Sten Eirik
‘s novel The Intended has not long been out, but is already attracting great reviews.
5.0 out of 5 stars An absorbing, swashbuckling pirate tale, September 26, 2014
By
This review is from: The Intended (Kindle Edition)
The title of this unique pirate tale comes from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness:" "There remained only his memory and his intended" -
Olof, a Swedish officer and Cecilia, daughter of Judge Cedarhok, a magistrate with 'a nose for scoundrels,' are married by Parson Snell. They plan a future in Boston but soon become victims of a
brutal pirate attack. Near death himself, the lieutenant-major witnesses the rape and murder of his beloved bride. Lightning strikes Olof before he becomes victim of a musket ball.
"We were newly weds - sailing to America. When I could see again, nothing looked the same."
Determined to survive and desperately hoping to find some way of dealing with his tortured memories and haunting guilt, he adopts a new identity and profession, eventually becoming captain of a ship
manned by the same pirates who ravished Cecilia. Years later, through Glenda, the woman he has captured,
Leclair faces his personal anguish and finally avenges his slaughtered wife.
The author's careful historical research is evident throughout. The reader is immediately drawn into the eighteenth century by attending King Gustav III's masked ball. The book brings to life this era of wigs and tricorns; dirks and cutlasses. There is even a timely discussion of educational philosophy and the influence of Voltaire and Rousseau with a hope "to rid Europe of rank."
The King knows he has enemies who wish him dead and his assassination works as a sub-plot linking characters and revealing Northern European political intrigue that includes blindfolds, masks, black robes and double-crossing. Who killed the King? Was Olof involved? Did Captain Leclair play a role in the King's murder? Is that why he is being punished?
Although the author is careful to date chapters.this reader had some difficulty following details of the plot as it unfolds since action and characters move swiftly back and forth in time and place. We are in the Swedish court among nobility, then aboard ship, when suddenly and rather unexpectedly, we find ourselves back on the West Indian Island of St. Bart's. The reader is led through past and present although dates are provided and everything comes together quite logically in the end. The author's chapter titles are tantalizingly romantic: A King's shadow, Castaways, Room of Riddles, Counterfeit, Adrift, The Flesh, A Ghost for Captain etc..
There is an enticing build-up of suspense as readers are challenged to ponder the significance of the repeated phrase, "Fear not him who can destroy the body. Fear him who can destroy body and soul in hell."
Descriptions of the Caribbean islands along with 18th century stereotypical racial attitudes are revealed by conversations among characters. The little known but historically and economically significant indigo process is wonderfully described beginning with Chloe's blue hands. As they work the indigo, slaves sing songs linking them back to Africa. And the reader learns how Olof was rescued by Papa and the others.
The who's who among the cast of characters is slowly revealed. Glenda is "headstrong and pleasing to any man's eye." There is mounting sexual tension between Captain Leclair and Glenda.
"Are they going to harm me?"
"You must learn obedience," is his reply. Is Leclair really "a self-serving villain who continues to baffle Glenda? Or is this Captain a gentleman who wants to set a good example for his men even
though Glenda is frequently angry and frightened in his presence? Indeed, he treats his captive lady with respect and even becomes her protector.
Like several other characters, Glenda is not who she seems. In fact, her missing cousin is Devon Heywood, a man with a title. She attempts to escape with Captain Woolsley who hopes to get her safely to St. Kitts where she was originally headed to become a governess. Glenda comes to understand Captain Leclair's actions and moods better when she sees a wanted poster for his arrest.
Treachery abounds throughout. For example, who is the mysterious Fenwick who seems to turn up everywhere and knows too much? Perhaps this St. Maarten merchant is not who he seems either.
"The ship is mine. The men are yours. The gold is ours," Fenwick announces. Alas, the captain may finally take his revenge for it seems Fenwick has met his match.
This reviewer who has researched and written extensively on Caribbean piracy, was impressed at how Author Sten Eirik described the legendary camaraderie among pirates. Readers are provided with a unique and valuable understanding of the Pirate Code that included the careful division of booty. However, there is no documentary evidence to verify that 'walking the plank' was ever part of pirate punishment.
Intrigue and foreshadowing run through this highly absorbing and satisfying historical novel even to details of the exciting show-down sword fight between Leclair and Raoul with the Captain accusing, "You don't know how you've wronged me!" This rip-roaring pirate yarn is filled with rich history, convincing characters and ever-changing scenery. There is plenty of exciting action to entice readers to keep the pages turning.
By FrancineHowarth on 28 Sep 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a well-written intriguing account of heartbreak, misadventure and ultimate revenge. Here we have a swashbuckling pirate thread, a royal assassination and romantic thread, the two woven as parallel stories set within 1792 and 1795. The difference in time lapse between the threads soon begins to merge and thus becomes one sinister whole. There’s a fine line between “cowardice and survival” against the odds of “heroism and sure death” and the latter renders one man weak in a moment of crisis no matter the cost to self in the long-term.
In the now of 1795 history has come full circle with a boarding party of pirates and a vulnerable female aboard their hunted prey. The ship’s fate is undeniable, and when other persons aboard the ship are cast adrift in a skiff and the heroine is taken captive, she has no illusions as to her inevitable fate at the hands of a brigand of the high seas. She inevitably fears death will be preferable to the unthinkable?
Without spoiling the plot, I can reveal the end of this novel has quite a twist in the telling. Equally, there is much in this story that makes for uneasy reading presupposing one cannot step from a 21st century mindset on morality and foul deeds enacted. Nonetheless, the hero does in some respects redeem himself and a very definite what-if lingers when the heroine returns to her former life: albeit no longer innocent of male desires! In my humble opinion this book is aimed at a male readership, but that’s not to say women who love high seas adventure novels, a touch of West Indies voodoo and bawdy pirates won’t enjoy it too. Be assured I did.
- eBook £4.99 || $7.99
- Sep 26, 2014. 978-1-78279-571-1.
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- Paperback £10.99 || $18.95
- Sep 26, 2014. 978-1-78279-572-8.
- BUY | AMAZON US | AMAZON UK
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