Hethwill Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Benerson Little does a very focused study on localized tactics related to sea rovers as opposed the more classic approach of pirates and other similar activities as a culture. It concentrates the attention on the day to day life and how to survive as a sea rover. From the getting a crew together, to arming a ship, to setting sail, to set a ambush, to approach the prey, to board it and to sail it to safety so plunder can be shared. No more, no less. No romanticism involved. After all a sea rover life was a history of survival against the odds in a fairly "unknown" game. Adaptation to the present situations, as mr. Little well puts, was the best weapon for the rover. Not the ship, not the amount of guns or crew. Instead of a modern revisionism he focus on the grit that carries the day and how the prize was taken. The when, how and what of any particular prize taking as authentic as possible. More so due to the hands on approach to the tools used by the sea rovers. From false papers to blunderbuss and cutlass. The references to historical records are superb and down to the point and not lost in some "ideal" image of the pirate as depicted in the victorian era of "adventure in the high seas". It shows how much is false by exposing what was real. It is a great starting point for any "serious" fan studies and opens way to a diversity of subjects, especially the difference in the early stages of buccaneering brotherhoods against the "enemies of mankind" republic. Be ready to re-learn and have your pre-conceptions grinded down to dust, in a good way. More so, the author did put all his work into practice by going hands on in the Black Sails TV show, season 1, where several specific historical records were most faithfully represented in the series. Read the book, check the historical records and then re-watch the episodes sequences relating to the particular situation. They are well described so easy to link the two. I got myself the softcover edition due to the hardcover being out of stock. The recycled paper is really good and not the usual run of the mill version. The prink ink is also very good and does not stain with natural skin moisture. A must buy ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick the cursed Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 No hope to find it in French translation, i suppose? I saw some extracts on internet... It seems to be a nice book. Do you think it's hard to read for someone who know read "basic english"? If no, i'll try to find it! I have some books about piracy, pirates, etc... but in french, i'll post them when i'll have a bit time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hethwill Posted August 17, 2017 Author Share Posted August 17, 2017 Hey there Nick. After a search couldn't really find any translations being available at google level. This doesn't mean there aren't specialized publishers that might have taken it. The english version is very fluid and with no grammar high complexity but is full of maritime lingo, so a normal knowledge of things should suffice. Will wait for your reviews on the french publications, not my strongest language by far but can read it with a fair degree of understanding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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