Cindy Vallar's Blog, page 29

Review of Leopard

Leopard by Michael Aye

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The seventh book in The Fighting Anthonys series opens with a captain from Grand Cayman complaining to Vice Admiral Lord Gilbert Anthony about the audacious American privateer who sails right into Georgetown Harbor and takes the captain and others prisoner, and then ransoms their ships back to them, minus everything but their hulls. He dares to give them a certificate to show to other privateers exempting them from being taken again during the next forty-two days.
There is little Gil or the Royal Navy can do, since they are already stretched to the limit, but he sets sail with a small fleet to make life miserable for these American upstarts.

Captain Sir Gabriel Anthony finds himself betwixt wind and water, for overstepping his authority, risking his ship and men, in an adventure that took them far from the Caribbean. Vowing to ruin Gabe, Admiral Sir Winston Kirkstatter writes a scathing letter to the Admiralty, then sets sail aboard the prize warship Gabe captured, leaving Gabe to wait to see what his fate will be. In the meantime, Gil can’t afford to lose either Gabe or his men, so Trident is sent to Antigua for repairs. Along the way, they happen upon flotsam, dead bodies floating in the water, and the jury-rigged HMS Leopard, a vessel providing escort to a merchant convoy. At the time of the attack, those aboard Leopard didn’t know that Spain had declared war on England in support of her ally, France, who had joined with the Americans in their fight for independence. The Dons decimated the convoy and killed or wounded the more senior officers aboard Leopard.

Upon reaching Antigua, the crews of Trident and Leopard band together to staff the latter and Gabe is ordered to seek out his brother to let him know that the Dons are allied with the traitorous Americans. This information is then combined with news from the ransomed merchant captain about a fleet of French warships carrying 6,000 troops to aid the rebels in their fight and the growing meance of American privateers on the prowl. Gil and his officers seek out the enemy, but finding them isn’t an easy task in the Caribbean.

The story, which takes place in 1780, includes several nail-biting sea battles and an unsuspected dupe used by a spy, as well as a wedding and an appearance by Rear Admiral Lord Cornwallis. Two new lieutenants join the series: one is the son of a Scottish lord and a Creek princess; the other is a black naval officer, who is referred to numerous times before finally making his appearance halfway through the book. The resolution of Gabe’s quandary is deftly resolved with a twist of fate that has a profound effect on Admiral Kirkstatter.

Rather than a tale seamlessly woven together, Leopard is more a series of vignettes sewn together, which at times gives the story a disjointed feeling. It also disrupts the cohesive flow from one event to the next, making it hard for readers to connect with the characters. The book lacks a good proofing, which would have caught instances like “Shouting down to the gun deck, Gabe shouted to Lieutenant Bufford to be ready” (tells the reader twice that Gabe has to shout), or “Captain Davy, who’d had little more than a quick honeymoon with Ariel before weighing anchor”, (incomplete sentence), as well as occasional missing or misspelled words. (161 and 176, respectively)

The shining moments in the story are Michael Aye’s original poetry, which is presented at the beginning of each of the three parts of this book, and his depiction of the Great Hurricane of 1780, which is estimated to have been a Category 5 storm with winds in excess of 200 miles per hour. Not only do readers witness the storm while aboard the navy’s ships, but they also get to experience it from the perspectives of Gil’s and Gabe’s families and friends who go on a picnic the day the hurricane hits. The poem “Oh Blow You Hurricane” perfectly captures the mood of what transpires in the story.




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Review of Tudor & Stuart Seafarers

Tudor and Stuart Seafarers: The Emergence of a Maritime Nation, 1485-1707 by James Davey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In conjunction with the opening of a new gallery at the National Maritime Museum, this book highlights some of the many artifacts found in the Tudor and Stuart Seafarers Gallery and explores key aspects of seafaring during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. According to Dr. Kevin Fewster, the Director of the Royal Museums Greenwich, “By looking anew at events like the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the English settlement of North America, some familiar misconceptions might be overturned and difficult moments in the nation’s past be brought into sharper focus.” (7) Until the late 1500s, England’s primary focus was on itself. Only after this point in time did the English expand outward in search of opportunities and adventure.

The exhibit encompasses the years 1485 through 1707, and shows the changes to and effects on ships and seafarers. At the same it demonstrates how sea exploration and colonial expansion impacted trade, warfare, policy, art, music, and popular culture to forge a national identity. Initial territorial and economic expansion, which became exceedingly important after 1550, was principally wrought by individuals rather than backed by the government.

Twelve chapters examine England’s evolution into a maritime nation during this period of 222 years.

• ‘New Worlds’: 1485-1505 by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
• Adventurers: England Turns to the Sea, 1550-80 by James Davey
• The Spanish Armada and England’s Conflict with Spain, 1585-1604 by David Scott
• Building a Navy by J. D. Davies
• Using the Seas and Skies: Navigation in Early-Modern England by Megan Barford and Louise Devoy
• Encounter and Exploitation: The English Colonization of North America, 1585-1615 by Laura Humphreys
• Of Profit and Loss: The Trading World of Seventeenth-Century England by Robert J. Blyth
• The British Civil Wars, 1638-53 by Elaine Murphy
• Life at Sea by Richard J. Blakemore
• The Seventeenth-Century Anglo-Dutch Wars by Rebecca Rideal
• A Sea of Scoundrels: Pirates of the Stuart Era by Aaron Jaffer
• Art and the Maritime World, 1550-1714 by Christine Riding

Complimenting each chapter are objects from the museum’s collection – charts, paintings, artifacts, ship models, and publications – that provide insightful glimpses into the topic being discussed. Some illustrations merit double-page spreads; all pictures are in full color. Captions identify these objects, but these aren’t always enlightening. For example, a teapot is labeled as being late 17th century, but readers are left to wonder why this particular teapot was selected and what its provenance is.

The contributors are identified as “twelve leading scholars” in the introduction and are quite knowledgeable about their subjects, but no biographical credentials are included for readers seeking to know more about the writers. (12)

The gallery’s patron and the museum’s director provide forewords to the book and the editor pens both the introduction and one of the essays. Notes, a bibliography, and an index conclude the book. In between and woven throughout the chapters are boxed highlights of people whose impact on English maritime history should be known, but may not be. Some names are well known, such as Tisquantum (Squanto), William Shakespeare, John Cabot, Samuel Pepys, Pocahontas, and Gráinnie O’Malley. Readers may not be familiar with others – Diego, Lord Effingham, Jahangir, or Richard Deane – while a few aren’t usually associated with British seafaring, such as Amerigo Vespucci, Vasco da Gama, and Michiel de Ruyter.

The book tackles a number of sensitive subjects – such as the slave trade and the spread of disease among indigenous peoples – in part because violence and exploitation went hand in hand with the events. Rather than omit them from the historical narrative, the contributors choose to incorporate them to help readers understand why people of the past acted as they did. What the book does not do is judge; instead, readers are provided with a well-rounded explanation from which they can decide for themselves who and what were good or bad, right or wrong.

Chapter 11 will be of particular interest to readers of Pirates & Privateers. During the Tudor and Stuart periods many people were called “pirates” and pillaging ships was even encouraged at times by people in authority. Piracy played a key role in early English history and didn’t cease to be a problem until the third decade of the seventeenth century. Among the topics explored here are women’s roles in domestic piracy, merchant reprisals, privateering, the Barbary corsairs (both attacks on places like Baltimore, Ireland and Englishmen who became renegadoes, such as John Ward), and the buccaneers (Henry Morgan, William Dampier, and Henry Avery). To my surprise, one man not mentioned in connection with the renegadoes is Sir Henry Mainwaring.

Tudor & Stuart Seafarers is a highly readable and entertaining book, and it’s impossible to come away from it without learning something new.




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Review of The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch

The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch by Gill Hoffs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Water and fire. Two elements – one of which will extinguish the other – except when the fire is aboard a wooden ship and the water is all around her. Then you are faced with little hope for escape and must decide whether to drown or burn to death.

This was the tragedy nearly 400 men, women, and children – seventy of whom were under the age of 14 – faced the day they set sail from Liverpool, England that fateful day in August 1848. Within a few hours, their ship sank off the coast of Llandudno, Wales.

The Ocean Monarch was bound for Boston and built by Donald McKay just the year before. She had three decks and was considered far safer than the coffin ships that carried many immigrants. Life boats weren’t required, although a couple were carried. What firefighting equipment she had consisted of a dozen buckets and a water pump that wasn’t up to snuff. By the time the fire was discovered, there was little anyone could do and nowhere for most people to go until other ships arrived to help.

Those who boarded the Ocean Monarch came from a variety of backgrounds. Some were Irish emigrants seeking a new homeland. Others were tourists returning from their travels. A handful possessed money and stature. The majority worked for a living or were penniless. Nearly half of them would not survive. A number of the passengers are introduced by name and followed as events unfold, such as the Dows, who were newly married; Nathaniel Southworth, a well-known miniaturist; James Fellows, a watchmaker and jeweler; and Thomas Henry, who expressly waited to sail on this ship because he knew her captain. There was also a man who abandoned his wife to run off with another man’s wife. Others are mentioned for something they did, such as a stewardess, whose name is unknown, who sacrificed her life to prevent gunpowder from exploding which would have made the tragedy even worse.

But this is more than just the story of those aboard the burning ship. It is also about her rescuers, including members of the Brazilian navy, exiled French royalty, and a man who had rescued people from another shipwreck. One of the captains had even served under Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Then there are the pilots and a rumor of a possible murder.

In twelve chapters, Hoffs explores events and people before, during, and after the fire. She includes some black-and-white photographs, an epilogue, and personal note, as well as appendices that provide a chronology of the corpses and details about them, locations of grave sites and inquests, and a list of medals. In addition, there is a list of names of passengers, stewards, stewardesses, the captain and crew, and some who were aboard other vessels and came to the doomed ship’s aid. A select bibliography and index complete the text. Interspersed throughout the narrative are firsthand accounts and newspaper reports of what happened that day and in the days that followed.

What becomes clear in reading this story is that this travesty need not have been as horrific as it ended up being and that despite the passing of more than a century and a half, there still is no concrete proof as to how the fire started. In explaining how she came to write this story, Hoffs also demonstrates the role social behavior played in the events. She deftly shows the chaos and confusion that resulted from the fire, and her words paint a gruesome image of what the victims endured. (She does include a warning note of what pages to skip for readers who might be squeamish.) Rather than focus on just the microcosm of the ship, she elaborates on what was happening in the world at the time. Yet she also leaves readers with many questions that were never clearly answered by the inquests or investigators. By the end of the book, she does share that her research enabled her to identify six nameless victims and what happened to known survivors.

Perhaps not as gripping a tale as Hoffs’ earlier book, The Lost Story of the William & Mary, nor as clear-cut as to why the Ocean Monarch is a “lost” tale, The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch is still an important contribution to collections focusing on shipwrecks and emigrant stories.




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Review of Pirates in History and Popular Culture edited by Antonio Sanna

Pirates in History and Popular Culture by Antonio Sanna

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Pirates. Far more than the dastardly criminals of yesterday and today, they evoke immediate imagery in our brains. We link them to a host of things that have nothing to do with real pirates, yet the connection evokes a memory, such as a recent commercial for a migraine drug where a mother and daughter can finally play pirate. This book delves into this world, exploring historical pirates and their cultural allure.

Divided into four sections, the first five essays focus on various aspects of “Pirates in History.” Antonio Sanna, the book’s editor, opens with “Historical and Fictional Pirates: A Review,” where he traces the historical origins of pirates to introduce readers to the topic and what to expect within the book’s pages, with particular emphasis on pirates – those who robbed, assaulted, and murdered victims at sea – during the buccaneering and golden ages of piracy (1660-1730). He also examines the evolution of literary pirates, beginning with the two most famous contemporary works of the period, The Buccaneers of America (1678) and A General History of the Pyrates (1724), to more recent depictions in novels, such as those of Rafael Sabatini, and in film.

In “Piratical Societies as the Blueprint for Social Utopia” Clint Jones argues that from the pirates’ successful dominance of the seafaring world has grown a utopian mythology that allows us to set aside the irredeemable aspects of their behavior in favor of an ideal society not bound by the socio-economic inequality in which they and we reside. They established a society outside the one in which their victims lived, providing their comrades with an alternative to the world from which they came at a time known as the Age of Enlightenment. To support this argument he examines piratical articles of agreement and the pirate utopia of Libertalia (also known as Libertatia).

The third essay in this grouping is Christopher Ketcham’s “A Pirate Business Model.” He demonstrates how pirates implemented what we define as common business practices to achieve success: goal setting, project management, risk management, and team building. Then he suggests how modern companies might use this piratical approach to conduct their business.

Nick Marsellas examines a subset of the pirate community in “Swashbuckling Sexuality: The Problem with Queer Pirates.” In the overall scheme of society, all pirates can be classed as a minority group because of their preference to live free of the state. Some pirates took this revolutionary behavior a step further in their sexual relationships. After reviewing the scholarly research on this subject, he argues that while some of these relationships were consensual, others were rapes and ponders whether that violence negates defining the relationship as queer.

The final essay in this first section is “‘The Boy-Sublime’: Sir Lionel Lindsay and Piracy” by Jayson Althofer and Brian Musgrove. Their case study explores how a boy captivated by his reading of Treasure Island and the world of pirates impacted the art, literature, and politics of this Australian man at a time when his country was becoming a formal nation.

Turning away from the historical pirate, the pirates in the second section of essays concern “Pirates in Literature.” Joan Passey leads off with “Sea-Wolves, Smugglers and Seascapes: Captain Cruel Coppinger and Criminality in Cornwall.” Here she separates folklore from history to demonstrate how maritime outlawry played a key role in Cornish identity during the nineteenth century. To illustrate her point, she focuses on the legendary smuggler, pirate, and wrecker Cruel Coppinger.

Minke Jonk explores a Victorian novel written by William Clark Russell in “Piratical Identity, Antarctic Solitude and Stolen Treasure in The Frozen Pirate.” Published in 1887, Russell combined romance and the supernatural to craft a story that both condemns and condones piracy.

Another essay that examines Victorian pirate literature is Eurydice Da Silva’s “Pirates and Orphans in Literature: From Victorian Boys’ Books to James Barrie’s Peter Pan.” She begins with the pirate histories written by Alexandre Exquemelin, Charles Ellms, and Daniel Defoe before delving into the fictional tales of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, John Meade Falkner’s Moonfleet, J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, and R. M. Ballantyne’s The Coral Island. She demonstrates these tales where orphans play key roles appeared at a time when the notion of family was being questioned and the British Empire was under threat.

The romance genre has long been criticized, yet is one of the bestselling and most prolific literature types published. During the 20th century, pirates were extremely popular romantic heroes and Racheal Harris explores their depiction in “Really Romantic? Pirates in Romantic Fiction.” Using ten pirate novels published between 1972 and 2015, she focuses on tales where male pirates are the heroes to discuss plot devices and character tropes. She also looks at why pirate romances aren’t as popular as they once were.

Antonio Sanna also contributes an essay in this section: “‘Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum’: Representations of Drunkenness in Literary and Cinematic Narratives on Pirates.” Alcohol and pirates have long shared a connection, and Sanna provides a historical overview of rum before examining its presence in various publications between the 1700s and today to determine the truth behind the piratical love of this beverage. In addition to literary representations, he delves into such portrayals in film to connect this section of the narrative to part three.

The next section studies “Pirates in Cinema and on TV.” Michael Charlton explores “The Image of the Pirate in Adaptations of The Adventures of Tintin,” a series that first appeared in the 1940s in the comics, then was adapted for television in 1991 and for the movies by Steven Spielberg two decades later.

“Masculine Ideal/Cultural Treasure: Long John Silver in Treasure Planet” by Sue Matheson focuses on Disney’s portrayal of this memorable pirate in the 2002 Treasure Planet and his role in helping Jim Hawkins become a man. She opens with Alexandre Exquemelin’s depiction of pirates in his narrative, Bucaniers of America, as well as Disney’s first adaptation of Stevenson’s novel in 1950.

Two other notorious pirates are discussed in the next two essays: Tiago A. M. Sarmento’s “‘What would the world be like without Captain Hook?’: A Freudian Analysis of Our Love for (Anti-)Villains” and Susanne Zhanial’s “‘Take what you can . . .’: Disney’s Jack Sparrow and His Indebtedness to the Pirate Genre.” The former uses two of Sigmund Freud’s theories to review the various portrayals of Captain Hook, whose past as a good character gives way to his subsequent portrayal as a villain. The latter essay compares Sparrow to three pirate portrayals of the past: the Byronic hero, the Victorian villain, and the Hollywood swashbuckler.

The last entry in this section is Jessica Walker’s “Civilization’s Monsters: The Doomed Queer Anti-Imperialism of Black Sails.” This television series is a prequel to Treasure Island and takes place in 1715. She demonstrates how heterosexual portrayals are linked to greed and abuse in the Colonies, whereas queer relationships mirror the freedom and adventure of pirate society.

The final section of this volume looks at “Pirates in Other Media.” Alexandra V. Leonzini opens with an essay entitled “The Servant, the Sinner and the Savior: The Pirate in Early Nineteenth Century Italian Opera.” At the beginning of this time frame, operatic plots dealt with the hero’s rescue of the heroine from Barbary corsairs. By the end of the period, pirates were equated with revolutionaries. This essay explores how politics and peoples’ circumstances influenced these portrayals over time.

Teaching evolution in schools created quite a debate in more recent years, and one response to this was the establishment of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (or Pastafarianism). This religious parody introduced pirates into the debate and Jeff Parish examines this aspect of piratical pop culture in “The Humorous, Sarcastic Case of the Pastafarian Pirates.”

Pirates have long been a part of childhood and it is this imagery that William Newton discusses in “‘Gay and brisk’: Constructing a Pirate’s Image for Children.” In addition to presenting a study of these representations, he proposes how museums might interpret these pirates in ways that will make sense to children of the 21st century.

While film, art, and literary representations are the norm when looking at portrayals of pirates in our daily lives, these rogues can be found in other areas of entertainment. These are the focus of the book’s last two essays. Nicholas Moll considers the pirates that populate a board game in “Being a Pirate: The Use and Purpose of a Piratical Setting in Rum & Bones,” while Artur Skweres looks at how they are portrayed in Japanese anime in “Pirate as Homo Ludens: Analyzing the Humorous Outlaw at Play in One Piece.”

Each of the twenty essays in this collection concludes with a section of notes (if any) and a list of works cited. There is also an index that provides easy access to a topic.

Pop culture changes over time, thus altering how we view pirates and their place in the world. The essays show these changes and introduce us to less familiar portrayals in an ever-increasing world where minorities play equally important roles as majorities. In the case of pirates, this is particularly true, for they have always been a minority when compared to society as a whole, even though their impact on our lives has been significant even 300 years after they threatened shipping during the most prolific period in piratical history. Readers need not be well-versed in the historical aspects of this period; the essays provide sufficient grounding for anyone to comprehend the matter under discussion. Some readers may find discussed topics uncomfortable, but the essays broaden our understanding and perhaps help us reexamine how we view real and fictional pirates.

Most of us can spout examples of where and how pirates have invaded our daily lives, but few of us are familiar with the full spectrum of their portrayals in pop culture. This is what makes this volume an intriguing and informative addition to libraries that focus on piracy.




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Review of Darlene Marshall's What the Parrot Saw

What the Parrot Saw by Darlene Marshall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blackmailed by a brothel madam, Captain Matt St. Armand acquires a package that needs safekeeping. One might expect this to be boxed cargo of some type, but this package turns out to be a scribbler named Oliver Woodruff, who has a penchant for annoying Americans with his antislavery views. Matt agrees to take him to Nassau, but only if he does as he’s told and isn’t too annoying. After all, the Prodigal Son carries only two things – crew and cargo, and Oliver hasn’t a clue about sailing a schooner. That makes him just about worthless to Matt . . . but his manner of speech and style of dress spark a kernel of an idea that may alter Matt’s thinking.

Captain St. Armand’s scrutiny makes Oliver decidedly uncomfortable, but what choice does he have. If he doesn’t escape the island, he’s likely to be shot – a reality that nearly comes to fruition when he accompanies the notorious sea rover back to his ship. He’s not exactly certain what duties his assignment as “cabin boy” entail, but from St. Armand’s languid perusals, Oliver has no intention of being placed in a compromising situation. While his tongue tends to speak before his thoughts warn against doing so, Oliver isn’t stupid and it doesn’t take long for him to discover one of St. Armand’s secrets.

When St. Armand orders a merchant ship to heave to on the pretense of making a trade, Oliver is surprised when he’s ordered to accompany the boarding party. That’s when he learns another of St. Armand’s secrets – one that could get them all killed. Oliver’s interactions with the pirates, with their newly acquired cargo, and his intervention when one of the captured crew members tries to attack St. Armand, demonstrate that Oliver has the gumption needed for a special, but dangerous, mission. That he is an English gentleman whose family owns a successful cotton mill further convinces St. Armand that Oliver is just the man to help them in Florida. Having come to the Caribbean for one last adventure before assuming his duties at home, Oliver throws caution to the wind and accepts Matt’s proposal. Their weeks of training and planning bear unexpected fruit, but no amount of preparation equips him for the torture and betrayal he experiences when the mission goes awry.

The adage “Never judge a book by its cover” could well be used to describe this story based on the above description. This is a romance set in 1839, but it’s not what a reader will expect in spite of it being typical of the genre. Time and again Marshall interweaves humor, drama, and suggestive, sometimes explicit, overtones in a way that can leave you feeling decidedly uncomfortable or chuckling at the repartee. Marshall also defies tradition in opting to present Oliver as a beta male, although this move makes it difficult to connect with his character at first. Halfway through he becomes more personable, the mark of good character growth.

Overall this is a good story, but two weaknesses stand out. First, several scenes feel less developed than they should be to really connect with the reader. Second, recovering from the betrayal occurs too quickly. The jail scenes bring home the brutality of slavery, as well as the danger both the runaway slaves and those who help them to freedom endure. Marshall’s character description of Matt St. Armand as a captain and a slave is stellar, but weaker when Matt returns home to England.

What does the parrot see? You must read the book to find out. Be forewarned: Roscoe the parrot, who is the ship’s cat, is a scene-stealer in this fourth book in Marshall’s High Seas series.




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Review of James L. Nelson's A Vengeful Wind

A Vengeful Wind by James L. Nelson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When longships bearing more Northmen land on the beach on the other side of Loch Garman, Thorgrim Night Wolf knows the delicate truce with the Irish has become unbalanced. All he wishes is to finish repairs to his own longships, obtain the sails that the monastery is making, and set sail; instead, he and some of his men row across the water to offer hospitality. But the offer is rebuffed because Thorgrim slew the newcomers’ leader months past over control of Vík-ló. Thorgrim and his followers return to their makeshift longphort, hoping to depart before the Irish learn of the new Vikings. The gods have other plans.

Once a man-at arms and now a monk, Brother Bécc hates the invaders and wishes to eradicate them from all of Ireland. The arrival of more such vermin provides the lynchpin necessary for him to once again take up arms, first against the newcomers and then against Thorgrim Night Wolf. Bécc and the local rí túaithe lead their men on a carefully planned night attack when the Northmen are drunk and asleep. Just as a rout is achieved, out of the darkness upon the sea come hideous monsters – longships crowded with men with Night Wolf at their head. Bécc’s anger at failing to achieve God’s will is such that he murders a man and then uses Thorgrim’s intervention to attack the longphort.

In Angel-cynn (which the Norse call Engla-land) in the town of Sherborne, the people who matter gather in the cathedral to witness the marriage of the ealdorman to Cynewise, daughter of a neighboring ealdorman. Just after the couple exchange vows, a minor thegn kills the groom and calls for others to rise up with him. The assistance he seems to expect comes to naught and the murderer is slain. Nothwulf is stunned at the death of his brother, and is intent on finding out the reason for the murder. He also hopes to step into his brother’s shoes and become the new ealdorman, for surely a wife of two minutes who is as distraught as Cynewise has no desire to take over her husband’s duties. Yet Cynewise is not as meek or frail as she appears; behind Nothwulf’s back she plots, plans, and garners local support to gain King Aethelwulf’s support in naming her as ealdorman. The only one in her way is her brother-in-law, but with the help of the shire reeve who slew her husband’s murderer, Cynewise soon deals a crushing blow to Nothwulf . . . or so it seems until news of Norse ships landing give Nothwulf an unexpected advantage.

The opening of the eighth book in the Norsemen Saga is a bit slow as readers are introduced to a new storyline that involves a new land, new characters, and new words. Thorgrim’s tale continues in the second chapter, and thereafter, what happens in Ireland is intertwined with events in England. Only after a riveting battle between the Northmen and the Irish does it become clear as to why this new storyline has been introduced. Equally enthralling is the fearsome voyage on stormy seas that easily brings to mind the words of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, “In this year dire portents appeared . . . and sorely frightened the inhabitants. They consisted of immense whirlwinds and flashes of lightning, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air.”

There’s some discrepancy between the descriptive severity of Thorgrim’s wound and the quickness of his recovery, yet this is a minor aspect. What is compelling is his maturing character arc and some of the realizations he comes to as he enters his fifth decade. Harald Broadarm, Failend, Starri Deathless, and other familiar characters help make his life more interesting, as do the reappearance of several characters from earlier titles in the series. As always, Nelson includes maps, a longship diagram, and a glossary to aid readers in their journey with unfamiliar settings and vocabulary. He also selects quotations from contemporary writings to hint at what is to come in each chapter.

A Vengeful Wind is a well-crafted blend of historical fiction and intrigue that vividly recreates a time period centuries in the past. Nelson’s gift of storytelling transports readers to these strange lands to such a degree that the modern world is soon forgotten and we’re swept away just as the Northmen find themselves cast from the shores of Ireland.




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Review of Annie Holmes' Katherine of Carrick (audiobook read by Morwenna Banks)

Katherine of Carrick - The Way of the Warrior by Annie Holmes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Katherine is a worrier . . . about her new home, a new morning, spiders, snakes, strangers, and more. And it’s hard for adults – except her mother – to understand that someone her size and age can have so many problems. If only she could be a warrior!

Seven-year-old Katherine loves big words and she’s quite inquisitive. She loves learning new information, but sometimes doing so riles the buffaloes in her tummy. Like now, as she awakens in her new home in a new city, Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. With her two favorite pals, Bienkie her GO-TO Bear and Boongie Rabbit, and the constant repeating of her mantra (“There is nothing to fear but fear itself!”), she ventures from her bed to the window and is excited to see the lough, a rundown garden, the beach, and a castle!

Her first expedition must be to the garden, and the creatures there are thrilled, yet cautious. The fairies have said that Katherine of Carrick will save them, but she’s just a little girl and how can she protect them from Sammy the Bull and the Terribles? One of the garden’s occupants is Methuselah, who is very old and knowledgeable. He doesn’t want her to know who he is right now, so he waits quietly and watches. Once Katherine discovers him, she will also want to know his secrets, and he’s not certain he’s willing or ready to share them, even though so much time has passed.

While exploring the garden, Katherine learns that the house has a secret. She loves mysteries and immediately sets out to unravel the creatures’ riddle to find the secret. Once she does, she also discovers an old leather bag with a coat of arms on it, which becomes her grab bag. All is peaceful and calm until Sir Faithful Fortescue squawks an alarm: The garden is under attack!

The Terribles have arrived, claiming ownership of her garden, but Katherine isn’t about to let these big, brash boys continue their destructive ways. She confronts the terrible children, who warn her that Sammy the Bull will not allow her to get away with this. The garden belongs to them, not her. Knowing they will return, she comes up with a plan and with the rest of the League of the Little People (Bienkie, Boongie, and the garden creatures) organizes for the next invasion. But Katherine also worries. Being brave once often means that she must continue being brave; she’s just not certain she can.

Then Sammy the Bull arrives and he’s not even sure Katherine is a girl. After all, she doesn’t dress like a girl and she defies him. As far as Katherine is concerned, it’s obvious that Sammy hasn’t a clue about girls. After all, she rides her bike and loves adventure, and history is filled with heroines who do not play with dolls or hide in the house. The arguing eventually turns to pirates and Sammy dares Katherine to say how many girl pirates there were. She doesn’t know, but she’s certain there were some. Thinking he is smarter, Sammy dares her to name a real girl pirate, or the garden belongs to him and the Terribles. It’s a challenge she can’t refuse, even if it means that she must be braver than ever.

Morwenna Banks brings Katherine and all her friends (and enemies) to life in a way that allows the listener to be right beside Katherine from the moment the adventure starts all the way to the end. Her inflection is spot on in all the right places and she is truly gifted in giving each character a unique voice. The book is written for children ages seven and up, but even adults will enjoy listening. (I also had access to the e-book, which includes color pictures, but Banks does such a fabulous job that I ended up using the book to write my notes for this review.) I particularly love the way she emphasizes “girl” pirates and says Katherine’s favorite words, “Supermurgatroid” and “Humongous!” I wanted to cry when Katherine’s world falls apart when Sammy injures Bienkie, and I laughed a lot at Katherine’s dilemma about how to go to the bathroom in Kveldulf, a Viking longboat. The Twisted Sisters reminded me of the three witches in MacBeth. I particularly enjoyed meeting Harry Gold and his Pieces of 8, an assortment of men from the past who assist Katherine in her quest for girl pirates. As she journeys through history, we meet Simon Danseker, Eustace the Black Monk, John Paul Jones, Woodes Rogers, Nathaniel Mist, Daniel Defoe, and a woman pirate (although I won’t say which one).

If I have any reservation about this audiobook, it’s the cover art. It’s not appealing to the eye and gives the wrong impression about what the book is about. This was not the case with either the cover art for the hardback or paperback versions – both of which come closer to hinting at what the book is about. The audio version is more reminiscent of virtual reality or steampunk, neither of which has anything to do with the story.

Each evening, when I sat to listen to the story while doing jigsaw puzzles, I found myself eager to discover where Katherine’s journey would lead her and who she would meet next. I wanted the tale to go on and on, but alas it does come to an end . . . but Annie Holmes assures listeners that Katherine will return in Katherine of Carrick: The Secret History of the Mongols. I heartily recommend this audiobook to readers and I am amazed at how ingeniously Annie Holmes wove a wide array of history into a children’s tale filled with magic and detecting. Best of all? It’s a story about Girls and Girl Pirates!




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Review of James Schaneep's Marooned

Marooned (Click Your Poison) by James Schannep

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Marooned is an adult version of the “choose your own adventure” books that were popular several decades ago. Set sometime between 1500 and 1850 – a time that can be further narrowed to 1650-1725, for those thinking this specifically occurs suring the golden age of piracy – you are the main character and depending on which path you follow, you will find yourself immersed in one of three storylines.

The story begins with you – no age specified, but old enough to travel alone (which may or may not be the wisest decision you make) – bound for London on a bumpy carriage ride. Your queasiness is a small price to pay to be the first to hear your cousin’s adventurous tales of life at sea, now that his ship has come home. Your task is to bring him back to his mother, your aunt, and you have just enough money to get there, feed the two of you, and return whence you came. But the docks of London are a scary place, especially for someone as naive as yourself. Luckily, James arrives just after you alight. What you don’t expect is that he isn’t too keen on the idea of returning home. Instead, he wants a drink and a woman, which leaves you with a decision to make: join him at the pub, immediately drag him back home, or venture into a mysterious brothel.

The shortest story line, and the one I tended to find myself on more than once, places you aboard a Royal Navy frigate. You may volunteer or you are forced, but for better or worse, you’ve taken the king’s shilling and must now do as you’re told. You may find yourself on the lower decks amid a host of others, or you may be on the path to become an officer. Whichever path you select, it is but the first of many dangers you will encounter. Some result in your demise; others lead to glory and higher rank. It just depends on the choices you make.

The second story line lands you aboard a merchant ship, bound for the colonies. You may have signed aboard willingly or been seized by crimpers. This leads to a fork in the road, so to speak, that will take you on an adventurous journey or lead you to the dark side, where mutiny and piracy abide. There’s even a murder mystery to solve.

There are occasional lapses in historically correct dialogue, where a modern word slips in (for example, rubber-necking), which may jerk you out of the story. There are also subtle toasts to people who have influenced the author, such as the frigate HMS Hornblower, Vice-Admiral Maturin, or a sailor/pirate named Rediker. The history of the time period and pirate life demonstrates a significant amount of research, and the ingenuity required to craft a well-told book like this is remarkable. Even the myriad deaths you might experience come straight from the past and the dangers of life at sea in the Age of Sail.

Schannep does provide hints as to what path you follow – anchors, skull and crossbones, and palm trees – but you’ll probably find yourself too caught up in what’s happening to pay much attention to these and not all pages have them. For those who have read previous titles in the series, there are references to those books in this one and he dares you to find them. While some pages overlap in the story lines, you eventually find yourself on a unique path.

Once you begin Marooned, you’ll find yourself unable to put it down . . . even if you die. After all, with more than fifty possible outcomes, you just have to explore them all.




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Review of S. R. Staley's Calusa Spirits

Calusa Spirits by SR Staley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Healing from his wounds, Juan Carlos Santa Ana desperately tries to stave off Spanish soldiers sneaking aboard La Marée Rouge. He has few weapons at his disposal and the infection in his shoulder and chest threaten to steal what strength he possesses. The enemy came from the shores of Cuba, for him and for Isabella – one labeled traitor, the other pirate – and from the sounds above and outside the great cabin, there is little hope that anyone will come to his aid. His only chance is to escape his present location, to seek help from whoever is still able to stand on his own two feet.

Bold ingenuity and stalwart determination allow the pirates to succeed, but Isabella knows their respite will be brief. The Captain-General of the West Indies will not give up his relentless pursuit of her or Juan Carlos. But their best chance of escape means sailing straight into the lion’s den. In that way they might just make it to New Orleans.

For her entire life, Isabella has fought for freedom and equality. The last six of those years have been at sea. She escaped the bonds of slavery, which is why she is determined to help others, but how much longer can she survive? It is a question that comes close to being answered when they stop in La Florida, now in the hands of the British, in hopes of replenishing their supplies. Instead of the trading post they expect to find, they are surrounded by at least 350 Calusa warriors from a fierce tribe that’s not supposed to exist any longer. Even though they are an unknown enemy, Isabella, Juan Carlos, and several pirates accompany the warriors deep into the swamp to trade. But the Calusa have other plans for them.

Calusa Spirits is the third volume in the young adult historical fiction series, Pirate of Panther Bay. Staley includes two maps, one of West Cuba (c. 1787) and Florida’s West Coast (c. 1781), to orient readers to the two main locales of this book. There is also a short glossary of Calusa words. As in previous titles, this one introduces new characters who join the pirates, such as a man from Japan forced to join the Spanish soldiers. The time period isn’t explicitly stated, but there are enough hints within the text for readers to figure out that it is set in 1781.

Although backstory is expertly woven into the dialogue and narrative, there is a bit too much sprinkled throughout the book, sometimes at places that disrupt both the tension and the flow. In spite of this, readers who have enjoyed the previous titles will enjoy this latest offering in Isabella’s saga, and those who have not will easily pick up on what has come before.

An interesting twist in the story comes with the introduction of Pierre and Jean Lafitte. The two young boys (thirteen and two, respectively) are captives, who are with their mother, and it is Pierre’s knowledge of the Calusa that assists Isabella in their escape. The fight scenes, especially the final one with the Calusa, make readers’ hearts pound. I look forward to future adventures of Isabella, Juan Carlos, and the other pirates, including the Lafittes.




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Review of Mark McMillin's Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood by Mark M. McMillin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Blood for Blood. The words are Mary’s first thought upon waking and her last at night. They are her “ungodly prayer” for the wrongs committed against her and those she loves. They give her life purpose for continuing to live. For as long as she can remember the Dowlins have hounded her, and now the son and his henchmen seek to destroy her. They thought they had killed her and her lover when they torched an old mill, but Mary survives and gives birth to a daughter. Now, the time has come to renew her travels; she seeks out her old crew and reclaims her ships, Phantom and Diablo. Not to return to smuggling and the New World, but to England to serve the woman who long ago saved her life – Queen Elizabeth.

Her mission this time is to accompany Sir Francis Drake in his attempt to gain Portugal’s assistance in England’s war with Spain during the autumn of 1588. But their relationship is contentious at best, and Drake’s way of doing things often collides with Mary’s. Still, she heeds orders as long as her ships and her men are not needlessly endangered, even though this is slated to be a military campaign on land, rather than an assault from the sea.

In war plans rarely turn out as expected, and such is the case for this expedition. Then Mary is charged with aiding and abetting the enemy – a foolish charge that results in gaining freedom for a number of imprisoned Englishman, including one of the queen’s best spies – all because she defied Drake’s orders to implement her bold and daring plan.

Weathering this storm, she renews an old acquaintance with Captain Guilliaume Le Testu, the son of the corsair who lost his life during Drake’s raid on the mule train carrying Spanish silver. Le Testu puts forth an opportunity to return to the New World to plunder enemy ships and recover some of the silver buried so long ago. It is a tempting offer, especially since Drake’s most recent expedition is doomed to failure. She and her men decide to join Testu, but on her terms. Even though the long reach of Dowlin and the Siol Faolcháin can pursue her there, this time, they strike closer to home – attacks in Ireland that have a devastating effect on Mary and a young lad who joins her operation.

A fair portion of this historical novel takes place on land, rather than the sea, but McMillin skillfully recreates the time period with clever insertions of historical events interwoven with Mary’s fictional tale. The battle with Spanish forces in Panama is a nail-biting sequel to one of the most famous occurrence in Drake’s Caribbean escapades. Equally compelling are the poignant episodes where Mary once again suffers retribution. Events in her past, told in the previous title The Butcher’s Daughter, are neatly recounted and completed, so readers unfamiliar with that title will still find themselves grounded here. While the setting may be familiar to many, the time period makes this story more unique, for it unfolds long before the golden age of piracy begins. It spans the final decade of the sixteenth century and Mary is a product of her times, for “I was born in blood and I will die in blood, or so the story goes . . .”. (397)




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