Overview

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…

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9780007268948

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Reviews

'Flint & Silver contains the essential ingredients to attract a worldwide following' Western Morning News 'An epic tale of friendship and treason' The Sea 'Swashbuckling adventure on the high seas doesn't get much better than this. If you loved Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island as a kid - and who didn't? - then you will absolutely love this not-for-kids prequel. John Drake writes beautifully, and you'll be torn between savoring the words and quickly flipping the pages. Any favorable comparison to Stevenson or Patrick O'Brian is totally justified' Nelson DeMille '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' Kirkus Review

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)

'Flint & Silver contains the essential ingredients to attract a worldwide following' Western Morning News 'An epic tale of friendship and treason' The Sea 'Swashbuckling adventure on the high seas doesn't get much better than this. If you loved Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island as a kid -- and who didn't? -- then you will absolutely love this not-for-kids prequel. John Drake writes beautifully, and you'll be torn between savoring the words and quickly flipping the pages. Any favorable comparison to Stevenson or Patrick O'Brian is totally justified' Nelson DeMille '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' Kirkus Review

'Flint & Silver contains the essential ingredients to attract a worldwide following' Western Morning News 'An epic tale of friendship and treason' The Sea 'Swashbuckling adventure on the high seas doesn't get much better than this. If you loved Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island as a kid -- and who didn't? -- then you will absolutely love this not-for-kids prequel. John Drake writes beautifully, and you'll be torn between savoring the words and quickly flipping the pages. Any favorable comparison to Stevenson or Patrick O'Brian is totally justified' Nelson DeMille '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' Kirkus Review

Author Information

Having originally trained as a biochemist – before realizing he wasn't much good at science – John Drake became an anchorman for PharmaVision, a live-TV broadcast service produced by ICI Pharmaceuticals. He left in 1999 to become a full-time writer. His hobbies and interests include muzzle-loading shooting, history and politics. ‘Flint and Silver’ was inspired by the many unanswered questions left by Robert Louis Stevenson's much-loved classic, ‘Treasure Island’.

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