as is the Regent’s demise during the Battle of St. Mathieu in 1512.

“Trade, Not War” tells the story of the expansion of British commercial shipping beyond the Atlantic. The pride of the infant East India Company (EIC), Trade’s Increase, was the largest merchantman when she was launched in 1609. Five years later, she was gone, but it was merely the last in a series of stumbles that began on that day. Her birth and loss serve as the backdrop for exploring the rise of London as the dominant port in foreign trade, the origins and early years of various trade companies, and what it was like to be a sailor serving aboard an EIC ship.

The latter half of the seventeenth century is the age of buccaneers and chapter five uses “The Pirates of the Resolutions” to delve into piracy in the Atlantic and Caribbean.

“Line of Battle” is the focus of chapter six, which uses the 74-gun Berwick to discuss the similarities and differences between the Royal Navy and France’s Revolutionary navy between 1795 and 1805. The reason this particular ship stands out is because she began life as a British warship, but was captured in 1795 and taken into the French navy, only to be retaken at Trafalgar a decade later.

Chapter seven relates the story of “The Middle Passage” through the last voyage of the slave ship Eliza in 1806. With her colonies, England was a significant player in the selling of slaves, but Friel also shows that some Africans played complicit roles in these transactions. This chapter covers the voyages between Africa and the Caribbean, Liverpool’s rise as a center for the trade, conditions aboard the ships, Olaudah Equiano and John Newton, the abolition of the slave trade, and the Royal Navy’s role in suppressing slavery.

The final chapter, “‘In the very silence there is a deadness’,” recounts the story of HMS Fury. The difference between her voyage, which takes place in 1825, and the better-known Franklin Expedition two decades later, is that Captain William Parry and all but two of his men made it home. History has forgotten both him and the Fury while remembering the disappearance of Franklin’s, even though both dared to explore the Arctic’s unforgiving conditions in an attempt to find the Northwest Passage.

Throughout the book, Friel provides “see” references so readers know where certain information is discussed in greater detail or where pictures can be found. He includes maps, engravings, artwork, photographs, and diagrams. Nautical terms are described within the text, allowing readers to understand without having to search for a glossary. Also provided are endnotes, an index, and a bibliography.

The author’s purpose in writing this book is to introduce lay readers to England, the British, and the maritime world in which they played significant roles over the course of centuries. This volume covers the Middle Ages through Britain’s climb to the pinnacle of maritime dominance. The second volume, slated for release in May 2021 and entitled Breaking Seas, Broken Ships, will cover the years 1854 through 2007. It will examine not only the decline of Britain’s control of the seas, but also how humans have impacted that environment.

While Friel uses shipwrecks as the focal point of each chapter, readers need to understand three things about the use of this word. Here, “shipwreck” simply means a ship that is lost. Second, the known information about the individual vessels may be scant. Third, few people will be familiar with these ships. While each chapter teaches facets of Britain’s maritime history, often including tidbits rarely addressed in more thorough accounts of the subject, the author succeeds to greater and lesser extents in providing a riveting maritime history while teaching readers about the people, ships, dangers, and environment in which this history has evolved. For example, chapter two suffers from an excess of repetition and, while the discussion on pilgrims and pilgrimages is interesting, it’s not until the final paragraph that readers understand the true significance of the topic’s inclusion in this book: “English ships would not transport large numbers of passengers again until the seventeenth century, with the exception of soldiers carried for military campaigns.” (39) Chapter three provides the best demonstration of how shipwrecks serve as a device to discuss a grander topic under a unifying theme. Of all the chapters, seven provides the most information about the ship highlighted in the chapter title, although modern thoughts and opinions infiltrate the historical recounting. Chapter eight focuses specifically on the ship and the expedition, yet digresses into a discussion on the contact with and treatment of the Inuits.

Of the eight chapters included in the book, chapter five is perhaps the weakest. Much of the information provided here comes from the testimonies of seven pirates. Assumptions more than historical facts are provided to readers, and not all of the assumptions are correct. The reason that the captured pirates were transported to London in 1684 had nothing to do with authorities feeling that that city was the better place to hold their trial. The law said that all pirates had to be transported to London to face an admiralty court, and admiralty courts weren’t established in the colonies until 1701. Nor was it surprising for pirates to elude the hangman’s noose; in fact, prior to Henry Every’s capture of the Gang-i-Saway in 1695, captured pirates were rarely executed. The pirates in this chapter seem to acquire items through purchase rather than pillaging, and while pirates found that slave ships made tempting targets, they were more inclined to convert them into pirate ships than sail in consort with slavers. This chapter, by recounting the tale of three ships named Resolution and her four captains and their crews, supposedly reflects common piracy during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. This may be true during the 1600s, but there are many other pirates and their ships, some of which became shipwrecks, that would be more reflective of the golden age. Also, there were decided differences between the buccaneers of the seventeenth century and the pirates of the eighteenth. As for the inclusion of information about modern-day pirates, that information belongs in the second volume rather than being included in this chapter.

Those readers who venture within the pages of this book will find it readable and, at times, engrossing. No prior knowledge of maritime history is needed, because Friel does a commendable job entwining the necessary background information with the maritime history. Britain and the Ocean Road is perfect for anyone seeking information on English history from less common perspectives. Along the way, don’t be surprised if you discover answers to questions that you’ve not uncovered solutions to in reading other maritime texts.




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Review of The Master Shipwright's Secrets by Richard Endsor

The Master Shipwright's Secrets: How Charles II built the Restoration Navy by Richard Endsor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Contemporary records don’t always answer our more puzzling questions. We might grasp the broad picture, but the specifics are murkier. After a decade of research, Richard Endsor uncloaks and enlightens us on how a master shipwright took an idea and from that designed and built ships for King Charles II’s navy. To fully grasp what this involved, Endsor focuses on one particular vessel, the Tyger. Along the way, he also shares both the historical evolution and technological developments of seventeenth-century warships, spicing this with information about the men who played key roles in their design. More importantly, he discusses and shares snippets from a theoretical treatise written by the master shipwright who built Tyger, John Shish.

Within the pages of this volume, the Tyger is reconstructed and a host of beautiful artwork, including several multi-page spreads, shows fascinating details on all aspects of the design and building process. Originally built in 1681, she was of keen interest to not only Shish but also the king, who played an active role in her construction. He even personally chose the man to first command her: Charles Berkeley, who was nineteen years old and the second Baron Berkeley of Stratton at the time.

The book is comprised of ten chapters and two appendices.

1. The Master Shipwright’s Considerations
2. Inventions and Innovations
3. No Such Thing as the Tyger
4. Planning a New Tyger
5. John Shish’s Account of the Dimensions of a Ship
6. The Draught of the New Tyger
7. Building the New Tyger
8. The New Tyger Commissioned
9. The Tyger’s Guns
10. Contemporary Shipbuilding Contracts Unveiled

Appendix 1: The Medway Warrant
Appendix 2: The Mordaunt Survey

In addition to the full-color design artwork, the pages are populated with paintings, portraits, period letters, drawings, drafts, diagrams, timelines, tables, and maps. Some artwork is contemporary, but most is from the author himself. A number of illustrations incorporate scale by showing people next to or on the various facets of the ship. Endnotes and an index are also included.

Master Shipwright’s Secrets is far more than just a book on ship construction. Endsor masterfully demonstrates how Shish made calculations in a time when computers did not exist and yet managed to do so without making proportional errors commonly encountered when taking a design idea and turning it into a reality. Along the way, the author discusses Shish’s contemporaries, a monarch who was well versed in all facets of ships, the duties and responsibilities of a master shipwright, and all the steps taken to turn an idea into a finished product.

Handsomely designed, this book is packed with so many awesome revelations in just over 300 pages that it requires two hands to hold. It is a readable and easy-to-understand study of a late seventeenth-century fourth-rate navy ship, although a bit of the technical and mathematical details may elude some readers. It is an invaluable resource on the Restoration Navy.




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Review of Sailors & Spies by Jane Glatt

Sailors & Spies by Jane Glatt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The machinations of the former Grand Freeholder of the Fair Seas Treaty Alliance (FSTA) have left their world in chaos. All but two ships have been destroyed and, with winter soon upon them, there isn’t enough food to sustain everyone. Worse, the evidence suggests that someone else was behind Tarmo Holt’s failed attempt and the danger remains.

Dagrun Lund and Calder Rahmson, both Intelligencers, are sent to find much-needed supplies before the seas freeze. That is their primary mission, but Dag has a second. She pursues Holt in hopes of reuniting with her twin, Inger, whom Holt manipulated into doing things that have labeled her just as much a traitor to the FSTA as he is.

Nadez Norup is forced to become the new Master Intelligencer. It’s impossible to know who to trust, since Dag and Calder are away, and clues suggest that someone has been acquiring some of the Intelligencers to work against the FSTA. Some do so freely, but at least two – Janni and Jarri Breck, who should never have been trained as spies in the first place – are held against their will and compelled to use their Traits to do unspeakable things.

The last thing Lauma Strauskas wanted was to become the Grand Freeholder, but Calder’s mother has accepted the interim position. Somehow, she must lead the FSTA out of the mess left behind, but not everyone agrees that she is the best person for the job. The more she and Nadez work together, the greater the danger – a fact that is soon reinforced when assassins try to kill her. Both women, however, are determined to unearth the mastermind and help everyone survive the coming winter. If necessary, Lauma will dissolve the treaty, a dire step that might be the only available option, but doing so will also disband the Intelligencers.

The journey to purchase supplies provides Dag and Calder with essential clues that eventually necessitate they separate to accomplish their missions. Before then, they interdict a ship in distress. Dag’s Unseen Traits warns that the pirates aboard are merely playacting and Calder knows one of them. That man is Rahm, Calder’s father Rahm. He pretends to be a pirate, but Dag figures out that he is actually a spy and a man whose secrets have secrets. He can’t be trusted, but her pursuit of Holt and Inger necessitates his help. It also brings her into the realm of the Resolutes, the most feared of all assassins. Nor is she alone in pursuing Holt. A rich, powerful, and ruthless pirate seeks him and will kill anyone who gets in his way.

While Sailors & Spies may seem anticlimactic, the sleuthing connects dots that provide invaluable clues for the two volumes yet to come. It serves as a way-stop in answering two key questions: How and Why. The many single threads in this third book in The Intelligencers series are intricately woven into an unfinished tapestry yet to be resolved. After the last chapter, readers will crave the next installment.



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Review of Pirate Queen by Tony Lee

Pirate Queen: The Legend of Grace O'Malley by Tony Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Strife is a byword during the time in which Grace O’Malley grows up. As a young girl, England ravages her homeland: ransacking churches, oppressing the people, and taking land from the Irish to give to Englishmen. But the O’Malleys are a proud clan and they are determined to fight for Ireland, which gains them enemies among the English.

Often away on sailing voyages, Grace’s father arranges for her to foster with a neighboring clan, the O’Flahertys. The idea doesn’t sit well with Grace, who would much rather follow in her father’s footsteps than do what is expected of girls. And she’s not about to live with Donal O’Flaherty, a young lad who always mocks her because she is a girl. Unbeknownst to her father, Grace stows away on his ship. Donal intercepts her, but rather than stop her, he gives her a gift in hopes that it will keep her safe. Another who turns a blind eye to her disobedience is Finn, her dad’s most trusted man.

One journey takes them to Scotland where an earl requests their assistance in getting five-year-old Mary Queen of Scots to safety. The English try to stop them – an encounter that brings Grace face-to-face with her future nemesis, a man named Bingham. He slays Finn, but Grace, her father, and the queen escape his clutches. Bingham’s wrath knows no bounds. As Grace matures and gains the moniker “Pirate Queen of Ireland,” he employs other Irishmen to assassinate her father and betray her. Bingham even tries to murder Grace with the help of someone within her own castle, but the murderer’s arrow strikes a man she rescued from a shipwreck. Grace is determined to unearth the traitor and exact revenge. Bingham is equally intent of stopping her no matter what it takes or who he must kill.

This graphic novel blends legend and fact to recount Grace’s life from her early years to her final days. It begins in 1546 and ends in 1603, the same year in which another famous queen dies. The story deftly portrays the “battle” between Grace and Bingham – a struggle that ultimately forces Grace to risk her own life to meet with Elizabeth I on that queen’s home turf. Also portrayed is the birth of Grace’s son while she is at sea and how she rallies her men during an attack. Here the pirates are English and in league with Bingham, but most historical accounts identify them as Barbary corsairs. The only time in the novel where the author asks readers to suspend belief is in her ability to control the weather.

Both author and illustrator do commendable jobs showing readers that Grace is a woman who looks at the big picture and knows her enemies well. Never once do they portray her as superhuman. Yes, she is successful, but her actions always have consequences, and sometimes those consequences endanger her loved ones. The artwork captures the action and the subdued colors fit the mood of the story. For readers who enjoy graphic novels or who want a quick recap of Grace’s life, Pirate Queen is a good introduction to this woman who dared to defy those who wished to stamp out a culture and whose story is remembered because the bards followed her example to keep her memory alive in spite of her enemies.




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Review of Pirate Nell's Tale to Tell

Pirate Nell's Tale to Tell by Helen Docherty

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It’s Nell’s big day. Her wish has finally been granted. She’s a pirate!

She brings along her Pirate’s Almanac, a book she’s studied forward and backward until she knows everything about being a pirate. She tries to share the book with Captain Gnash, but he frowns on reading. Nor is her grand adventure quite what she envisioned. Her days are spent scrubbing pots and swabbing the deck. Yet the crew enjoys the many tales she spins at night just before they go to sleep.

One night while on deck, Nell retrieves a bottle floating in the water. Inside is a treasure map, which Captain Gnash confiscates. Even though he hasn’t a clue as to where the buried treasure is, he sets off to find it, encountering troubles and perils along the way.

This captivating book demonstrates that gold and silver don’t always make the best treasure and, sometimes, even the newest pirate makes important contributions both to the ship and the quest. Complimenting the story is the vibrant color artwork that provides young pirates with treasures galore to find, such as Captain Gnash’s boneleg (a pegleg made out of a bone) or the lurking sea serpent. One of my favorite illustrations depicts the ship and crew tossed about during a storm. Another is what Nell and her mates do with the treasure. This rhyming tale will delight young and old alike, and is sure to be a young pirate’s favorite tale of adventure aboard a pirate ship.




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Review of The Midgard Serpent by James L Nelson

The Midgard Serpent: A Novel of Viking Age England by James L Nelson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After years of raiding, most recently in Engla-land, Thorgrim “Night Wolf” Ulfsson is finally going home. Or at least that’s the plan until his son, Harald, tries a crazy stunt. If not for the timely intervention of another group of Norsemen, Harald might well be dead. The leader of this band is an old friend, who has need of Thorgrim’s help. Together, they will have sufficient men to stage a raid on an inland town called Winchester ripe for plundering. After all, it is where King Æthelwulf lives and has a cathedral rich with treasures. Thwarted by the gods once again, Thorgrim agrees to join this venture.

His years of hard work and experience have finally garnered Harald what he wants most – command of a ship. But what is the best way to gain the crew’s respect and form them into a cohesive unit? The whale seems an excellent solution, even though he has never hunted one before and has no idea how best to slay the creature. On the one hand, he succeeds in his endeavor. On the other, he gains the wrath of his father. But Harald is no longer a boy. He is an accomplished warrior who’s ready to stand on his own two feet, which causes a rift between Thorgrim and Harald that neither is willing to bridge.

Back home, King Halfdan has left Odd Thorgrimson no choice but to fight for his rights, his land, and his father’s land. He and the other landholders concur that his plan will work, and to a large extent it does. While Halfdan is away, they’ve captured his hall and fortress. They just make one small error in judgment, one that results in a standoff between Halfdan and them. Although they decide to fight to the bitter end, Odd cannot let the others suffer for his own mistake. Plus Halfdan holds a card Odd didn’t count on, and he will do what he must in order to safeguard his younger sister.

For some time, Failend has been troubled. She loves Thorgrim, but does he love her? Feelings aren’t something he shows or talks about. Her time with the Norsemen has taught her much and made her into a warrior, but she’s far from her homeland and her god is not their gods. When she hears that they plan to plunder another church, her disquiet resolves into a decision that has severe consequences for her as well as Thorgrim and the men he most trusts.

Felix, Æthelwulf’s gatekeeper, has spent two years preparing for the king’s pilgrimage to Rome, but on the eve of their departure, the dreaded Norsemen are sighted. They must stop the invaders and, although it will delay this noteworthy journey, he helps the king and his men see the wisdom of his plan. The enemy will expect them to stand and fight on land. But what if they take to the ships and lay a trap that will finally rid them of this scourge?

Among the many tales recounted in the sagas, Odin tossed one of Loki’s children into the ocean. This serpent grew and grew until it encircled the Earth and grasped its own tail, earning it the name of the Midgard Serpent. This book in many ways resembles a serpent, twisting and turning, creeping and stinging as events unfold in what is perhaps the best of the ten entries in Nelson’s Norsemen Saga. From tangling with a whale while in a longboat, to a battle at sea, to a race on water to elude pursuers in the midst of a storm, to burning at the stake, The Midgard Serpent ensnares the reader until you are swept into the midst of the action. It is impossible to stop turning pages, to catch one’s breath. Just when you think the stakes can’t possibly become higher, Nelson shows you just how wrong that assumption is. He is a gifted raconteur and for anyone who dreams of rousing Viking adventure, strap on your mail, grab your shield, and heft your sword. This wild ride of the mid ninth century will fulfill those dreams.



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