When Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island
in 1883, the evil Captain Flint was already dead and Long John Silver had already lost his leg. Drake imagines the leadup to that classic pirate tale, offering a witty and exciting explanation of how Silver became a pirate, lost his leg and gained a parrot; how Flint conspired to bury his pirate loot and murder everyone within pistol shot; and how Flint and Silver became friends, then bitter enemies. Flint and Silver's paths intersect in the Caribbean, where they team up to terrorize Spanish treasure ships and other unfortunate vessels. They argue and fight over the crew's loyalty and the treasure, but the real wedge is an escaped slave girl named Selena. Drake's novel is rich in historical detail and riveting in its vivid depictions of sea battles, torture, murder and lurid pirate revelry. Though the abrupt conclusion creates a clumsy segue to the forthcoming sequel, this is a rousing swashbuckler loaded with action, greed, treachery and graphic violence. (May)
