Public reader discussion about Captain Blood in the WeRead Catalog by Rafael Sabatini.
By shelf-bookmark
Not really talking about his pirate books specifically, but stuff like *Scaramouche* too—lots of swashbuckling, sword fights, disguises, secret plotting, that whole derring-do vibe. And it’s all in Europe somewhere between the 1500s and 1700s. Of course, I mean apart from stuff like Locke Lamora, Brust, and *The Greatcoats*.
By envelope_tide
I’m just getting into Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini and the whole start/backstory feels kind of similar to Kaladin’s vibe—like there’s a bit of that Hunger Games/Katniss feel mixed in. I’m only through the first couple chapters, and I’m trying to go in as blind as possible, so I’m not sure yet. Has anyone here read Captain Blood before and noticed parallels? Just curious really.
By grandHammer49
Hopefully it works out for the devs, but from what it shows it seems kinda limited and not much going on. It feels like it would’ve made more sense if you could make your own character. Like, whoever you’re stuck with doesn’t really look like a pro wrestler, and the name is super goofy too—something like a third-grader calling himself Captain Blood. 🤷🏻♂️
By maplebookish3
I’m really loving this show—everything about it. I just want more. Since I know it’s a prequel to Treasure Island, does anyone know if there are other books that pick up the story too? Like, either leading up to TI or after it (or both), I’m good either way.
By solar_bean
I’m looking for some pirate book suggestions. I’ve always been really into pirate stories, but I’ve only just started actually reading some pirate novels. I recently finished Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe, so I’d love to hear what else I should try next. Thanks! :p
By PageKettle
A couple of mine, just grabbed at random: *Too Far From Home* (Chris Jones), *Sorcerer’s Apprentice* (Tahir Shah), *The Power of the Dog* (Don Winslow), *Confederates in the Attic* (Tony Horwitz), *The Journeyer* (Gary Jennings), *K Blows Top* (Peter Carlson), and *Sacred Games* (Vikram Chandra).
By ion
I’m trying to find a really good book or series with pirates, but told more from the pirates’ side of things. I’ve already read Treasure Island, though. 😁
By PageKettle
I think this was a canceled Xbox game before, but they must’ve wrapped it up and are finally putting it out now. If that’s true, that’s honestly pretty awesome. I’ll probably grab it just for the fact it’s actually happening, but it also looks pretty fun from what I’ve seen.
By prologue_chaffer1978
Rereading Sabatini right now and, wow, this thing is pure swashbuckling chaos. Honestly someone should really turn it into some big epic movie production or something. Pirate stories feel super underplayed these days. We mostly get Pirates of the Caribbean, and yeah it’s fun, but it’s got that too-Disney, too-fantasy vibe for me. At least Black Sails exists. What else is there besides that? I guess the other big one is Cutthroat Island with Geena Davis—90s flop, ruined the studio, all that. Still, it’s not like there’s a ton of great pirate stuff out there. This book’s been waiting forever (like, since Errol Flynn was doing his thing) for someone to see what it could be and finally drag the pirate genre back into the spotlight. So… can somebody just go do it already? P.S. Feel free to change the title or the main character name too—I get that it might sound weird and look bad on a movie poster or in the Netflix “next to watch” list.
By marten-bright
I’m not sure yet—Daniel Sautter’s take feels a little unclear to me.
By plain_window7900
Obviously Treasure Island is the starting point, even if it’s set way earlier than everything else. But has anyone got some newer books they’d recommend that hit a similar nerve?
By Garden
Looks like my comment got bumped to the moderation queue because my comment karma is under 5, or because my account is still pretty new (less than 48 hours). It says this is automated to cut down on spam and it’s only judging my account age and how I’ve been doing with comments, not my total karma. Then it basically says each post will get reviewed and approved later if it follows the rules. Kind of annoying, but I get it. I’m a bot, so this happened automatically—if there’s an issue, I’m supposed to tell you to reach out to the moderators.
By OrbitThyme5
I keep seeing people say stuff like “I’d probably like this way more if I’d read it when I was a teenager,” and I don’t wanna end up missing out lol If it matters, books I’ve read lately that I actually liked: The Catcher in the Rye, Anna Karenina, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, a Sappho collection, Perfume Thanks! Edit: wow, thank you to everyone for the recs—I didn’t expect that many replies. I’d love to reply to people one by one, but I don’t wanna flood the comments. :)
By Ink_Teal1989
Nonfiction… The Wager? I’m not totally sure if I’m reading it right, but it feels interesting.