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List Price: $24.95 | | Publisher: Newmarket Press
Salesrank: 285088
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| Our Price: $1.44 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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| Media: Hardcover |
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Editorial Review:
A world-renowned actor and an eminent underwater archaeologist have combined their remarkable talent and experience to write an amazing first novel--a rousing adventure of men and the sea, full of authentic historical and nautical detail, at once a morality tale and a saga of heroism, friendship and love. Jack O'Reilly is a 17-year old New Englander who in 1805, sails with his parents on the Perdido Star to Cuba, his mother's birthplace, to claim the land she has inherited. But for Jack, the trip that began with high hopes and the excitement of a new life, becomes a descent into violence and revenge. Tragedy strikes, Jack is forced to rejoin the Star as a member of the crew, sailing through the world's most treacherous waters under a drink-crazed captain. His soul seared and his heart calloused, his obsession to gain revenge dominates his life. And so the boy Jackson O'Reilly becomes the pirate "Black Jack," the relentless scourge of any who stand in his path to retribution - until a daring rescue of two of his mates teaches him that there are other emotions than anger, other feelings than hatred and mistrust. Jack O'Reilly is a memorable central character, and he is surrounded by an equally unforgettable cast: Paul Le Maire, the aristocratic intellectual whose own misadventures bring him onto the Star and into Jack's confidence; Quince, the first mate, Jack's mentor and defender, as brave a man who ever sailed the ocean; Quen-Li, a mysterious Chinese cook, with more than culinary skills; Old Hansumbob, the ship's poet, whose simplicity belies a wisdom born in the heart; Yatoo, a native king, whose hospitality proves indispensable to the survival of the Star's shipwrecked men, and the Count De Silva, evil incarnate, a murderer's soul breathing beneath his surface charm. With this book, Hackman and Lenihan have revived a genre of adventure novels that will have wide appeal to men and women of all ages. A saga as engrossing as it is substantial, Wake of the Perdido Star marks a stunning debut for a remarkably talented new writing team.
Wake of the Perdido Star: A Novel Reviews:
I loved it 
2006-07-18 - After reading some other reviews,i almost didn't read the book. i'm glad i did! Don't listen to the literary snobs who find fault with every book;if you like a good story, this one has everything. Adventure, conflict, danger, complex human emotions, friendship and teamwork. i like a story that keeps me wondering what will happen next! i found this one thoroughly satisfying,and it could be a great movie.
Action Packed 
2006-06-25 - This book has more action in a single chapter than most authors can put in a trilogy! The best sea saga I've ever read!
Not a bad first effort
2005-03-22 - Reminiscent of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin and Julian Stockwin's Kydd/Renzi in the pairing of the intellectual LeMaire with the man of action O'Reilly, it is also set in the same period, albeit American- rather than European-based.
We follow half-caste Jack's progression from mild-mannered teenager to ruthless pirate on a mission to eradicate slavers and avenge his parent's death and dishonour.
In a mixture of 'Swiss family Robinson' and 'Captain Blood', the Perdido Star, captained by a crazed drunkard, is wrecked on a desert island, having made heavy weather of rounding the Horn. Neighbouring islanders, salvaged materials and the ingenuity of the survivors combine to provide a comfortable semblance of home, which is rudely shattered by the appearance of a Dutch VOC ship collecting human 'cargo'. Jack is persuaded by circumstances and his friend Paul that the only way to right the wrongs of the world is to take action - and there is action aplenty in this gripping, although slightly pulpy, first novel from Hackman & Lenihan.
Well-drawn characters and an intriguing plot combine to make a story to rival the best in the genre.
Reviewer from Independent Publisher Magazine 
2004-06-07 - I wonder who the professional literary critics were who gave this book such high marks. I agree with whomever wrote the review "The Lightning Never Strikes." I am a former reviewer for INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER MAGAZINE and was given the go-ahead to review Mr. Gene Hackman's first novel. Since I am also a writer who writes nonfiction books about piracy, I was definitely enthusiastic about this swashbuckling novel! But unfortunately I struggled through quicksand to the middle of the book, then called my editor and pleaded with him not to make me finish it and write a review. Since this was right after the book's publishing date, I don't remember the specific superficial scenes I slogged through. I just remember the book was filled with cardboard characters, dumb dialogue, many erroneous facts, and a stupid plot. I don't recommend that anyone waste their time with this novel. Instead, read a novel such as THE DIARY OF A SLAVE GIRL, RUBY JO that includes pirate photos and illustrations as well as nonfiction information about pirates that seems accurate.
A boy's adventure story isn't the worst thing in the world
2002-01-17 - Fair enough. It reads like a pulp action story, at times. And our hero Jack is a little to good to be true. Mighty thews and all. Brooding countenance and flashing eyes. However that doesn't make this a bad book. It makes it a pretty entertaining and action-packed book, and while Jack may be a little unbelievable, the action and story aren't unbelievable. Essentially, Jack, the 18 year old son of a gun smith, is swept off on a whirlwind adventure that takes him from the fledgling USA to Cuba to the South Pacific. In it, he encounters self-righteous Yankees, evil Cuban noblemen, bloodthirsty Pacific Islanders (savages, don't you know), bloodthirstier Dutch slavers, and British press gangs. Okay, there are a lot of cliches (and I mean a lot), but there is a lot of fun in here too. And despite the notorious and nigh-legendary phrase "the pintles were sprung from the gudgeon," there's not an overwhelming amount of sea-stuff in here. Try reading Patrick O'Brian and you'll see what I mean. This book is comparable to Wilbur Smith's "Birds of Prey." Kinda like an old Errol Flynn movie. I enjoyed this book a good bit, and would be interested in reading more from these authors.
