Interesting plot development, but not necessarily worth the read.
Plot
Captain Ross and his crew of pirates have two reasons to run from Captain Thorne and his crew of pirates: they sunk the ship of his lieutenant and they are carrying the map that leads to a legendary treasure that was believed to have sunk, but is now revealed to be on an unknown island called the Isle of Swords. Along the way to claim the treasure, they run into the British Navy, an explosive-loving Frenchman, and the cruel Captain Thorne himself.
Morality
These are pirates that we are dealing with, so they do not always behave in a desirable manner. Although the main character pirates have certain codes that they abide by and do not stray from no matter what, good and evil are not as clearly defined as I would have liked.
Spiritual Content
The pirates are associated with some monks who have been trying to win them to Christ for years. The monks pray for help and guidance when facing trials and try to install moral principles into the pirates. Captain Thorne hears the voice of his dead wife talking to him and telling him that he is doing the right thing.
Violence
Swordfights and gunfights are common. People loose limbs, are hurt, and nearly die time and time again. There are also several explosions. Falling debris kill and injure people as well. The pirates that the main characters are against have absolutely nothing wrong with knocking each other off if they are the least bit displeased with each other. People are often flogged, too. The enemy pirates use torture and, although it does not go into detail, you know that there is lots of blood and pain involved. Most of the pirates on the main character side die during the course of the book. Even though you only know the names of a few of them, you still know that it is almost all of the crew.
Drug and Alcohol Content
Some alcohol is mentioned several times.
Sexual Content
None.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
Liquid waste of a certain animal is referred to several times as well as solid waste of another animal being referred to once.
Conclusion
This book was a suspenseful read that kept you turning pages for the mere sake of finding out how it ends. The writing style of it improves over the course of the book, but there are still some places where you find yourself bewildered. I was disappointed to find that a Christian author would put so much violence in it. This is not a book that I will be reading again.
This review is brought to you by Luthien.
