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Wake of the Red Witch
This is a ruthless story of a ship with three lives, sailed by men determined to win revenge, money, and power from the sea. It is a story of intense, tropical passion, expressed both in the desire of man for woman and in the conflict of men with each other. More, it is the story of the power which hate can attain when it drives coldly toward revenge, and of how, once achieved, that power sucks in all, even those who are themselves possessed of the devil. It is storytelling in the grand manner — no thin thread but many tough strands rolled into a richly colored whole.
Sam Rosen, the trader, has come with his inscrutable partner, Ralls, ostensibly to hunt for pearls in the lagoon off the South Sea island of Little Soembawa. But there is another reason, a richer treasure, that has drawn the two of them, in their aged schooner, to this part of the world. When Mayrant Sidneye, head of the great trading firm of Batjak, Ltd., reveals his interest in the schooner and its crew; when van Schreeven, also of Batjak, whose yacht, with the lovely Teleia on board, has anchored in the lagoon, tries to induce Sam to leave Ralls, Sam is forced to realize very clearly why they have all come to this spot. They are in the wake of the Red Witch, owned by Batjak, and sunk with a cargo of gold bullion, when Ralls was her captain. Ralls alone knows where she sank!
Sam Rosen, the trader, has come with his inscrutable partner, Ralls, ostensibly to hunt for pearls in the lagoon off the South Sea island of Little Soembawa. But there is another reason, a richer treasure, that has drawn the two of them, in their aged schooner, to this part of the world. When Mayrant Sidneye, head of the great trading firm of Batjak, Ltd., reveals his interest in the schooner and its crew; when van Schreeven, also of Batjak, whose yacht, with the lovely Teleia on board, has anchored in the lagoon, tries to induce Sam to leave Ralls, Sam is forced to realize very clearly why they have all come to this spot. They are in the wake of the Red Witch, owned by Batjak, and sunk with a cargo of gold bullion, when Ralls was her captain. Ralls alone knows where she sank!
434 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1946
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 26, 2023
Few readers today remember Garland Roark. If they do remember him, however, it is because of his greatest work, Wake of the Red Witch. Indirectly, they may remember it because of the film adaptation with John Wayne as Ralls. Being an adventure writer, Roark has tended to fall into the category of fiction author. Yet Wake of the Red Witch is more than that. It qualifies as more than mere fiction. It is what literary snobs normally address as literature.
Why? Because of the epic sweep of a story that focuses on the psychology of its two main characters, the mightily flawed Ralls, a woman beater, rapist, opportunist, cheat, liar but also someone with his own inner directed code of conduct that holds him back from the moral brink. Symbolically, that collapses at the end of the novel, when one more great score pushed Ralls literally into the depths.
Ralls' antagonist is Mayrant Sydneye, a Dutch born tyrant who sees a mirror of himself in Ralls. Sydneye is an even greater sadist than Ralls. Both men are ruled by their lusts. Ralls for adventure and success on his own terms. And Sydneye for revenge. Revenge against the man, Streicher, who ruined the life of his aunt, Zulinde. Revenge against Ralls for breaking away from him and going on his own path. Revenge against his brother for his perceived weakness--not being hard enough.
Told with a cast of characters that is Dickensian in its sweep, Wake of the Red Witch is actually a stab at literary modernism in the tradition of Conrad and Conrad's exploration of the psyche. Roark certainly cannot match Conrad's prose, but he does equal the master's atmospheric descriptions of the sea and Southeast Asia.
Why? Because of the epic sweep of a story that focuses on the psychology of its two main characters, the mightily flawed Ralls, a woman beater, rapist, opportunist, cheat, liar but also someone with his own inner directed code of conduct that holds him back from the moral brink. Symbolically, that collapses at the end of the novel, when one more great score pushed Ralls literally into the depths.
Ralls' antagonist is Mayrant Sydneye, a Dutch born tyrant who sees a mirror of himself in Ralls. Sydneye is an even greater sadist than Ralls. Both men are ruled by their lusts. Ralls for adventure and success on his own terms. And Sydneye for revenge. Revenge against the man, Streicher, who ruined the life of his aunt, Zulinde. Revenge against Ralls for breaking away from him and going on his own path. Revenge against his brother for his perceived weakness--not being hard enough.
Told with a cast of characters that is Dickensian in its sweep, Wake of the Red Witch is actually a stab at literary modernism in the tradition of Conrad and Conrad's exploration of the psyche. Roark certainly cannot match Conrad's prose, but he does equal the master's atmospheric descriptions of the sea and Southeast Asia.
August 14, 2012
I first saw the film based on this novel many years ago. It starred John Wayne and the beautiful Gail Russell who, sadly, died of a bad liver and malnutrition before she turned forty. I loved the film and still count it as a favorite. But I was curious to read the novel and finally scored a first edition copy from Amazon.
Surprisingly, the film followed the novel quite closely—both are melodramas: a tragic love tale between two lovers that is not meant to be. But there are some interesting differences as well.
The novel is far more graphic, with more violence; plenty of fisticuffs, and rape as well. There are also several other tertiary characters in the novel who play more prominent roles.
Both feature clearly defined characters; but in the movie, John Wayne as Ralls is the central character, the hero. In the book, it’s Sam Rosen who is the paladin, and he also doubles as the narrator.
In the movie, Wayne is a more sympathetic hero; while in the book, Ralls is the heavy, nearly on a par with Mayrant Sidneye, the shipping mogul who goes head to head with Ralls.
The film features a love triangle between Ralls, Sidneye and Angelique, played by Russell. In the book, this romance takes a back seat to that of Rosen and Teleia, who, in the film, plays a minor role.
The middle part of the novel is largely exposition and focuses on Sidneye’s youth and rise to power (it leaves Ralls’ history unexplored.) This part of the story lags at times. Ralls’ love for Angelique is, as in the movie, rather superficial, but it clearly is what drives him to lay Sidneye to ruin.
Wake of the Red Witch is not an easy read, mostly due to the style of writing of that bygone era where narrative reigns and showing and not telling is the mode of the art.
A good read even as it was at times tedious. For me, the movie was superior.
Surprisingly, the film followed the novel quite closely—both are melodramas: a tragic love tale between two lovers that is not meant to be. But there are some interesting differences as well.
The novel is far more graphic, with more violence; plenty of fisticuffs, and rape as well. There are also several other tertiary characters in the novel who play more prominent roles.
Both feature clearly defined characters; but in the movie, John Wayne as Ralls is the central character, the hero. In the book, it’s Sam Rosen who is the paladin, and he also doubles as the narrator.
In the movie, Wayne is a more sympathetic hero; while in the book, Ralls is the heavy, nearly on a par with Mayrant Sidneye, the shipping mogul who goes head to head with Ralls.
The film features a love triangle between Ralls, Sidneye and Angelique, played by Russell. In the book, this romance takes a back seat to that of Rosen and Teleia, who, in the film, plays a minor role.
The middle part of the novel is largely exposition and focuses on Sidneye’s youth and rise to power (it leaves Ralls’ history unexplored.) This part of the story lags at times. Ralls’ love for Angelique is, as in the movie, rather superficial, but it clearly is what drives him to lay Sidneye to ruin.
Wake of the Red Witch is not an easy read, mostly due to the style of writing of that bygone era where narrative reigns and showing and not telling is the mode of the art.
A good read even as it was at times tedious. For me, the movie was superior.
October 23, 2018
Much of the story takes place in the Dutch Indies. Much is narrated by the character Sam Rosen who tells us about his strange Captain Ralls. It is a power struggle between Ralls and rich Dutch ship owners. There is a little romance and lust thrown into the mix, but it is mostly about the rivalry of two wicked people.
Two stars is defined here as "it was ok." Well, parts of it were very good, but most of it was not IMHO.
It starts well, but then in goes back in time and there is much history that is hard to read and did not interest or engage me. Much of the middle of the book seemed like it was excessive narrative to me.
Some of the conversations and descriptions were boring and I didn't think they were necessary to the plot. It seemed to me there were some irrelevant subplots. The movie, by the way, covered only a very small part of the story told in the book. Some of the narrative in the book used vocabulary no longer in use. Some of those words were in my dictionary, some were not.
I am a sailor and I appreciated that he used appropriate narrative and descriptions of the rigging, the ships and other terminology that would have been used at the time.
Two stars is defined here as "it was ok." Well, parts of it were very good, but most of it was not IMHO.
It starts well, but then in goes back in time and there is much history that is hard to read and did not interest or engage me. Much of the middle of the book seemed like it was excessive narrative to me.
Some of the conversations and descriptions were boring and I didn't think they were necessary to the plot. It seemed to me there were some irrelevant subplots. The movie, by the way, covered only a very small part of the story told in the book. Some of the narrative in the book used vocabulary no longer in use. Some of those words were in my dictionary, some were not.
I am a sailor and I appreciated that he used appropriate narrative and descriptions of the rigging, the ships and other terminology that would have been used at the time.
November 4, 2020
I’ve always been a sucker for stories occurring on the high seas (I even wrote one!) This one is almost (but not quite) as compelling as Jack London’s stellar The Sea Wolf or Joseph Conrad’s often copied Heart of Darkness. The tale concerns a half-crazed captain of a schooner who is cruel to his men, but ever loyal to his lust for gold and women. My first exposure was to the movie starring John Wayne. Unusual for John Wayne, because it wasn’t a western nor a war movie, and it's one of the few movies in which Wayne’s character dies in the end. This was a good yarn, but a bit long winded. It sent me to the dictionary a few times, always a plus. It’s truly a man’s adventure tale straight out of the old Saga or True or Argosy magazines that dotted the newsstand magazine racks from the 1940s to the 1970s.
April 11, 2023
Stopped at exactly one third of the way, p. 145 (of 434) - thirty pages into Book Two (of four). Book One suffers from 19th-century-long descriptions, explanations and ruminations, but does a neat job of setting up a moderately entertaining adventure mystery. But the endless pages of trite three-penny-novel romance with which Book Two began turned me off. I decided to watch the (1948) movie instead - a mistake: decent excitement for prepubescents. I read the last twenty pages of the book and decided that in abandoning it I had chosen wisely.
June 16, 2024
This is a long book, some of it was too deep for me, deep in sailing and the sea, but ultimately a rewarding read. This was made into a movie with John Wayne and this is where he got the name for one of his movie production companies, Batjak, which is the name of the shipping company in the story.
"I have said a ship has a soul, I have ever compared a sprite under sails to a glorious women of variform moods, a sensitive creature given to laughter and tears, to moments of pensiveness." from the book - a ship compared to a woman.
"I have said a ship has a soul, I have ever compared a sprite under sails to a glorious women of variform moods, a sensitive creature given to laughter and tears, to moments of pensiveness." from the book - a ship compared to a woman.
April 15, 2025
As a boy I watched and enjoyed the film version of this novel which starred John Wayne. Whilst this novel engaged me initially, it proved to be a disappointment. In the end I forced myself through it. It could easily have done with an editing as parts of it were drawn out.
September 7, 2019
I read this when I was 13 years old
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews