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Fortune's Whelp
Privateer, Swordsman and Rake:
Set in the 17th century during the heyday of privateering and the decline of buccaneering, Fortune’s Whelp is a brash, swords-out sea-going adventure. Scotsman Edward MacNaughton, a former privateer captain, twice accused and acquitted of piracy and currently seeking a commission, is ensnared in the intrigue associated with the attempt to assassinate King William III in 1696. Who plots to kill the king, who will rise in rebellion—and which of three women in his life, the dangerous smuggler, the wealthy widow with a dark past, or the former lover seeking independence—might kill to further political ends? Variously wooing and defying Fortune, Captain MacNaughton approaches life in the same way he wields a sword or commands a fighting ship: with the heart of a lion and the craft of a fox.
Set in the 17th century during the heyday of privateering and the decline of buccaneering, Fortune’s Whelp is a brash, swords-out sea-going adventure. Scotsman Edward MacNaughton, a former privateer captain, twice accused and acquitted of piracy and currently seeking a commission, is ensnared in the intrigue associated with the attempt to assassinate King William III in 1696. Who plots to kill the king, who will rise in rebellion—and which of three women in his life, the dangerous smuggler, the wealthy widow with a dark past, or the former lover seeking independence—might kill to further political ends? Variously wooing and defying Fortune, Captain MacNaughton approaches life in the same way he wields a sword or commands a fighting ship: with the heart of a lion and the craft of a fox.
- GenresPirates
421 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2015
8 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Benerson Little
9 books28 followersBenerson Little is an author focusing on naval history, in particular, piracy and privateering in the 17th and 18th centuries. He is a former Navy SEAL, and more recently acted as historical consultant for the Black Sails television series.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 28, 2017
DNF'ed at page 125. I went into this book expecting a fun yet gritty and mature pirate story, seeing how the author is a leading expert in the field. But alas, being good at research does not make one a good author. The book can be summarized as Holier-than-thou Hypocrisy. Little knows what he is talking about, yes, but he forgets that many readers would not. The result is a condescending tone that seems to scold the reader for not knowing the specific terms and/or being unhappy with having to flip to the incomplete glossary. Furthermore most of the book is the author telling us how great his lead is without actually delivering on it. When the character succeeds you can bet it is not through skill but through sheer plot-convenience.
Not to mention Mr Little couldn't keep himself from mocking common pirate-tropes in a ridiculously childish manner instead of skillfully deconstructing them.
Big minus also for the aforementioned hypocrisy: When, as an author, you feel you must outright state that your lead is not a misogynist you might want to deliver on that statement on all levels, instead of having him and your narrative constantly belittle (no pun intended) women, not taking them serious and reducing them down to jealous sex-crazy she-devils.
Plotwise not much's to be said. Stuff that could have interesting is briefly summarized as the author found it more important to tell us just how great the lead is in bed... Without even providing the actual sex.
The 'historical accuracy' saves nothing and often feels very inaccurate.
In short: If you are looking for a good pirate story, steer clear of this one.
Not to mention Mr Little couldn't keep himself from mocking common pirate-tropes in a ridiculously childish manner instead of skillfully deconstructing them.
Big minus also for the aforementioned hypocrisy: When, as an author, you feel you must outright state that your lead is not a misogynist you might want to deliver on that statement on all levels, instead of having him and your narrative constantly belittle (no pun intended) women, not taking them serious and reducing them down to jealous sex-crazy she-devils.
Plotwise not much's to be said. Stuff that could have interesting is briefly summarized as the author found it more important to tell us just how great the lead is in bed... Without even providing the actual sex.
The 'historical accuracy' saves nothing and often feels very inaccurate.
In short: If you are looking for a good pirate story, steer clear of this one.
October 17, 2021
While the writing was good, the plot doesn't go anywhere meaningful. There are not secondary characters who stand out; everyone feels like a prop and Edward feels like the only character with any life/agency.
April 25, 2025
"Fortune's Whelp" by Benerson Little is written in purple prose that seems to have never been seen by an editor. Because of the flowery, over-inflated style, I couldn't get invested in the story at all.
January 16, 2016
I found this to be tortuously slow reading and quite boring. After a bit, I just wanted it to be over
June 21, 2016
After a two-year hiatus – following charges of piracy for which he was acquitted – Captain Edward MacNaughton wants nothing to jeopardize his plans to obtain a new privateering commission. But fortune is a fickle mistress. His quiet evening with a friend in a tavern ends in a duel after he is accosted by a jealous fool who won’t back down. Successful in the affair, Edward leaves Bristol before the sheriff learns the particulars of what happened. He is bound for Ireland to gain financial backing for his venture from a friend and to deliver secret letters to a lord’s contacts. Off Kinsale, the ship encounters French privateers and only through Edward’s experience and fortune does the vessel escape capture.
Ashore in Ireland, Edward should feel safe, but the opposite is true. As each day passes, the sense of being under constant watch grows. There are whispers of Jacobite spies, but who might be one? Jane Hardy, the Dutch widow with whom he has romantic liaisons? Molly O’Meary, the niece of his friend? An Irish smuggler and intriguer known as Michael O’Neal? Or someone else entirely? Edward isn’t certain, but when rapparees (Irish bandits) try to take the letters he carries, he begins to suspect Molly is in league with the Jacobites. On his guard and heavily armed, Edward thwarts the attempt and discovers one rapparee has dropped coded correspondence. When Edward deciphers them, he realizes supporters of the exiled James II plan to assassinate King William. Not knowing who to trust, Edward takes the information back to England himself. But there are those who will stop at nothing to prevent him from delivering the letters to the king.
Being a gentleman-adventurer with a varied career as a buccaneer, privateer, naval officer, dragoon, hussar, fencing master, duelist, and lawyer, Edward is the epitome of the swashbuckling hero found in historical adventures popular eighty to 150 years ago. He is an intelligent and expert swordsman of great courage, who fights for noble causes. Little strives for authenticity in his writing, and his research using seventeenth-century documents, his naval expertise, and his being a fencing master allow him to craft a tale that transports readers back to England and Ireland in 1696 through the use of period dialogue and vivid description. He deftly weaves history into this fictional tale, and pirate aficionados are treated to piratical tidbits that also help to place the story in the period. Readers even get to meet Henry Every and there is a subtle reference to either Henry Pitman or his fictional counterpart, Peter Blood. Intrigue abounds throughout Fortune’s Whelp and it shines as a grand adventure. Edward MacNaughton deservedly joins the ranks of such swashbuckling legends as Rafael Sabatini’s Captain Blood, Johnston McCulley’s Zorro, and Alexander Dumas’s Musketeers.
Ashore in Ireland, Edward should feel safe, but the opposite is true. As each day passes, the sense of being under constant watch grows. There are whispers of Jacobite spies, but who might be one? Jane Hardy, the Dutch widow with whom he has romantic liaisons? Molly O’Meary, the niece of his friend? An Irish smuggler and intriguer known as Michael O’Neal? Or someone else entirely? Edward isn’t certain, but when rapparees (Irish bandits) try to take the letters he carries, he begins to suspect Molly is in league with the Jacobites. On his guard and heavily armed, Edward thwarts the attempt and discovers one rapparee has dropped coded correspondence. When Edward deciphers them, he realizes supporters of the exiled James II plan to assassinate King William. Not knowing who to trust, Edward takes the information back to England himself. But there are those who will stop at nothing to prevent him from delivering the letters to the king.
Being a gentleman-adventurer with a varied career as a buccaneer, privateer, naval officer, dragoon, hussar, fencing master, duelist, and lawyer, Edward is the epitome of the swashbuckling hero found in historical adventures popular eighty to 150 years ago. He is an intelligent and expert swordsman of great courage, who fights for noble causes. Little strives for authenticity in his writing, and his research using seventeenth-century documents, his naval expertise, and his being a fencing master allow him to craft a tale that transports readers back to England and Ireland in 1696 through the use of period dialogue and vivid description. He deftly weaves history into this fictional tale, and pirate aficionados are treated to piratical tidbits that also help to place the story in the period. Readers even get to meet Henry Every and there is a subtle reference to either Henry Pitman or his fictional counterpart, Peter Blood. Intrigue abounds throughout Fortune’s Whelp and it shines as a grand adventure. Edward MacNaughton deservedly joins the ranks of such swashbuckling legends as Rafael Sabatini’s Captain Blood, Johnston McCulley’s Zorro, and Alexander Dumas’s Musketeers.
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June 2, 2016A thoroughly well-researched, rip-roaring, swashbuckling adventure set in C17. The author's knowledge of sword-play and the sea makes the story really come to life. A great story for anyone who enjoys a good adventure with a clever plot.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews