It has been a long time since I read this kind of story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surprised at the outcome and stayed up late reading to see the characters through their battles.
There was no attempt to hide the gruesome nature of the time in history when pirates were the scourge of the American coastline. Robin Moore found the delicate balance of enough graphic description to not glorify the pirate and not so much that it was an overly bloody tale. There is an honesty in the rendering of the story to relate the fear of a pirate encounter and the risks of life at sea.
Moore’s writing exhibits a great deal of research into the ships of the pirate era, their manufacture, upkeep and battle damage and repair. The realism of early Philadelphia, Pennsylvania comes through in the wonderful descriptions of the characters home, streets and customs.
I highly recommend this as family read aloud, or for the young persons first dive into nautical adventure. Adults don’t turn your back on this quick, engaging read of pirate adventure and coming of age.
