Everyone loves a good pirate story. Every one of us played as pirates as children, taking in turns to be Hook or Peter, we watched the films and read the books, and now, we’ve got a new tale sailing over the horizon, Man o’Fortune by Suzane Spachic Martinez is the story of a young woman who has to choose between an expected life or an exciting one- terrifying it may be, but the best stories are.
On the subject of pirates, reading Man o’Fortune inspired us to look back to the Pirate tales we grew up reading and watching, here’s some of our favourites.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The book was originally titled Peter and Wendy, but surprisingly, few people have read it in this day and age. No, most know the classic tale from the Disney film, the live action version or the Robin William’s classic Hook – possibly our favourite of the adaptations. The story of a boy who never grew up, he could fly, he could inspire but he couldn’t be a mother. So, he adopts three friends, Wendy, John and Michael to follow him to Neverland. In Neverland there’s mermaids, fairies but most importantly, Pirates. Dreaded Pirates. The leader, Captain Hook. A cowardly man who’s obsessed with revenging his ego by killing Peter Pan. We all know what happens, we all know the story, and that is why it’s first on our list.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The classic pirate tale. A quest for buried treasure. Jim, a young boy living with his mother and father run into some rowdy pirates whose quests’ are all the same, to find Captain Flint’s infamous treasure. After some very unfortunate events, Jim is left with little choice but to set sail to find the said-treasure. Joined by the charming but indecisive Long John Silver. The entire book is wonderfully unpredictable and full of action, treachery and hopefully, gold! Arguably, how pirates became in some way, fashionable, Robert Louis Stevenson’s book is a MUST read for any pirate fan.
Pirates of The Caribbean
How could we not mention this one? This made Pirates cool, this made Pirates mainstream, this made Pirates… sexy.
We can give the thanks to the very pretty cast, but little know it’s actually based on the novel On Stranger Tides the title of the 4th film. It’s got everything you’d expect from a Pirate tale – dirt, grit, fighting, water and boats. The usual. Pirates of the Caribbean plays with folk tales and well known Pirate stories and twists them into one, with appearances from Davy Jones and The Black Spot, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of these things/people. They’re funny, thrilling and very watchable. But, we’re hoping they leave the story as it is. After the 3rd film, they did arguably just go downhill. But still… those first three were great movies.
Black Sails – TV Show
Set largely in the town of Nassau in the Bahamas and the surrounding seas, Black Sails is a television series that tells of the events leading up to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. This action-packed and gritty series moves away from the ‘stereotypical’ perception of pirates, and shows a more realistic image of them as tactical, complex and surprisingly democratic. It follows famous characters such as Captain Flint, John Silver, Billy Bones and Blackbeard as the pirates chase the Spanish treasure galleon, the Urca de Lima, and the fortune in gold that it contains.
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
One of the few novels that makes you feel for the pirate. Captain Blood, formally Dr Peter Blood is an Irish physician, sailor and solider. The multitalented Blood first gets arrested during a public fight in town as he is giving aid to the wounded and is ultimately convicted of being a traitor, rather than being sentenced to death as he usually would be he is sent to Barbados with the other rebels to work as slaves. Blood impresses the Colonel he is bought by with his skills as a physician. And ends up meeting and bonding with the Colonel’s daughter. The Spanish attack their town, but Bloody escapes with a number of other slaves by stealing the Spaniards’ ship and becoming what we now know as pirates, but no ordinary pirates. They saved the English and fought the Spanish. The Colonel makes it his life mission to capture Blood, but Peter is eventually pardoned after saving the colony of Jamaica and takes the Colonel’s place as he’s abandoned his Governing position to hunt for Blood. Karma is sweet, it seems.
Firefly/Serenity by Joss Whedon
Bringing Pirates to the 26th century. Set in the future in our Universe but not our world. Due to overpopulation the people of earth mostly emigrated to other planets and stations. It shows a split in politics and beliefs with the main protagonists being Independents and many others being part of The Alliance. A war was fought, many were lost, and The Alliance won unifying the different worlds under one government. The two cultures that survived were the Americans and Asian, so they speak a mixture of Chinese and English. What makes them pirates you ask? Firstly, they call their space ship simply a ship, Mal – the main character is known as the Captain, with a first mate and crew. Their work is predominantly cargo runs or smuggling goods, just as pirates would act. The show mostly revolves around the crews’ day-to-day jobs and the trouble they run into, but it’s an unbelievably complex show, with a huge cult fan-base and lines you’ll be quoting for the rest of your life. Space Cowboy or Space Pirates? It’s all a matter of opinion.
Hopefully that’s got you all in the mood for Pirates, and you can start off by reading the wonderful new novel, Man o’Fortune by Suzane Spachic Martinez, start a new TV show with Black Sails and begin the adventure with Firefly. Let us know what you think, you’re going to love them!
