The Pirate Devlin

The Pirate Devlin #1

by Mark Keating

The Pirate Devlin (Pirate Devlin 1) [Hardcover] Keating, Mark

Genres: Historical Fiction, Pirates, Adventure, Fiction, Historical, Nautical

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Mark Keating is a new author of historical fiction, whose debut novel THE PIRATE DEVLIN was published by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK in February 2010 and by Grand Central Publishing in the US in July 2010. It draws on the wealth of tales from the Golden Age of Caribbean piracy with the emphasis on adventure and accuracy. No monsters, romance or romantic monsters. He was born in Enfield, North London and now lives in Windsor, Berkshire.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What happened 'twixt you and Lewis, by and by, mate?"

As if in answer, a crack rang out below deck, and Toombs's eyes shot down to the empty belt where Devlin's left-locked pistol used to be.

"I told him it was best not to be fed to the sharks alive."

Devlin tapped his forehead and stepped down to retrieve his pistol.

That's Devlin for you...always thinking of others.

The Dread Pirate Devlin is a right tricky bastard with clever schemes aplenty when it comes to parting the undeserved wealthy from their treasures. Imagine the excitement when the soldiers guarding the fort see a ship full of whores pulling into the harbor. Then, imagine their astonishment when, instead of getting their ashes hauled, they are overrun by pirates. Tee-hee!

Keating's attention to historical detail is amazing. The book is well written, crammed with seafaring action and intrigue. I'd like to rate it a 3.5. It really wasn't bad, but I don't think I'll continue with the series.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**

Read this book in 2010, and its the 1st part of the "Pirate Devlin" series, from the author, Mark Keating.

The historical details concerning this period of pirate history has been very well researched and interwoven in this very enjoyable historical pirate adventure.

The story is about an Irish boy called, Patrick Devlin, who's sold for four guineas to a Captain John Coxon, and with this John Coxon, Devlin he'll be treated badly, and after having been sunk by pirates, he will make a lifechanging choice.

Due to lucky circumstances he will find himself Captain of the ship that took down the vessel of the man he once served, John Coxon, and after obtaining the secrets from a French officer, he sets off with new boots and a treasure map to find this unknown treasure.

But when the British Government and the East India Company hear of Patrick Devlin and this treasure map, they will send the man after him who wants to kill Devlin, namely John Coxon.

What is to follow is very enjoyable pirate adventure, in which real historical government sailors and pirates accompanied with great fictional figures are brought to us in a very believable and lifelike manner by the author.

Very much recommended, for this is an exciting first episode of this very likeable series, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Very Promising Pirate Start"!

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon)]

This has been ABANDONED.
I won't be continuing it.

Original start date: September 13, 2016
Put On Hold: January 6, 2018
Abandoned: January 13, 2021

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for some light escapist fiction this summer, Keating's THE PIRATE DEVLIN may fit the bill.

Keating tells a take that is reportedly based mainly on actual events, but it's not quite historical fiction...at least as far as I could tell. The rise of Devlin from essentially an indentured servant on a British ship to the position of pirate captain makes for a fun story.

The plot moves right along, there are twists and turns, and toward the climax of the tale I found myself wondering if Devlin was going to make it out of one scrape after another...after all, isn't that what a good adventure tale does?

I liked the straightforward style of the author, I particularly enjoyed the fact that he didn't feel like he had to wallow in profanity or depictions of gratuitous violence to tell his tale. Thanks for the good read.

I actually think that this book could sell equally well to adults or young adult readers.

[Giorgia Battel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recensione pubblicata su La Biblioteca di Amarganta

Ordunque. Questo libro mi è molto piaciuto, e la cosa un po' mi stupisce perchè è un po' diverso dai miei canoni.
Mi spiego: a me piacciono molto i libri che approfondiscono le psicologie dei personaggi, che parlano dei sentimenti, anche senza essere necessariamente romantici. Questo libro, invece, è pura azione. E' un avvenimento dietro l'altro. C'è approfondimento psicologico? Sì, ma non viene mostrato: l'autore ha chiaro in testa che genere di personaggi sta muovendo, ma invece di raccontarci tutto quello che pensano, li fa muovere e basta.
Lo stile è incalzante, pieno di termini tecnici navali che un po' ti fanno perdere il filo, ma la trama prende molto: pirati, un tesoro, una nave della marina che gli dà la caccia. Semplice, lineare, ma pieno di colpi di scena. Dovrebbero farci un film, verrebbe spettacolare.
Mi è piaciuto il riferimento alla storia della pirateria e l'entrata in scena (strasupersecondaria) di pirati storicamente esistiti, come Rackham, Vane e il famigerato Blackbeard. per un appassionato di quel periodo questo libro è una manna.
Ho apprezzato anche che, nonostante sia il primo di una saga (e penso sia stato concepito così) finisce. Nel senso, non finisce con un cliffhanger da paura, di quelli che ti fanno girare i marshmallows, ma con un piccolo colpo di scena che ti fa venire la curiosità di sapere come continua. Ma se non vuoi puoi anche fermarti. Insomma, come deve essere un libro.
Mi sono piaciuti i personaggi, smargiassi al punto giusto, e mi sono affezionata al protagonista e a Dandon il medico, fantastici nei loro dialoghi e movimenti.
Insomma, decisamente una lettura consigliata.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has done his research--that is, on "the Golden Age of Piracy." This was the period of the first quarter of the 18th Century and Keating brings that turbulent time period to life in this book, published in 2010. The hero of the story is an Irishman named Patrick Devlin who, as a new pirate recruit, gains a treasure map from a dead Frenchman. After he rises to command of a pirate ship, he sets off to find the treasure. A stirring adventure to be sure, but we also gain some insights into the lives of pirates and such things as their seamanship-"Hard to larboard!" And Keating gives us a rousing sea battle--which-SPOILERS- the Pirate Devlin survives. Not surprisingly, this is the first of a series!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not really think I would enjoy this quite so much, but it was really good.
An action packed adventure about Pirates and skullduggery on the High Seas that just got better and better.

Devlin is a wonderful character who manages to just scrape through at every turn.

I will definitely read more from The Pirate Devlin.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished this novel, which I started back in August, but had to put on hold while I completed a graduate class on Victorian literature. I only had about 100 pages to go, and I'm very pleased that I continued the journey. The Pirate Devlin holds its own in the pirate genre, alongside Rafael Sabatini and a couple of others. The story is interesting, engaging, and picks up quickly right from the beginning. Patrick Devlin is an enterprising young man who quickly leaps from a lowly pirate to the captain of his own vessel (which he stole from his former captain and the Spanish). I loved the story. It's original (as original as pirate novels go), it thankfully scorns the archetypal love story, which I was so grateful for, as those sickening relationships often slow down the narrative to a crawl. Indeed, other than a few prostitutes, no women can be found in the story. Patrick's goal is to get his hands on some French gold, and all the events in the story focus around this goal. Along the way, Patrick earns the trust and respect of his men, and demonstrates throughout the story a quick mind, and a knack for expecting the unexpectedly, and being one step ahead of his enemy. The last 100 pages or so were outstanding. Yes, the ending focused on the obligatory final dual between two frigates, Devlin's, and England's pride and joy, the Starling, captained by Devlin's former captain, John Coxon. The action is exceptional, detailed, and exciting as the author takes the opportunity to provide a basic lesson in the geography of the ships at the time, and especially how the guns and fighting worked. I have read many novels where the great 9 pound guns go off, but now I really know how they work, and lent a great deal of credibility to the narrative. The author, Mark Keating, truly knows his subject matter. I have purchased the other novels in this series (I believe there are at least four, if not five) and I cannot wait to see if Coxon seeks revenge, or Seth Toombs comes back from the dead, or where Devlin's adventures take him to next. Again, I want to convey that the writing in this novel is excellent. The imagery and diction make this a truly enjoyable read. Though I wouldn't consider this a classic work of literature, and while I'm tempted to give it four stars, it is, nevertheless, a great read and an enjoyable adventure. I highly recommend.

Just finished this again…ten years after reading it the first time. Oh where does the time go? I don’t know that I enjoyed it as much this time as the first, but I am still excited to continue the journeys of Patrick Devlin in the next three novels. I only read this again to familiarize myself once again with the character and the story, as I know that the antagonist from this novel continues to pursue Devlin into this one and perhaps others.

[Marina Mandarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cosas positivas (+)

- Buen comienzo de la novela: genera interés y espectativa. Que se mantiene hasta el primer cuarto.

- Tiene escenas interesantes y bien desarrolladas.

- Incluye vocabulario: naval, armamentístico y otras referencias de la época de manera ágil y entendible.

- La contraposición de Devlin con John Coxon es interesante ya que va desarrollando poco a poco el enfrentamiento que tendrán y el pasado que los unió.

- Devlin es un chico joven y espavilado, capaz de controlar a un grupo de piratas.

Cosas negativas (-)

- Para mí hay un exceso de personajes que protagonizan escenas desde su punto de vista y eso hace que te pierdas y no llegues a conectar con ellos.


- Aparecen piratas reales (eso está bien) pero genera espectativas que luego no cumple. Uno de estos piratas es Edward Teach (Barbanegra), su descripción no me pareció bien llevada, es un personaje mítico y lo ves como otro pirata más.

- De la mitad hasta el final va perdiendo ritmo.

Me ha costado acabar el libro y no creo que lo vuelva a leer.

[Tony Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action packed adventure on the high seas. Full of unsavoury characters, double crosses and plenty of swash and buckle, with a great end twist. This is crying out to be made into a movie. Highly recommended!

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always on the look out for the perfect pirate book The Pirate Devlin might not be the perfect pirate tale but it has potential - I'll definitely read another instalment. It is kind of an origin story. Things on my wishlist that it does have ... Pirates up to cunning schemes, Pirate ships & pirate jargon & lore, swashbuckling and treasure. It is a fictional story but takes place within a backdrop of real history which is always interesting. What it was missing that stopped it being the perfect pirate story in my opinion? We didn't get a clear picture of Patrick Devlin as a human being through most of the book. He was starting to come into focus towards the end but I still didn't feel a huge affection for him, I wasn't rooting for him so to speak until nearer the end. Camaraderie, is essential I think and the idea of equality and freedom was coming through but for the most part of the book individual characters weren't really apparent but in the last couple of chapters I felt we started to get to know each pirate's true natures a little more. Enemies - pirates need enemies and we have to be ok with them getting killed so they either need to be pretty evil characters, usually abuse of authority or rigidity and intolerance are the marks of a good pirate nemesis but whilst the unnamed Whitehall pencil pushers were in many ways the enemy, it was difficult to feel like Captain Coxton or his crew would deserve to be blown to smithereens and what became of young Master Howard, maybe he'll pop up in the next book. There was no romance, there needs to be some passion, I'm not bothered who but there should be some, there's not much emotion in this book, I feel pirates would be passionate people. Lastly mysticism, I do like a bit of superstition and mystery in a pirate tale- salty sea dog yarns to scare the unwary, curses or superstitions etc. So, I did enjoy this opening act of Pirate Devlins story and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next one to see if it ticks a few more boxes.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

  My actual enjoyment of this book was very casual, and I thought it was just an “ok” read – but then, I have not read very many casual pirate books. As a piece of fun/comparatively light reading, I would give it a 4 – very detailed, simple yet elegantly piratical plot, and a solid story all around.

  The story is of the rise of the titular Pirate Devlin, a bit of where he came from in memories, and the lucky circumstances which gave him the opportunity to rise from lowly manservant on an English ship to the Captain of his own pirate ship. There is, of course, a treasure to be sought in a secret location, pirate politics to navigate without getting run through, pleasure women on shore to take your mind off the worries of life, and, of course, plenty of rum and wine to go around (several times). It is a rambunctious adventure, with plenty of interesting turns if not quite twists, and the striking Devlin to lead the way and keep you guessing at just how much does he know or plot while not letting others on to what he knows until the best possible moment.

  As for the characters of the story, most of them were fairly cut-and-dry to serve a purpose or a role. But then, when you have 100 pirates on a ship, then an English ship of nearly as many men, plus an island/tavern stop and a secret fort, that adds up to a lot of people running around in a story of just over 300 pages – nearly one whole character per page! Devlin is the most fleshed out character, though we get a fair idea of how Dandon and Captain John Coxon are built too. Devlin’s main crewmates plus one of John Coxon’s also get some defining details, like Hugh Harris with his pistols on silk dangling around his neck, Peter Sam so loyal to Seth Toombes, and young Thomas Howard who takes copious notes and drawings.

  I did really appreciate all the nautical and sailor terminology and the research that went into rendering all the little details which provided me with a vivid mental picture. A couple images I would have appreciated being added to this book would be a general map of a ship with the different parts of it labeled, and more importantly, a map of the Atlantic and Caribbean so I could trace out just where exactly events were happening. The references to the trade winds and the trade triangle were very helpful, don’t misunderstand me, but I would have liked the images to look at.

  Given all of that, I enjoyed reading this book casually, it stands very well on its own. While I probably would not reread this book, if I stumble across the next Devlin book I’d be likely to read it. 3 stars averaged out. Plus, there was that teaser in the Epilogue which made me go, “Why that hook to get me reading the next book??” – in a good way, though!

Favorite quotes and a comment (usually which capture a part of Devlin’s essence and/or ideology – I really enjoyed those glimpses of character depth we got with Devlin) :

  On a ship the world shrunk to a fingernail of existence. Every part of your day was ordered to a bell. You ate to it, you worked to it, you slept to it, the decision of what to do and when removed. You wore the clothes of your position. You mingled with the same people all year round, and the world ended at the rails. In that life all the exterior, superfluous nature of society was gone. A man was stripped down to what he was, not what society made of him. – page 38

  Before the body went over the side, [Devlin] would remove [the coat] from him: the coat made a difference. – page 111

  [Devlin] thought of the men he had fallen in with. They were brave and resourceful, drunken and dissolute, but he had met men like that before. It had taken months of being with them and this evening to seal his opinion of why they were different, why the ship was different.
  All along it was there: in their food, their drink, their work, their loyalty to one another. They were equal. They were free. – page 111

  Devlin paused for a moment. ‘Oh, I intend to stop, Sarah. I’ll take my fill and I’ll part my ways. And as to why? The coin is the most of it, that’s true, but there’s more. We don’t take money from the likes of you.’ He stretched out, his hand high in the air, admiring the coin between his fingers. ‘We take only that which people think belongs to them. The monies they take from the hearts and backs of men. Piracy is not theft. I understand that much. I could spend my life breaking into the homes of the poor and stealing all I need to live on and nobody would raise a sniff. But take a hogshead of sugar from the interests of a gentleman, that’s a different matter. That’s interfering with the grease of the world. That’s a degradation in the ledger of the mighty. That’s half the bloody navy on your arse protecting the greed of a handful of men.’ – page 169

  Dandon admired the women greatly. They bent like trees in the storm, accepted everything and expected nothing. Their history was always a day old and they asked only for a full belly by twilight’s end.
  If he could do one good endeavor this day, to charm his soul back to peace, it would be to treat them like a handful of eggs and return them safely to their nest. – page 293

  They pulled their cutlasses at the eerie sight of the open gate of the stockade and the murder of crows that preened themselves along the walls, upon the watchtower, cawing at the approach of the strangers. – page 333 – I cannot think of a more appropriate and nuanced use of the phrase “murder of crows” to give some extra depth to the scene as this!

[Linda Amos · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in a series. Seems well researched.
Patrick Devlin is a service to the Captain of 'The Noble'. He is captured along with a few of the other crew. The Captain has been laid low by fever and has been left behind. When he hears of the loss of his ship and crew to pirates he swears vengeance. What hardens his heart further is the knowledge that his manservant, whom he instructed in navigation, is now one of the enemy pirates. Further twists occur.
An enjoyable read, the violence is not gratuitous. It is well written and descriptive, the pirates are shown to be a fair society with their own rules and a desire for freedom from an repressive authority.

[Ethan Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid piratey tale, dense with piratey lingo and ship terms I've never heard before. It drags at times, and can sometimes be hard to parse some of the action with all the seafaring terminology, but overall was an enjoyable read.

[David Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit heavy with sailing vocabulary. The action was very good and the plot kept me interested.

[Diana María Zuluaga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nunca pude engancharme con la historia. Le soy 2 estrellas solo porque la historia es real.

[Diego Muñoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy entretenido

[Michael Burden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tale

Excellent and fast paced story. Eager to read more! Well written and it placed the reader in the time and placr

[Fiona Humphries · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about a pirate. The story was good enough to keep me reading with interesting settings and characters.

[Jacey]

Alos published as: The Pirate Devlin. Set in 1717, this is a pirate book, hence I was drawn to it on the shelves in Tesco, not my usual bookstore.

The blurb on the front cover tells me that this is, 'Set to be the Sharpe of the high seas,' but sadly Patrick Devlin is no Richard Sharpe. He lacks the gritty panache and rough-hewn romanticism that characterises Richard Sharpe and despite rising surprisingly (but not entirely credibly) to lead a pirate gang in very short-order, he's just not a scrapper like Sharpe. Sorry, but that blurb does this book no favours at all.

Devlin was born into poverty and sold as a servant. His undoubted intelligence and ability to grab random information and turn it into an on-the-job education of sorts are what set him above most servants, but despite that he doesn't make any effort to leave his master, Coxon, a Royal Navy captain, until Coxon is taken ill and remains behind in Africa while the ship sails to England under the second in command, encountering pirates along the way. Devlin turns pirate when faced with the choice of turning or dying and from there - in next to no time and due to the previous leader being accidentally left behind for dead - ends up as a pirate captain. Until then, happy or not, he's been content with his lot in life and even seems to have been regarded fondly as a loyal servant. So no firebrand, this Devlin, but rather an opportunist.

Sure he has learned (by watching the captain) to navigate, almost a magic art as far as the pirates are concerned, and has some good ideas, but mostly it's chance that gives him his start in the pirating business and other people who save his bacon when things get sticky.

Coxon, now fully recovered but embarrassed by the loss of his ship is sent to bring the Pirate Devlin to heel and protect a treasure chest belonging to the East India Company. I had rather expected some swashing and buckling, but what we get instead is a somewhat shifty ruse, a bit of play acting, some stealthy killing, a lot of wondering what to do next and finally an ending which isn't exactly a crackling big finish. Devlin is by no means an Errol Flynn, a Burt Lancaster or even a Johnny Depp. He's certainly not a Sean Bean in pirate garb.

Sorry. I really wanted to like this but I had to force myself to keep reading. Disappointing.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good adventure novel, especially concerning pirates. Unfortunately, while this one had it's moments I can't rank it among the better ones I've read. I won't sumarize the plot of this one, as others have done a good job at that.

In this novel, Mark Keating has attempted to break into the pirate fiction market by focusing on adventure as well as accuracy. That's a noble undertaking and I appreciate that approach. Unfortunately, he'll need to work a little harder on storytelling in future novels if this series is to continue. The author provides a fairly good balance of action and intrigue here, complete with naval battles, danger, risk taking, etc. However, I had trouble getting to know the characters themselves. There are quite a few of them here and, unfortunately, they tended to blend together a bit as I read, so much so that I lost interest as I continued.

I do appreciate the historical accuracy displayed here. I know a bit about the subject but did not notice any factual errors. I did wonder why the character of Blackbeard was introduced about half way through the novel; surely such a figure should provide more than just a flash of color to the plot. Perhaps he will play an actual role in future novels.

All in all, a novice reader of pirate fiction (or nautical fiction in general) could well enjoy this novel but I would refer most readers to the works of James L. Nelson, especially his "Brethern of the Coast" trilogy.

[Kara Jorges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Devlin was a lowly manservant until the day his boss’ ship was attacked by pirates and he joined their ranks. Not long after, when his band of new pirate friends attack a French ship, he finds himself in possession of a map that leads to a huge stash of gold. That much gold doesn’t stay secret for long, though, and Devlin and his pirates aren’t the only ones after it. Rumors about Devlin himself also make the rounds, and his head soon seems worth almost as much as the gold to some.

This is a rollicking adventure on both the high seas and a small Caribbean island in the early eighteenth century, told from the pirate’s point of view. We see the viewpoint of the authorities chasing them, but the author’s sympathies are obviously with the pirates. They are portrayed as bastions of freedom in on otherwise oppressive world. In the eighteenth century, wealthy men of power controlled everything and gave little thought to the hardworking people who made them rich. These pirates fly in the face of that and make a point of bedeviling the powers that be while spreading their ideas of freedom.

The characters were well-drawn, particulary Patrick Devlin himself, and the book sports plenty of action, with the promise of more to come. I sure hope so. I’ll be first in line to read about the further adventures of the Pirate Devlin.

[Jennifer Uhlich · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I have been on a bit of a tear of modern fiction set in the 18th century, and I have learned something valuable now: pirate stories are not my cup of tea.

That is, pirate stories are not my cup of tea when the only women in the story are whores (and only a few are even given names, so you're left with the impression of a gaggle of leering, conniving women waddling about), and the menfolk are pretty flat as well, despite having the advantage of names and dialogue and agency.

The pace is brisk enough and there is a plot here, and I am sympathetic to the author's dilemma in that he had to keep the secret plan secret from us, though it is concocted by his main viewpoint character. It is always tricky to have the person whose head you've been in the most suddenly nodding along to a plan he concocted but you have no clue about. If that makes sense. Such things generally leave me feeling shut out, and I was already feeling shut out by the flat maleness of it all.

I am, however, forever grateful to this author for putting in the detail about right- versus left-locking pistols, and the advantage of having the latter when you're also carrying a sword. There are several such trainspotty moments; were I writing about boats I would have found much more to crib here, but the pistol detail alone did make it worth the two nights' read.

[Rosemarie Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't really big this novel up enough. When I first started reading I wasn't all that interested; I felt like this was something I'd read before almost, in the same vein as something like Stranger Tides from Tim Powers. But while Stranger Tides left me cold I found myself caught up in the momentum of Pirate Devlin (Fight for Freedom as I know it - English title??) and while I was never a great fan of the main character I found the richness of the side characters and settings (and an admirable plot, something rarely found in the few pirate novels of worth there seem to be) more than made up for it. On Twitter I described this as POTC but grittier, more realistic and less likely to make you mad by the third instalment. I stand by that, absolutely. It's not perfect, by no means, but compared to some of the "in the style of Mills and Boon" soft core pirate crap there is in abundance out there at the moment this is definitely buried treasure. Will definitely be purchasing the next in the series if only to find out what happens to Dandon, a late but much loved edition to the novel!!

[Jeremy Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pirate Devlin
By mark Keating

This swashbuckling story that falls somewhere between Treasure Island and the Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a tale of the early years of the 18th century when Blackbeard and other infamous pirates ruled the roost. The story is one of greed and corruption and of how Patrick Devlin rises above this to become a pirate captain with the rare qualities of loyalty and humanity. The plot is invariably the search for stolen gold and immense wealth, one where Devlin managed to get hold of a treasure map that can lead him and his men to untold wealth.
The characters are strong and the plot dragged you from page to page and I was unable to put it down, come 3am and my wife was calling me to bed, so strong was the story.
This superbly researched and vividly written book has set the scene for a series of many Devlin books and I await with baited breath the next of, hopefully, many books in the series.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ye want intrigue among nations? Ya got it here, Matey.

Ye want pirate chicanery, dialect, and customs? Ya got it here, Matey.

This one is chocked full of pirate flavor, pirate fun, pirate swashbuckling, pirate con games, and is just plain pirate fun. Keating does a great job of showing us the lives of the pirate, the response of the nations who were dealing with them, but mostly, we learn about pirate customs, pirate torture, pirate intrigue, and fighting like pirates. There's even a cameo by one of the most famous pirates of all, Blackbeard himself.

If you are looking for a pirate fix... this one is it... Full of clever twists and turns that the reader should have seen coming, but didn;t... Devlin is a clever fox of a pirate captain and his plans are run like a clever con game....

Obviously this has been set up for future volumes, for now, Devlin's former captain is out to get him, with orders to catch and execute pirates.....on the spot.

[Robin Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first foray into a pirate novel, and have to say i really enjoyed it, in similar fashion to Julian Stockwin it took me a few chapters to get into the flow of the book but i think that this is due to trying to get your head into the zone of a pirate, to start thinking like a pirate, to become part of their world, i dont think i ever really managed it, but i got closer.

The Pirates are a strange mix of contradictions, honour when it meets their code, yet blood thirsty back stabbing gits then next second.
Keating weaves his tale and his characters brilliantly, and as for the plot, he had me guessing at every turn, Devlin is a devious devious man.
I for one am looking forward to the next instalment...if as i hope there is one..
(Parm)

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

340 pages never seemed so long!

I actually really liked the story even thought the character development and exposition were really rough. I just barely finished reading Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton and it was much easier to read. It seemed to flow and the pages turned much quicker than the pages in The Pirate Devlin. But the story in the Pirate Devlin was much more unique.

Once again, I really did like the story and looking back on it now, I'm really pretty pleased with the overall read. But in the thick of it, I had a hard time connecting with many of the characters and I found that the words just strung together in long, hard to read chains.

[Corey Holst · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ripping good pirate yarn to be sure. It had plausible attacks and tactics, no mystical voodoo hooey like recent movies... just good old fashioned cutlass wielding scallywags. I might have given it five stars if the book had resolved all issues before the end, but it is clear that the author plans on continuing his sea saga. I don't mind sequels, I've read several ongoing stories, but each story should have a satisfactory ending. When the inevitablity of a sequel is shoved in your face, it's annoying. That being said, I probably will buy it anyway. ARRRRRGGH!

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second 'pirate'y book I've read this year - the first being Michael Crichton's "Pirate Latitudes" and, I'm afraid to say, neither of those two books have really impressed me that much.

Despite being sold with the quote 'Set the be the Sharpe of the High Seas', I found 'Fight For Freedom' (previously sold as 'The Pirate Devlin' - not a good sign that they changed the title!) to be harder to get into, and nowhere near as enjoyable, as any of the Sharpe novels: I just couldn't get into this one at all.