Pirates of the Wild West

by Bryan Cantrell, Robin Seavill (Editor)

1718 the infamous pirates of the Caribbean meet secretly in Nassau harbor on Blackbeard’s prized ship the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Caught in the clutches of a tempestuous storm, their lives take an unimaginable turn when a time vortex whisks them away to the year 1873, casting their ship into the depths of San Francisco Bay.

Prepare to set sail on a thrilling fusion of history and fantasy as the Golden Age of Piracy collides with the untamed spirit of the Wild West! In Pirates of the Wild West , the most notorious swashbucklers to ever roam the Caribbean find themselves shipwrecked and stranded amidst cowboys, gunfights, train heists, and the relentless power of steam engines, Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackham, and others must adapt to this alien world in their pursuit of treasure and freedom from the hangman's noose.

Join these legendary pirates as they chart a treacherous path through the uncharted territories of the Wild West. In a saga that seamlessly weaves together high-stakes action, pulse-pounding gunfights, and unexpected alliances, "Pirates of the Wild West" immerses readers in a daring tale of survival and redemption.

Buckle up for an exhilarating journey that will leave you clinging to the edge of your seat. This rollicking adventure is an absolute must-read for enthusiasts of swashbuckling tales, time travel escapades, and the untamed allure of the Wild West. Get ready to trade in your flintlock pistol for a Colt .45 and embark on an unforgettable quest alongside these iconic pirates as they navigate a time-bending clash of two legendary eras.

Genres: Time Travel, Book Club, Pirates

373 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2023

Reviews

[Manon St-Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea of ​​combining pirates and cowboy outlaws from the old west works so well and it feels like the pirates are right at home. They travel just enough in the futur that the difference in technology is just enough to impress them and it's not too exaggerated. A gun that fires 6 bullets is much better than one that fires just one !
The plot made sense and the story was well written. Gunfights, train heists and intense naval battles. I couldn't put it down.

I like that it didn't fall into comedy, the tone is serious. And for the first time I could understand all the romanticism around the pirates sailing the Caribbean.
I fell in love with these characters 🏴‍☠️

[Lisa M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how or when or where I found this book, but find it I did. And not only did I find it, but I found it as an audiobook read by an AI voice, which is something I have never seen before, but as soon as I did I was immediately and insatiably curious, so I had to do it.

And so I listened to this book, read by a British female AI voice, about the famous pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy falling through some magic time travel whirlpool and being transported to the American Wild West. And the best way to summarize it is to say that it is exactly what it sounds like.

Just like.... Take all the famous real life pirates of the early 1700s. Drop them into the real life American Wild West 150 years later. Tell them "Go on. Run amok." And so they do. Whatever you are imagining, it is that. Jesse James and Ann Bonny? Sure, I ship it, why the hell not. Whatever chaos you're imagining with train heists and swords and guns and horses and ships and alcohol, it is all of that.

And like... I don't even know how to review this lol. On the one hand, I'm like "Why would a weapons shop owner have a jewelers loop readily available and know how to use it and what to look for to evaluate jewels?" But on the other hand, I'm like "Who the fuck cares, Blackbeard is a rootin tootin cowboy, yee-haw!" Like, we're so beyond the realm of criticizing realism, it's such a non-issue.

As for the AI voice... It was interesting lol. It would probably be pretty well suited for a more calm and realistic book where the plot and characters were more contained. I could totally imagine listening to this voice read something like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and I probably wouldn't bat an eye. The voice is expressive enough for conversational speech, but not dynamic enough for exciting storytelling and characters. Like, someone angrily calling someone a harlot and a bitch was said with the same intonation as someone saying "Excuse me, but where might I find an inn, good sir?" Also everyone was a calm British woman even though most of the characters were men and also it was the American West.

But that's not judgement for the book itself, that's just my experience with the AI delivery of it. I'm gonna give it 4 stars. It's an absolutely insane book, but in the wacky, exciting, "I don't know what this is, but I'm so here for it" kind of way.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dove into this one based entirely on my first impression, since I grew up in Texas AND went to a high school whose team was the pirates. I went in expecting campy, goofy, lighthearted pirates bumbling through the old west, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a well written, mostly true to character story that left me craving more. In a way, it almost gives Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure vibes, due to the strange interactions between legendary figures who would never realistically meet and speak with one another. Would Jesse James and his gang adapt well to a life of piracy aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge? Thanks to this book, we can reasonably conclude that they may, in fact, have traded in their life of crime on the trails and prairies for one upon the seas. I feel like this story could also make an excellent movie if the right parties were interested. My singular complaint (and I'm unsure if this is an indicator of prejudice on the part of the author) was the catalyst that ended up bringing the pirates in contact with the James gang in the first place...All in all, I look forward to reading more of this series as it becomes available, and I'll be recommending this one to any of my friends with more than a passing interest in pirate history or fun western stories.

[Jamie P. Cater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo ho - this book had everything I literally need the sequel now I want to know more of their story

Faultless story telling and very well written. Every angle on a wild west and pirate story
I will be keeping an eye on Bryan Cantrells future books

Would love to see more surrealness in the next book that might hint at answers why they got transported via a whirlpool in a storm.

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting exciting story

This book could have been a lot more interesting if he did done a little Research.. Ships do not have floors, walls, ceilings, Staircases, Mid castle, Or aft castles And conductors do not Drive trains.
These were just minor mistakes.
But the book would Have been A lot more Is enjoyable if
He used The actual terminology.

[LeeLee2end · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a ton of fun. I couldn't wait to read more.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book very much!

[Melissa Dobbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

good Read

What an adventure! Pirates and cowboys, oh my! What an amusing creative concept and imagination this author has, and the adventure isn’t over yet. 👍👍👍🔮

[Patricia Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

Action-packed and a great read! I hope the next book is ready and out. Looking forward to the continuation! Thanks!

[John roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great contrast

Can’t say 2 much without giving away the story but a very very fun read with lots of historical facts/figures thrown in for all to enjoy !!!!

[Brett Wilkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was browsing through the stacks of Barnes and Noble several months ago and stumbled upon a signed copy of "Pirates of the Wild West" mixed in with the multitude of other books on the shelves. I'd never heard of the book or its author, Bryan Cantrell, so it's surprising that I even noticed it was there.

I've loved pirates for as long as I can remember (I thank Disneyland for that) and have read many fiction and non-fiction stories about pirates over the years (Tim Power's "On Stranger Tides" being the gold standard in my opinion). A great non-fiction book I just read recently is Keith Thomson's "Born to be Hanged." Sadly, both "Pirates of the Wild West" and "Born to be Hanged" sat on my to-read shelf for too many months before finally being read. A beautiful hardcover, gilt-edged version of "Treasure Island" is still sitting on the shelf waiting to be read (or re-read for the first time in decades).

But enough about other pirate books...

One of the things I loved about "Pirates of the Wild West" was the inclusion of actual historical pirates, and the effort made to flesh them out. Between Disney's historically inaccurate pirates and "Black Sails" moderately more accurate portrayal of pirates, I have mental images of all the pirates in "Pirates of the Wild West," but in addition to the descriptions of each of them, it was interesting to read the inner-dialogue of one pirate's opinions of another, something you don't really get in TV shows/movies.

Taking the pirates to another time period with technology that rendered the competitive advantages in the pirates' own time moot was an interesting twist. Generally, time travel stories send a future time traveler back to a more primitive time, giving the traveler the advantage. But black powder guns and cutlasses are no match for six-shooters and rifles that can fire multiple rounds between reloads.

The old west characters in the story were less-engaging for me, but that may just be me - old west outlaws lack all the romanticism of pirates sailing the Caribbean. Admittedly, both pirates of the Caribbean and old west outlaws were, in reality, little more than murderous thugs who lived by thievery and violence. Not the most admirable sorts.

There were a few typos in the story that remained uncaught by the editor in the paperback copy I bought (a copy which began losing a few pages as I was reading it), but for the most part the text was well structured and very readable.

I won't hesitate to pick up the sequel, should it appear.

[Stephen Prendergast · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do pirates and cowboys have in common? They’re both among the most recognized “types” in popular culture. Another thing they have in common is that they’ve both been romanticized in film and literature to the point that the lines of reality have become quite blurred. One thing they have not had in common was the time period they existed (at least with the “classic” pirates of the Golden Age) - at least not until The Pirates of the Wild West.

Author Bryan Cantrell has brought together some of the most famous Golden Age pirates with a group of the most infamous outlaws of the Wild West through the use of a time vortex. In a matter of moments, Blackbeard, Bart Roberts, Anne Bonney, Mary Read and their companions aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge for an important meeting are transported from 1718 Nassau Harbor to 1873 San Francisco Bay. How will these people of the early 18th Century adapt to the late 19th Century? One hint - pirates and outlaws have two things in common: crime and authorities attempting to prevent crime.

Cantrell has created wonderful characters based on historical figures, giving them personalities that work well with what we know as fact and what we love from fiction. He has also given us some new characters who will fit in very well with our pirates and outlaws. You will find yourself rooting for the “bad guys” and wondering just who the real villains are in this story. Of course, the big question is, “Will they make it back to 1718?” Perhaps a bigger question is, “Will Cantrell let them go back?” One hint - there will be a sequel at some point.

If you’re a fan of pirates, cowboys, or both, if you like a story with lots of action and interesting twists, be sure to check out Pirates of the Wild West.

[Addy Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

OHHH MYY GOSH!!!!! For as long as I can remember I have absolutely loved pirates, I can remember 8-year-old me marveling at the stories I read and heard about these crazy famous pirates from centuries ago. Reading this book just flooded me with warm memories!
This book was filled with crazy adventures, battles that actually had be wondering how they were going to turn out, and romance sprinkled throughout the story that was cute enough to keep me smiling even through the darker moments.
This book was one of the best I have read in a good while. It had been a while since I was this eager for a sequel to come out.
Thank you for the amazing read!

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book, so thrilling and all of the pirate lore is very well executed and based on real life pirates.

The idea that pirates from the early 1700s get transported to late 1800s cowboy era is really a cool idea and fits so well together since the cultures are actually pretty similar.

There are some really interesting well written female pirates in there; Anne and Mary who are based on historical pirates as well as some new characters.
All of the plot elements are really interesting and intertwine together.

[Ian Wardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirates 'n' cowboys, an irresistible combination! A time travel novel, but an unusual one as it doesn't involve anyone from the present day going into the past or future. Rather, pirates travel forward from the early 17th Century to the late 18th. Quite engaging. A sequel is supposed to be coming, but this first book is fairly self-contained. If the sequel does come out, I'll definitely be reading it.

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this book good? Absolutely not. The writing is simplistic and overly literal, distinguishable traits barely exist for the many interchangeable characters, and conversations read like they were written by someone who has never actually met another human before.

But is the book super fun for the first 98%? Sure!

[Marcia R Knoles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun!

I truly enjoyed this book. As a child & even now at 73 pirates were a favorite of mine. Bluebeard is a legend, as are the James brothers. Such a great idea.

[Jeffrey Nelson Reiland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Read.

Loved the story. The plot was first rate. Loved how all the elements and characters were brought together. Five out of five stars.

[Jeanne Pocius Dorismond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story

What happens when you bring 18th century pirates to the 19th century.
Read this book and find out how and with whom they cavort!