Bannisters Chart

by Antony Trew

A tale of mystery, adventure, and danger on the high seas in the saga of a treasure hunt through a rich diversity of exotic locales for a missing cargo of gold

Hardcover

First published December 31, 1984

About the author

Antony (Francis) Trew was a South African naval officer and writer. In World War II he served with the South African and Royal Navies in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Western Approaches. As such he was in command of the escort destroyer HMS Walker. He also served on the Arctic Convoys and was awarded the DSC (Distinguished Service Cross). After World War II he resumed his work with the AA (Automobile Association) of South Africa as Director General.

(source wikipedia)

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Endeavor Press has resurrected yet another one of Trew’s novels. Which is a good thing, because I seem to be enjoying them. Odd, because I don’t normally go for maritime adventures, but Trew’s knowledge of and passion for his subject plus a certain dated appeal make his books very enjoyable. This one started off so promisingly, in fact strongly reminiscent of the greatest maritime adventure novel of all time, The Treasure Island. A grizzled old Irish seafarer, Cassidy, is asked by a lovely proper British lady of a certain age to help her find a treasure of gold ingots that her ancestor, a sailor Bannister, has buried on a nameless deserted island somewhere in the Indian Ocean ages ago. Bannister didn’t say too much about it, but he did, considerately, leave a course charted on a map secreted in a family Bible. And that’s how you get the title. And the main impetus for the plot…or so it seems. Cassidy, the lady, her young nephew and a variegated cast of other characters set off on a working cruise, which is essentially a cruise on board of a working trade vessel, but there are too many conflicting agendas going on. So, Treasure Island this isn’t. It gets too busy for that. Adventure, intrigue, murder and so much more. The ship’s first mate, bribed by the ship’s owner’s son, is scheming to sink the ship for insurance money, for one thing. Then there’s some severe weather, where it almost never occurs. Then there’s a commune to visit, a cultish bunch with a mysteriously wealthy leader. Trew navigates all these plot strands as expertly as Cassidy pilots Sunglow through the Indian Ocean, but there’s just too much going on. The plot might have definitely used some streamlining. It works, all the strands eventually join in a cohesive narrative with a satisfying (or, at least, an appropriate) ending, but it was a lot to wade through to get there. Or maybe I just really wanted a Treasure Island sort of story and was disappointed not to get it. Or maybe the moral is that the journey itself is a treasure. Nah, that can’t be, not in a book where one of the man characters’ name is Mrs. Clutterbutt. Seriously. She is descendant of the chart creating Bannister, but she didn’t get his perfectly nice name. And Clutterbutt is a distractingly hilarious name that’s completely out of pace with the novel’s otherwise very sober and somber writing. Not sure if it was meant as a sort of comic relief or just a random sort of thing, but how do take that seriously. Even the fairly serious British, I’d imagine, wouldn’t be down with Clutterbutt. The novel had a lot going on for it, but that moniker is probably going to be the most memorable thing about it. A generally cluttered narrative, featuring Mrs. Clutterbutt. Yes, that’s it. Which isn’t at all to say I didn’t enjoy the story, I really like taking to high seas with Trew. This wasn’t exactly my favorite of his, but it was plenty entertaining. And yes, of course, somewhat dated for the modern hyperaware superwoke audience, but not terribly so, with enough bygone era charm to make up for it. Plenty of exotic settings for all the intrepid armchair travelers. An entertaining seafaring adventure.

[Kristian Brockmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun although can be foreign, the tale of seafaring. The book seems to bring back memories nicely, and is good for insight on coastal Kenya. Quite obscure, perhaps, and yet a nice adventurous yarn. The details are not easy to recall, having read this from a library in quiet reflective times whilst escaping from political intrigue, which perhaps the African coast is known to help with... Perhaps the book has been underrated. Thought Seafever was awesome, thus the choice. A good book to guide you to familiar seas, likewise, from them back to shore. Fun. Review from a Sydney Harbour avid reader.