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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Overall I really enjoyed it. A true swashbuckling adventure with more than a hint of romance. The big but? It’s treatment of slavery. Obviously it’s a product of its time, but I was regularly pulled out of the story by references to the black slaves (as opposed to the white slaves sold for various reasons, treason among them). I was frustrated that by men who had experienced slavery themselves and knew the horrors of it, Blood himself and his friends didn’t seem to extend any sympathy or kindness to the black slaves. This is especially frustrating since time and again Blood is lauded for his mercy and fair dealings. But that doesn’t seem to extend to black slaves. A product of its time, but I’m still holding it to some standards.
Audiobook version narrated by Robert Whitfield is very well recorded. I love the character of Captain Peter Blood. His Irish wit is humorous and he is a very likable character. This book is very reminiscent of Alexander Dumas' books.
It's hard not to love a book about a man whose original title was Dr. Blood.
Okay, so I realised that the book I borrowed from Libby is the completed works of Sabatini's "Captain Blood"; so I will be reviewing part 1, or in this case, Book 1.
Captain Blood is a trilogy that covers the swashbuckling adventures of the titled hero, Peter Blood. Blood is the son of an Irish physician in Seventeenth C. England, so naturally he took up his father's occupation. Due to a series of extremely unfortunate events, Blood turns to piracy. And this book essentially sets up this narrative to later unfold in what would later be his two forthcoming books.
What this book gets right that many other historical fictions fail at is creating believable characters from this time period, not just places and peoples who act like they are from this time period, or any for that matter. What I am trying to say is that many contemporary or even classic works of Historical Fiction use history as a backdrop to push a modern story not people pushing history. In other words, many authors fall into the pitfall of anachronism by using modern logics and beliefs to create their characters.
This is the opposite. Blood feels like a character ripped right from Alexandre Exquemelin's 17th century sourcebook on piracy, De Americaensche Zee-Roovers. At moments I have to tell myself that this is indeed a work of fiction, which is what all historical fiction books should strive for.
Lastly, a note on the prose. Holy cow! Sabatini put so much attention into the accuracy of speech and diction that it genuinely feels like conversations and thoughts amongst 17th century people. This will be a barrier for most readers, as it lacks any contemporary semblance to modern day spelling and grammar. Archaic words are used, that for someone who has studied 17th century piracy and privateering, which makes me question if I ever studied the stuff to begin with. Easily 5 stars
Captain Blood is a trilogy that covers the swashbuckling adventures of the titled hero, Peter Blood. Blood is the son of an Irish physician in Seventeenth C. England, so naturally he took up his father's occupation. Due to a series of extremely unfortunate events, Blood turns to piracy. And this book essentially sets up this narrative to later unfold in what would later be his two forthcoming books.
What this book gets right that many other historical fictions fail at is creating believable characters from this time period, not just places and peoples who act like they are from this time period, or any for that matter. What I am trying to say is that many contemporary or even classic works of Historical Fiction use history as a backdrop to push a modern story not people pushing history. In other words, many authors fall into the pitfall of anachronism by using modern logics and beliefs to create their characters.
This is the opposite. Blood feels like a character ripped right from Alexandre Exquemelin's 17th century sourcebook on piracy, De Americaensche Zee-Roovers. At moments I have to tell myself that this is indeed a work of fiction, which is what all historical fiction books should strive for.
Lastly, a note on the prose. Holy cow! Sabatini put so much attention into the accuracy of speech and diction that it genuinely feels like conversations and thoughts amongst 17th century people. This will be a barrier for most readers, as it lacks any contemporary semblance to modern day spelling and grammar. Archaic words are used, that for someone who has studied 17th century piracy and privateering, which makes me question if I ever studied the stuff to begin with. Easily 5 stars
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 stars for the story.
I love the Errol Flynn movie based on this book so it’s a no brainer that I loved the story when I got to hear more of it. This is a classic adventure story of the kind that gave birth to the pirate mythos.
Captain Blood is a strong and principled man that continually finds himself placed on the defensive and unwilling to be a victim of circumstance. I loved seeing how he stepped up every time a new challenge was presented. Most of the other characters are also well-rounded and fun to follow, but the heroine, Arabella, seemed too much of the ingénue to be believable. I couldn’t see how she could be such a strong-willed woman in one moment only to appear totally ignorant the next. It might be the 100+ years since it was written coloring my perspective, but I couldn’t see how Blood could possibly fall for her.
The story is full of action and twists and turns that surprised me; it moves at an excellent pace and offers a very good ending for every character. Excellent story.
Just 3.5 stars for the radio show audio book.
I get how a radio show is different from a recorded reading, but I found it a tad annoying that every time there was some action all I’d get to hear was the sound effects. Those scenes all went something like: “we’re fighting the Spanish ship, splash, splash, clack, ahh, crack, clink, that was a hard battle we won.” It’s good for using your imagination but I would have preferred to hear how Sabatini envisioned the battles in the Caribbean.
The acting was a bit overdone at times; the narrator does such a strong “deep-voiced, serious Englishman telling you serious news” that it made me laugh every time he came on. Captain Blood’s voice actor, on the other hand, does a brilliant job of bringing him to live and expressing how he’s changed by the things that happen to him.
I still greatly recommend experiencing this classic, but I might suggest getting the book itself or a straight-up reading audio book.
I love the Errol Flynn movie based on this book so it’s a no brainer that I loved the story when I got to hear more of it. This is a classic adventure story of the kind that gave birth to the pirate mythos.
Captain Blood is a strong and principled man that continually finds himself placed on the defensive and unwilling to be a victim of circumstance. I loved seeing how he stepped up every time a new challenge was presented. Most of the other characters are also well-rounded and fun to follow, but the heroine, Arabella, seemed too much of the ingénue to be believable. I couldn’t see how she could be such a strong-willed woman in one moment only to appear totally ignorant the next. It might be the 100+ years since it was written coloring my perspective, but I couldn’t see how Blood could possibly fall for her.
The story is full of action and twists and turns that surprised me; it moves at an excellent pace and offers a very good ending for every character. Excellent story.
Just 3.5 stars for the radio show audio book.
I get how a radio show is different from a recorded reading, but I found it a tad annoying that every time there was some action all I’d get to hear was the sound effects. Those scenes all went something like: “we’re fighting the Spanish ship, splash, splash, clack, ahh, crack, clink, that was a hard battle we won.” It’s good for using your imagination but I would have preferred to hear how Sabatini envisioned the battles in the Caribbean.
The acting was a bit overdone at times; the narrator does such a strong “deep-voiced, serious Englishman telling you serious news” that it made me laugh every time he came on. Captain Blood’s voice actor, on the other hand, does a brilliant job of bringing him to live and expressing how he’s changed by the things that happen to him.
I still greatly recommend experiencing this classic, but I might suggest getting the book itself or a straight-up reading audio book.
Love love love this book. What a ride. What grand adventure.
Only issue is that there is 2 spots where the books kinda grids to a halt where the "parts" reach their resolution. So rolling from one part to the next when that section's denouement is complete I found myself stuck for a moment as if I was starting a new story again and then once more.
But whatever, this was so fun. Captain Blood is such a fun, smart and interesting character that I don't care; I smiled the whole time. You will have just as much of a grand time as the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Good times
Only issue is that there is 2 spots where the books kinda grids to a halt where the "parts" reach their resolution. So rolling from one part to the next when that section's denouement is complete I found myself stuck for a moment as if I was starting a new story again and then once more.
But whatever, this was so fun. Captain Blood is such a fun, smart and interesting character that I don't care; I smiled the whole time. You will have just as much of a grand time as the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Good times
adventurous
medium-paced
Entertaining swashbuckling adventure. Archetypical good-man-forced-to-piracy story. Good for reading while sitting six feet from the Caribbean.