Captain Blood"Captain Blood," by Rafael Sabatini, is filled with swashbuckling and a salty dose of high seas adventure. "Captain Blood" was a smash hit when first published in 1922, and also the basis for Michael Curtiz's 1935 film starring Errol Flynn. Rafael Sabatini struggled for years as a writer before striking it big with his fabulous historical fiction stories. His breakthrough came with "Scaramouche: A Romance of the French Revolution" in 1921. Immediately following this novel was "Captain Blood: An Odyssey." These two books alone sealed Sabatini's success with an audience hungry for adventure tales. The book's hero, Peter Blood, starts out as a physician who spends his days healing the sick, smoking his pipe, and reminiscing about his ten-year stint as an adventurer throughout Europe. Blood refuses to get involved in a rebellion against the tyranny of the English king, James Stuart. Blood is charged as a traitor, however, for treating an injured rebel. Blood is sentenced to death by hanging, which is then commuted to ten years of slavery on the island of Barbados. The story rapidly takes off as Blood escapes and embarks on a career as a pirate. Throughout "Captain Blood," Sabatini's language is rich, ornate, and deeply descriptive. Despite a few logistical challenges, Sabatini's great style, combined with Captain Blood's engaging adventures and historical accuracy builds a yarn that is both fascinating and entertaining. |