Prequel imaginatively addresses questions Treasure Island
<\i>left unanswered. Why would pirates, known for living in
the moment, bury a vast fortune? And how did Long John Silver lose
his leg? First-time author Drake elaborates on clues in the
original novel to offer back stories of John Silver, captured by a
pirate captain, and the dreaded Jack Flint, a navy officer turned
mutineer. The storytelling moves quickly, if at times more
elliptically than necessary. Flint is flummoxed when Silver, a born
leader, rescues him from certain defeat and then sets him up as
captain of Silver's ship. Silver's one shortcoming is that he
cannot navigate at sea, a flaw that erodes his self-confidence to
such a degree that he relinquishes the command that ought to be
his. The two forge an alliance so successful that the
Walrus<\i>, under their cooperative command, amasses a great
fortune. Silver, ever insistent that they operate not as mere
pirates but as "Gentlemen of Fortune," moderates Flint's sadistic
proclivities and proves more effective in leading men. Enter the
beautiful runaway slave Selena, who once rebuffed Silver. Flint
takes her onboard as his "ward," despite the sailors' credo that
women are bad luck at sea. Discord soon rankles as Flint endeavors
to bury the pirates' amassed fortune in a place secret from all
living men save him. Silver argues that they would do better taking
their treasure to Savannah, but Flint wins the debate over the
treasure's fate. Silver takes command of a captured vessel, taking
half the Walrus <\i>crew with him, and the two ships converge
on Treasure Island to bury the loot. But while Flint prevails with
his plan, Silver gains Selena's love. The showdown at sea between
these erstwhile friends builds to a spectacular crescendo. Drake
vigorously recounts bloody exploits and savage adventures, updating
Stevenson with the addition of sex and violence, not to mention the
pirates' own highly creative profanity.No children's story this,
but appealing to adult readers with fond memories of the original.
(Kirkus Reviews)
Rip-roaring adventures for fans of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and
Patrick O' Brian, in these pirate prequels to 'Treasure Island'.
When all your friends are dead, there's no choice but to join the
enemy... After pirates stormed his merchant's ship, massacring all
around them, they found one opponent who wouldn't go down: John
Silver. And so with six men dead at his hand, Silver is made an
offer he can't refuse: join them or die. On the other side of the
world, the legendary Captain Flint is the meanest, most dangerous
bandit on the high seas. He fears no another man - until he meets
fellow freebooter 'Gentleman' John Silver. Together, they forge a
formidable partnership as villains-in-arms. But there's more to
piracy than rum, sodomy and the lash... there's gold, hundreds of
thousands of pieces of it, enough for everyone, in fact - until the
arrival of Selina, a beautiful runaway slave, triggers a violent
jealousy that turns these best of friends into sworn enemies. And
as Flint schemes to secure the vast loot for himself, the legend of
Treasure Island begins...
General
Imprint: |
HarperCollinsPublishers
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
March 2009 |
Authors: |
John Drake
|
Dimensions: |
197 x 130 x 5mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - B-format
|
Pages: |
438 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-00-726894-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Genre fiction >
Adventure / thriller >
General
|
LSN: |
0-00-726894-7 |
Barcode: |
9780007268948 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!