Satan: A Romance of the Bahamas

by Henry de Vere Stacpoole

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

312 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2009

About the author

Henry De Vere Stacpoole (9 April 1863 – 12 April 1951), pseudonym: Tyler De Saix, was an Irish author, born in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire). His best known work is the 1908 romance novel The Blue Lagoon, which has been adapted into feature films on three occasions.

A ship's doctor for more than forty years, Stacpoole was also an expert on the South Pacific islands. His books frequently contained detailed descriptions of the natural life and civilizations with which he had become familiar on those islands.

He moved to the Isle of Wight in the 1920s and lived there until his death. He was buried at Bonchurch in 1951. [Wikipedia]

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

{3.75 stars}

What a delightful read. I don't really like the title of the book, but considering Satan (not the devil; a real man!) is one of the characters name it makes more sense. I just love all the sailing and "pirate" bit of this story. Usually those kind of books annoy me, but this one was so sweet.

All the characters were unique and diverse. Jude, while tomboyish and hardly lady-like, somehow reaches into the heart of the story. Then there's Satan who's like a sea Gypsy, managing to snitch things from other ships. Radcliffe, the young man that comes on board the Sarah, can't figure out why he finds Jude's personlity so attracting. Last but not least there's the pirates themselves-Cark and Cleary-who think they're smarter than they actually are.

Why the lower rating:
-Several profanities of God's name.
-The lay-out of the ebook was really hard to read. I got it for free (from Archives) and was disappointed how disoriented everything was. Some words I had to make up because the letters were jumbled.
-A few mentions of "haints"/ghosts.
-Jude and Radcliffe fall asleep by each other on the sand. Nothing happens other than that and it is somewhat sweet, but I think their sleeping arrangements could have been different ;)

All in all an enjoyable classic. I'm curious to look into this author's other books.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really cannot understand why this author is no longer read (judging by Goodreads reviews). I gobbled this book with utter relish, I fell in love with Satan and Jude, the incompetent pirates were a joy, and the descriptions of the Carribean seas made my mouth water. Can't wait to start another Stacpoole.