Book Description
In their heyday, the sight of a pirate ship on the horizon would strike terror into the hearts of their intended victims. The colorful yet fearsome reputation of the pirate still resonates today and the sight of the skull and crossbones retains its thrilling power. The lives of the most famous of their brethren have been immortalized, initially in the pamphlets of the time, now in movies and books.
Telling the full story of piracy from the "buccaneering era" of the 17th century to the last great piratical wave of the early 19th century, this book explores the generally short and bloody life of the pirate, detailing his ship, weaponry, and codes of behaviour, as well as his most famous exploits. It is the gripping tale of the violent and deadly brigands who roamed the high seas in search of plunder.
Customer Reviews:
A top pick for collections seeking more than a casual coverage........2007-05-12
Scourge of the Seas: Buccaneers, Pirates and Privateers examines the myths and realities of pirate life, examining the stories of adventure on the seas, the biographies of practicing pirates throughout history, and considering pirate ships and vivid battles alike. Other books on pirate history may offer the same viewpoint with a less detailed perspective: SCOURGE OF THE SEAS covers not just events and personalities, but is packed with details about ships, weaponry, codes of behavior, and holds plenty of color photos throughout. A top pick for collections seeking more than a casual coverage.
Full of information and well written.......2007-04-07
Angus Konstam's Scourge of the Seas: Buccaneers, Pirates & Privateers is one of those books that just has to find a way into your personal library. Full of facts about pirate society and society's feeling of repulsion of their activities, Scourge manages to keep the reader interested by great writing and wonderful illustrations.
Dealing with pirates from just about every angle, Konstam also does a complete of including just about every important pirate for 200 years. Dealing with how they organized their activities, how their ships operated, and how they divided their booty, Scourge is a wonderful read.
Significant chapters include The Buccaneers and Their Victims, Buccaneer Commanders, The Pirate Crew, Pirate Warfare, Pirate Codes, Pirate Flags, Pirate Justice, The Development of Privateering, Organization and Recruitmnet, The Anti-Piracy Campaign of the 1820's.
Well researched, and written with the reader in mind, Scourge will be a book you'll love to read.
Amazon.com
Gene Roddenberry created Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott--the Enterprise's beloved chief engineer Scotty--in the image of his friend James Doohan, a former real-life engineer and officer in the Canadian Army. Now Doohan, in his Flight Engineer series, coauthored with military-SF powerhouse S.M. Stirling, has created an equally likable character in Scotty's image: Commander Peter Ernst Raeder, a sly and salty flight engineer for the Commonwealth Navy.
Be warned: Baen Books has given the series an astronomically inappropriate tagline--"Beam us up again, Scotty!" And they've likewise made the unseemly decision to set Doohan's disembodied head afloat on the cover of both this and the last book, spinning surreally above generic space battles like some mustachioed, Scottish Death Star. But despite the crass cashing in on Scotty and his mug, Doohan and the already accomplished Stirling come through with fun and competent, if straightforward, work, a jocular mix of naval intrigue, pitched ship-to-ship combat, and (surprise!) last-minute, skin-of-your-teeth problem-solving. And at the heart of the story sits the worldly-wise, sardonic wit of Commander Raeder.
If you're new to the series, you'll probably want to check out The Rising first. But if you're anxious to see whether Raeder's daring aboard the Dauntless earned him reprimand or reward, pick up Privateer. One of his commanders puts it best: "You know the reward for good work, don't you, son?" "More work, sir?" "You're learning, son." We can trust the same applies to Doohan and Stirling. --Paul Hughes
Book Description
THESE SPACE PIRATES ARE THE GOOD GUYS!
Peter Raeder was an ace pilot until a battle cost him his hand -- and his right to fly the fighter ships he loved. So he became Flight Engineer on the fast carrier Invincible, a crack new ship with a picked crew, ready to fight the fanatical Mollies and their spiderlike alien allies. On his first mission, he faced pirate raiders, attacks by Mollies and a hidden saboteur on board who came close to destroying the Invincible, before Raeder unmasked him.
Unfortunately for Raeder, his heroism didn't follow the rulebook, and his reward for saving the ship was a reprimand and a deskbound assignment -- a fate worse than death for a born spacehound like Raeder. Then a less rulebound General offers Raeder an escape: command of a hidden base deep in Mollie-controlled space from which ships, posing as space pirates, will harry Mollie shipping, like the seagoing privateers of Earth's past. And Raeder finds a dangerous mission preferable to exile to an office cubicle...even if his chances of surviving are very nearly zero.
Customer Reviews:
Great Story but..........2000-12-17
Read this book right after reading the first one and was disappointed that the authors got the saboteur confused in this book. He was the head of the Invincibles quartermasters not the XO.
surprisingly good.......2000-07-12
I received this book as one of a group purchase as I wanted the other three in the bundle, I only read it as I was short of material, I'd already passed up the previous book by "Scotty", after all he's only an actor what does he know about writing.
Well he knows how to (co)write a damn good SFF novel thats what. Interesting characters in exciting situations, this book is good!
Ive since bought the first in the series and i am waiting for the third to come out (soon).
Enjoy.
Very enjoyable reading, a good sequel to, ýThe Rising.ý.......1999-09-30
I give this book my highest accolade: Good enough to be a David Weber novel. It reads a lot like a William Keith novel and anyone who likes the Wing Commander series would really enjoy this one. The main character, Peter Raeder, is a brave and compassionate leader who always wins, very much like Honor Harrington in the David Weber series. I enjoyed the characters. Sterling has proven himself to be an excellent scifi writer, but in collaboration with Doonhan, his novels are really ENJOYABLE. It's hard to tell what the influence of each author is in a novel, but they make a great team and I hope they collaborate on many more novels. I'd order the next book in the series right now if I could.
Book Description
1783: His Majesty's secret agent
Fresh from war in the Americas, young navy veteran Alan Lewrie finds London pure pleasure. Then, at Plymouth he boards the trading ship Telesto, to find out why merchantmen are disappearing in the East Indies. Between the pungent shores of Calcutta and teaming Canton, Lewrie--reunited with his scoundrel father--discovers a young French captain, backed by an armada of Mindanaon pirates, on a plundering rampage. While treaties tie the navy's hands, a King's privateer is free to plunge into the fire and blood of a dirty little war on the high South China Sea.
Ladies' man, officer, and rogue, Alan Lewrie is the ultimate man of adventure. In the worthy tradition of Hornblower, Aubrey, and Maturin, his exploits echo with the sounds of crowded ports and the crash of naval warfare.
Praise for the Naval Adventures of Alan Lewrie
"The best naval series since C. S. Forrester . . . Recommended."
--Library Journal
"Plenty of action . . . Fast-paced, graphically descriptive, and well plotted."
--The Virginian-Pilot & The Ledger-Star
"
Fast-moving . . . A hugely likable hero, a huge cast of sharply drawn supporting characters: there's nothing missing. Wonderful stuff."
--Kirkus Reviews
Customer Reviews:
Lewrie Rocks!.......2005-09-21
Captain Aubrey meets Flashman. Lots of interesting, accurate detail and great storytelling. Read 'em all!
Is Lambdin getting tired of the series?.......2004-05-13
This fourth novel in the "Alan Lewrie" series is something of a departure, its heavily political (rather than simply naval) plot dictated by the end of the American Revolution in 1783. Lewrie finds himself back in London on a lieutenant's half-pay, subsisting comfortably (as long as he watches his expenses) and indulging his taste for sex with as many women as he can, of any age or marital status. But he's caught 'en flagrante' by an elderly husband -- once his patron, but no longer -- who wants his blood. Just as he's packing for his escape from the city, timely orders arrive from the Admiralty to report immediately to Plymouth, . . . and he's off on another adventure, this time as junior officer on a semi-secret mission to India and Canton, fighting Malay pirates who are in league with a French-backed privateer. The political leader of the mission, Mr. Twigg, is as bloody-minded a secret agent as you will find, perfectly willing to torture and murder surrendered prisoners to get the information he wants. Definitely not a nice person. And in India, Lewrie meets up again with his father, who had stolen from him, set him up with his supposed half-sister, had him essentially shanghaied into the navy, and then decamped to escape his creditors. But now we get the other side of his father's story and, while Sir Hugo retains nearly all his faults, he certainly becomes a more rounded character. Captain Choundas, on the other hand, is vicious, sexually perverted, and one-hundred-percent evil -- and since he survives the final fight with Lewrie, I would be very surprised if he did not return in future installments, probably as an agent of the French revolutionary government. Not as successful as the previous book, but I'll certainly keep reading -- though I hope the author will reduce his use of exclamation points!!!
Rough & Raunchy........2003-05-19
It's 1783 and Britain is in the depression 'between wars' and like an actress between jobs is hard-up and desperate to improve her lot.
Enter young Alan Lewrie, gulled into a commision on an East Indiaman with a hidden agenda of retribution against French privateers.
Alan, like most young men, keeps his brain in his groin and finds no shortage of willing bed-partners; but this lascivity leads to problems, the least of which is a pregnant maid. On the run, even 4th luff on the Indiaman looks an attractive prospect, with the chance to make money and a name for himself, but as they arrive in Calcutta, the past catches up with him.
He is thus privy to news that the rest of the young officers are denied, causing jealousy and unrest in the gunroom.
Mr.Lambdin strives to convey accents with a quaint use of spelling and punctuation - it usually works, but sometimes is a trifle heavy going. Otherwise, apart from one or two slips, the plot rolls along very nicely. There is initially markedly little naval action - but there is plenty of intrigue and double-dealing to keep one guessing all the way through. However, when the action does start, the below-decks detail is extremely well described, educating the reader in the minutiae of the proceedings.
I am not fond of the detailed amorous interludes, which do nothing for the plot, only rubbing in the fact that Alan is human and prey to all the vices that the world has to offer, to my mind a subtle hint works better than a blow-by-blow description which easily turns salacious if not handled well.
Having read most of the other authors in this genre, I can say that Mr.Lambdin is definitely not near the bottom of the list - as I read more, he may rise alongside Richard Woodman, James Nelson & Patrick O'Brien in my estimation.
Lewrie's been better.......2001-03-16
This was a drop in quality in the series so far. The first three and H.M.S. Cockerel were better. In "Privateer", the story tends to wander from the focus that was a plus in the others. It isn't a bad book, none of the ones I've read in the series are. Lewrie is still an interesting character, and it's worth reading. It's just that it is a valley in a series of peaks to this point. I do look forward to reading the next in the series.
Has to be the best of Lambdin's work.......2000-01-21
For sheer feel, this is the best of the Lewrie lot. Lewrie alternates between rage and panic and indecision, just like real people.
By going far afield the writer helps to highlight some of the less-known aspects of the interwar period 1783-1794.
This time we managed to avoid the pornographic blow-by-blows of Lewrie's rutting with non-white women, though the smut remains while he's in England.
Overall the series is a disappointment.
Book Description
1856. In One Volume, Illustrated. George Coggeshall had a long and often adventurous seagoing career, during which he kept detailed journals. Upon his retirement he mined material from his journals and produced several books of seafaring memoirs. Of his writing style it has been said that Coggeshall wrote a clear, terse, seamanly English flavored with a dash of quiet elegance. His strength lies in his details.; his best writing, in fact, can stand comparison with the novels of Daniel Defoe. In this volume Coggeshall remembers the ships and commandeers that sailed from our ports during the war.
Customer Reviews:
Flawed, but indispensable.......2004-11-26
On one hand, it is difficult to recommend a book so severely disorganized. Rather than addressing one topic, Coggeshall has randomly interspersed three in one book: a series of brief descriptions of American privateers in the War of 1812, a simple listing of prizes captured by same, and the personal experiences of the author as the captain of one of these vessels. If these three subjects did not deserve three separate books, it would have been an easier read to at least give each its own section, rather than try to blend them into a single narrative.
On the other hand, the book is by far the best narrative of the very important, though otherwise obscure, story of these privateers. I found more information on this subject in this one book than all my other resources combined. Even if Coggeshall is not an unbiased reporter on the subject, and did not avail himself of the services of a much needed editor, his book is an invaluable and indispensable resource to the serious student of the period.
Product Description
HORDES Primal is a 208 page Hard cover rule book that allows you to take control of a powerful warlock and wreak havoc on your foes with a warpack of hulking warbeasts fueled by unbridled rage.
In HORDES, only the strongest, fastest, and most cunning will survive, while the rest will be troll-chow for your warbeasts. HORDES is a fast-paced and aggressive 30mm tabletop miniatures battle game set in the wilds of the Iron Kingdoms.
This book contains rules for playing and building your warpacks and armies. HORDES is playable again WARMACHINE. Let slip the beast of war and unleash the fury within!
Book Description
Following the pirate scourge of the early 18th century, many sea captains took to privateering as a means of making money. A form of nationally sponsored piracy, it reached its peak during the American Revolution, when the fledgling American navy had to rely on privateers to disrupt British shipping between England and the rebellious colonies. Following peace in 1815, many former privateers turned to piracy, spawning the last great piratical wave, which would last for a decade. The world of these privateers and latter-day pirates comes vividly to life in this detailed exploration of their ships, crews, ports and battle tactics.
Customer Reviews:
A Worthy Overview.......2006-01-22
This is an Osprey book, so you need to think in terms of an adult version of the Eyewitness picture books. You shouldn't expect an exhaustively comprehensive treatment of the subject, after all they tend to be only 1/4 inch thick.
So, with expectations aligned, this is a fairly well done treatment of the subject of privateers from the American Revolution through the War of 1812. There are quite a few pictures to compliment the text and the topics covered include their origins, methods, ports and ships. Konstam gives us some brief biographies of a few of the famous names like Haraden, Talbot, Jones, Surcouf, Boyle, Laffite, de Soto and Gibert.
An excellent overview suitable for adolescents and adults, for more detail on John Paul Jones you can check Evan Thomas' John Paul Jones, for more of an overview of privateers look for David Starkey's Pirates and Privateers.
Average customer rating:
- Adequate action, unbelievable dialog
- Furious action - little depth.
- A realistic 18th cent. seafaring story
- A worthy sequel.
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Audacity, Privateer Out of Portsmouth: Continuing the Account of the Life and Times of Geoffrey Frost, Mariner, of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, as Faithfully ... Contemporary Histories (Geoffrey Frost Saga)
J. E. Fender
Manufacturer: UPNE
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Binding: Paperback
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Book Description
Book two of the Frost Saga continues the exciting nautical adventures launched in The Private Revolution of Geoffrey Frost, hailed as "an auspicious start" by Library Journal and now available in paperback.
Mariner, merchant, and reluctant warrior, Geoffrey Frost has entered the American Revolution on behalf of the colony of New Hampshire, commanding a captured British sloop o' war and sailing out of Portsmouth to harass the British fleet. As Audacity opens, he is returning from Canada following a daring rescue of American prisoners held at Louisburg when he sails into a fog bank -- and straight into a British convoy shepherded by a thirty-two gun frigate.
In serving the American cause, Frost will impersonate a British merchant, capture several supply ships, order the execution of some of his own countrymen who have turned pirate and renegade, and perform an extraordinary feat of navigation in order to restore two men to the ship of the great explorer Captain James Cook. He will also meet the beguiling and exasperating Lady Cygnet, an opera singer, who promises to enliven and complicate Frost's life in future volumes.
Customer Reviews:
Adequate action, unbelievable dialog.......2006-11-30
This series has a promising premise -- naval fiction based on the viewpoint of a China trader turned privateer during the Revolutionary war. However, the promise never materializes, largely due to the truly appalling dialog. People in the mid-1700's might have written in that odd, stilted, formal vernacular, but I can't believe that it was ever spoken. Certainly no one ever stood on a quarterdeck and emitted any of the pompous speeches that Geoffrey Frost is guilty of, if only because the battle would be over by the time they finished. The net effect is that Frost comes across as a self-righteous unlikeable prig.
Furious action - little depth........2004-09-07
This series seems to be more in the style of Hornblower than the Aubrey set. Its is well phrased but the characters and their relationships are very poorly defined. Plenty of exciting and well detailed naval action but occaisonal apparent inconsistencies or perhaps just confusing descriptions are annoying. This second book in the series will be my last to read. After O'Brian's skill with situations and people, this is thin stuff that a lot of action does not suffice to float.
A realistic 18th cent. seafaring story.......2004-02-18
A reader will almost feel the waves washing over the ship during a hurricane, hear the roar of the broadsides, and mingle with the boarders in the sea battles in this realistic depiction of an American privateer prowling the Atlantic during the revolutionary war. And there is much more. The author does a very good job in describing the characters, especially Geoffrey Frost the captain of the Audacity. I found the dialogue very interesting. The crew speak in what might be called colonial New England and express a good deal of colonial horse sense. Every sea adventure buff will enjoy this one.
A worthy sequel........2003-07-10
This is volume two in this series, which is set during the American Revolution and features a licensed privateer named Geoffrey Frost. It is every bit as exciting as volume one. Frost is a larger than life hero: learned, brave, and honorable. The sea battles are exciting and there's even a (peaceful) encounter with the explorer Cook.
Book Description
Above an Angry Sea chronicles USN B-24 Liberator (PB4Y-1) and PB4Y-2 Privateer operations in the Pacific. The author's previous book, We Flew Alone, discussed the Navy's use of the B-24 Liberator from February 1943 to September 1944. He now examines in dramatic detail the use of the B-24 and PB4Y-2 during the last eleven months of the war against Japan. The author has collected personal stories, over 200 photographs, a tabulation of all aerial kills credited to PB4Y patrol plane commanders, a roster of all personnel killed in action or in the line of duty, individual squadron records, and a list of all known B-24 Liberators and PB4Y-2 Privateers assigned to the Pacific between 1943 and 1945. , over 200 b/w and color photographs, 8 1/2" x 11"
Customer Reviews:
My Combat Plane.......2006-08-24
The book was very good from the standpoint of showing an uninformed family what the plane I flew in as a combat gunner was all about. Even though he left out a lot about my squadron and slighted us for other units it did not deminish my interest in others who were justly remembered. There are a lot of people who knew nothing about Navy heavy bombers and the book certainly introduced them to our war. Thank you. I have purchased a lot of these books as presents for my family and friends.
Colorful, Informative and ACCURATE.......2001-08-28
Both of his books on this part of the war are more than excellent. There are no more superlatives that can describe the accuracy of the events depicted. Great reading
rockum sockum wwII.......2001-05-25
This is one of the most informative and telling documentation I have ever read. I highly recomend the reading of this book. It would be a great addition to any historian's library. Every page is loaded with personal accounts of what it was really like to fight above the ANGRY SEA! Mr. Carey has captured the true essence of life on a PB4Y. If Spielberg could get a hold of this book, there would be a great movie made.
Thought Provoking Look at Naval Aviation.......2001-05-21
Mr. Carey has written a great book on a little known aspect of U.S. Naval History. He clearly brings out the suffering and bravery of the combat aircrew that served with Navy B-24 squadrons. His interviews of veterans and the multitude of photographs captures the spirit of fighting above the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
Captures the Stories of the Men and their Aircraft!.......2001-05-20
Alan Cary has followed up his earlier book (We Flew Alone)and if possible he has surpassed himself with this second volume. I must admit to being a bit prejudiced since I was one of those Navy men who served in the old B-24 that the Navy called the PB4Y1. Prior to these books, the story has only been reported occasionally and not always accurately. These two books by Alan Cary are exceptionally well done.
As one who was there during much of the time that he describes I can testify to the accuracy of his book. He has accurately captured the feelings, the fears, the loneliness, the pride of the men who performed these missions. Almost always a single airplane at the maximum range of the aircraft and over "an angry sea" that was a final resting place for too many brave men.
For anyone who is interested in this phase of the war in the Pacific, these two books are absolutely essential. There are many fine photographs, including many combat action shots and many of the stories are in the actual words of the men who performed so gallantly.
Thank you, Alan Cary and God bless America.
Customer Reviews:
Calling all worthy sea dawgs!.......2001-08-22
This was a fabulously written and very imformative book. Very rarely do you see books of this nature. So much imformation! Historically accurate portrayal of privateers. Fabulous! This book is truly sea-worthy! A must have.
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