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Ethan Gage #5
The Emerald Storm
The year is 1803. Swashbuckling, ribald, and irreverent hero Ethan Gage has outsmarted wily enemies and survived dangerous challenges across the globe, from the wilds of the American frontier to the pyramids of Egypt. Now the rakish hero finds himself in the Caribbean with his wife, Astiza, on a desperate hunt to secure the lost treasure of Montezuma—a legendary hoard rumored to have been hidden from Cortés's plundering Spanish conquistadors. Hot on his heels are British agents who want the gold to finance a black slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, robbing hostile France of its richest colony. The French, too, seek the treasure for the secrets it contains, the key to an incredible new means of invasion that can ensure Britain's defeat—on its own land.
Caught between the French and the rebel slave forces, Ethan and Astiza are in a race for gold and glory that will thrust them into the center of a bloody struggle for freedom as they try to rescue their son. And this time, Gage's luck may be running out.
Brilliantly combining science, history, mythology, and wit, William Dietrich has woven a larger-than-life tale that sees Ethan embroiled in the Napoleonic era's ideals, opportunism, and inventions, which gave rise to the modern world. Filled with intrigue, voodoo, a hurricane, violent political unrest, and unexpected passion, The Emerald Storm is Dietrich's most captivating work to date.
Caught between the French and the rebel slave forces, Ethan and Astiza are in a race for gold and glory that will thrust them into the center of a bloody struggle for freedom as they try to rescue their son. And this time, Gage's luck may be running out.
Brilliantly combining science, history, mythology, and wit, William Dietrich has woven a larger-than-life tale that sees Ethan embroiled in the Napoleonic era's ideals, opportunism, and inventions, which gave rise to the modern world. Filled with intrigue, voodoo, a hurricane, violent political unrest, and unexpected passion, The Emerald Storm is Dietrich's most captivating work to date.
513 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2012
45 people are currently reading
892 people want to read
About the author
William Dietrich
25 books396 followersWilliam Dietrich is a NY Times bestelling author of the Ethan Gage series of eight books which have sold into 28 languages. He is also the author of six other adventure novels, several nonfiction works on the environmental history of the Pacific Northwest, and a contributor to several books.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
January 15, 2025
There is no shortage of action in this, the fifth of the Ethan Gage series, published in 2012. Gage is a rogue and a scoundrel, an American who came to Europe with Ben Franklin. I don't know if anyone in Goodreads has ever read the "Flashman Papers" ( those books are hard to find now, at used bookstores as well as libraries). A British soldier, he had many adventures getting in and out of trouble around the world during the Victorian Age ( he was in Afghanistan, Africa, India, the Crimean War, the American Civil War, etc.). The author George MacDonald Fraser did meticulous research into the period so that his books were historically accurate--and his footnotes were almost as good as the stories themselves. I don't think Dietrich keeps so strictly to history in his Gage series ( there is an Historical Note at the end of this book). The Gage adventures are set during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, which I think of as Bernard Cornwell territory, at least with his Sharpe series ( there is a blurb on the back cover by Cornwell stating: "A magnificent adventure shot through with mystery."). Dietrich also goes into Dan Brown and Steve Berry territory as his hero gets involved with historical mysteries.
In this one, Gage winds up in the Caribbean looking for the lost treasure of Montezuma. He believes it was being shipped by a Spanish galleon to Spain when lost in a hurricane off one of the many Caribbean islands. He also needs to rescue his gorgeous Egyptian wife and his young son, who have been kidnapped by a renegade French policeman. If that isn't enough, Gage arrives in the French colony of Saint-Domingue ( now called "Haiti") as the slave revolt there is raging, threatening to destroy Napoleon's army holding an enclave on the island. Gage is able to make an alliance with the black rebels to help him find the lost treasure and his wife and son--in exchange for giving them a share of the loot. It all makes for an exciting adventure which combines history, mythology, and 19th Century science along with a lot of humor. Certainly, the Gage series is one I will continue to read, as I know there are several more books in the series. And--WARNING!--they should be read in order, starting with "Napoleon's Pyramids," as there are continual references to past events.
In this one, Gage winds up in the Caribbean looking for the lost treasure of Montezuma. He believes it was being shipped by a Spanish galleon to Spain when lost in a hurricane off one of the many Caribbean islands. He also needs to rescue his gorgeous Egyptian wife and his young son, who have been kidnapped by a renegade French policeman. If that isn't enough, Gage arrives in the French colony of Saint-Domingue ( now called "Haiti") as the slave revolt there is raging, threatening to destroy Napoleon's army holding an enclave on the island. Gage is able to make an alliance with the black rebels to help him find the lost treasure and his wife and son--in exchange for giving them a share of the loot. It all makes for an exciting adventure which combines history, mythology, and 19th Century science along with a lot of humor. Certainly, the Gage series is one I will continue to read, as I know there are several more books in the series. And--WARNING!--they should be read in order, starting with "Napoleon's Pyramids," as there are continual references to past events.
July 14, 2013
And so ends another Ethan Gage adventure. I recently finished The Emerald Storm and I must admit that its been a while since I read the other Ethan Gage books.
To start with, from the looks of the cover, Dietrich and his publishers have realised the popularity and fame of his other Ethan Gage novels and have actually started branding the new books with the words, "An Ethan Gage Adventure" along with a neat caricature of the adventurer himself. Fair enough.
With regards to the story, again Dietrich delivers a fantastic adventure novel that is masterfully intertwined with historical events of the era. The book pretty much starts off from where the previous novel ended, but it makes an exciting read for even those who have never picked up a Dietrich novel before.
Like a gripping James Bond movie, the novel starts off with an action sequence with the reader having no idea of what has transpired. An Gage's predicament at the start only makes readers more curious as to what the heck is happening. It is only until we reach Chapter 10 that Gage narrates that particulars of how he ended up in such a situation.
Of course, you may be disappointed at first and fans of the series may even be appalled by the sheer stupidity of Gage in the first few chapters. For example, a man of the world, an accomplished warrior and adventurer and street smarts of a rogue would never be so trusting as to leave an emerald worth a king's ransom in the hands of some unknown jeweller for a whole week. And then there's the scene where Ethan bursts into Rochambeau's chamber thinking that the woman nKed atop of the Crench general is his wife, and of course he is so wrong. Not only was Ethan wrong about the identity of the woman (surely he would recogise his own wife) but also he had blown his cover. But try to think for a second that adventurer Ethan Gage is no more human than you or I and as such suffers from the same flaws. In that, Dietrich has succeeded, instead of creating a super hero.
I was also slightly dismayed that Ethan Gage seems much more docile and risk-averse in this novel, but then Dietrich, through Gage's own narration has reminded us readers on several occassions that his behaviour has been modified bacause he is now a family man.
I thoroughly enjoyed the history enveloped within the novel. Haiti is a country that I have never really bothered to research into and now I realise that there is so much more to that little land than even many of the other readers would have realised. The research into the historical facts and combining them with not only this adventure but also with Gage's past associations is nothing short of genius, a talent which comes easily to Dietrich.
Well done. I recommened you read the previous Ethan Gage novels just so that you have be part of all the adventure instead of the quick recounts and references by Gage to his past escapes.
No spoiler here but this novel has been left wide open for another sequel.
To start with, from the looks of the cover, Dietrich and his publishers have realised the popularity and fame of his other Ethan Gage novels and have actually started branding the new books with the words, "An Ethan Gage Adventure" along with a neat caricature of the adventurer himself. Fair enough.
With regards to the story, again Dietrich delivers a fantastic adventure novel that is masterfully intertwined with historical events of the era. The book pretty much starts off from where the previous novel ended, but it makes an exciting read for even those who have never picked up a Dietrich novel before.
Like a gripping James Bond movie, the novel starts off with an action sequence with the reader having no idea of what has transpired. An Gage's predicament at the start only makes readers more curious as to what the heck is happening. It is only until we reach Chapter 10 that Gage narrates that particulars of how he ended up in such a situation.
Of course, you may be disappointed at first and fans of the series may even be appalled by the sheer stupidity of Gage in the first few chapters. For example, a man of the world, an accomplished warrior and adventurer and street smarts of a rogue would never be so trusting as to leave an emerald worth a king's ransom in the hands of some unknown jeweller for a whole week. And then there's the scene where Ethan bursts into Rochambeau's chamber thinking that the woman nKed atop of the Crench general is his wife, and of course he is so wrong. Not only was Ethan wrong about the identity of the woman (surely he would recogise his own wife) but also he had blown his cover. But try to think for a second that adventurer Ethan Gage is no more human than you or I and as such suffers from the same flaws. In that, Dietrich has succeeded, instead of creating a super hero.
I was also slightly dismayed that Ethan Gage seems much more docile and risk-averse in this novel, but then Dietrich, through Gage's own narration has reminded us readers on several occassions that his behaviour has been modified bacause he is now a family man.
I thoroughly enjoyed the history enveloped within the novel. Haiti is a country that I have never really bothered to research into and now I realise that there is so much more to that little land than even many of the other readers would have realised. The research into the historical facts and combining them with not only this adventure but also with Gage's past associations is nothing short of genius, a talent which comes easily to Dietrich.
Well done. I recommened you read the previous Ethan Gage novels just so that you have be part of all the adventure instead of the quick recounts and references by Gage to his past escapes.
No spoiler here but this novel has been left wide open for another sequel.
April 26, 2012
After a lifetime of adventuring, Ethan Gage is ready to settle down, retire. He's been mentored by Benjamin Franklin, explored the American west at President Jefferson's behest, spent time in Egypt and the Holy Land with Napoleon, and wrested his wife from Barbary pirates.
You see, his wife, Astiza, and he have a small son and they are in France to sell an emerald taken from the pirate that had his family.
The adventuring life won't let him go though. He's grabbed bu a rogue French policeman named Martel and tortured, all the while demanding the location of the rest of it. Gage had no idea what he was asking about.
Rescued by a group of Englishmen, he begins to learn. The emerald he'd taken from the pirate is from a reputed long lost horde of Aztec wealth hidden from Cortez and his conquistadors. The story goes that the horde was found, lost when a ship sank in a storm, found, and hidden away by black slaves.
The Englishmen weren't a lot better. They wanted his help to break a Haitian general out of a French prison so that he could resume the slave revolt in the Caribbean to wrest control of the wealthy sugar crop islands from the French.
A series of misadventures, Martel had escaped, kidnapped his son, and the trail lead back to that area. Gage and Astiza have to go there to find their son.
Beset on all sides by the French, the English, and a slave leader that hates all whites, Gage must find that treasure, even if he must partner with the devil himself, Martel, all the while expecting betrayal.
Nicely paced historical thriller, especially the latter half, that leads to a final confrontation in the midst of a violent hurricane.
Loved this one.
You see, his wife, Astiza, and he have a small son and they are in France to sell an emerald taken from the pirate that had his family.
The adventuring life won't let him go though. He's grabbed bu a rogue French policeman named Martel and tortured, all the while demanding the location of the rest of it. Gage had no idea what he was asking about.
Rescued by a group of Englishmen, he begins to learn. The emerald he'd taken from the pirate is from a reputed long lost horde of Aztec wealth hidden from Cortez and his conquistadors. The story goes that the horde was found, lost when a ship sank in a storm, found, and hidden away by black slaves.
The Englishmen weren't a lot better. They wanted his help to break a Haitian general out of a French prison so that he could resume the slave revolt in the Caribbean to wrest control of the wealthy sugar crop islands from the French.
A series of misadventures, Martel had escaped, kidnapped his son, and the trail lead back to that area. Gage and Astiza have to go there to find their son.
Beset on all sides by the French, the English, and a slave leader that hates all whites, Gage must find that treasure, even if he must partner with the devil himself, Martel, all the while expecting betrayal.
Nicely paced historical thriller, especially the latter half, that leads to a final confrontation in the midst of a violent hurricane.
Loved this one.
February 11, 2021
An American adventurer by the name of Ethan Gage, newly married and with a young son, is once again drawn into madcap adventure by both the French and the British. Napoleon Bonaparte wants something as does the British and both draw him into more troubles the further he goes, even to the Caribbean to pursue a mysterious treasure and involvement in the slave revolt happening in Haiti.
I'll make short work of this — madcap it was but not really funny. I admit I picked this up hoping for way more than I got, and then thought perhaps I should hold to get a copy of the first in the series. It never happened and I decided to just dive in. I don't think I missed much.
I found Ethan Gage a bit too stupid and therefore its doubtful that he could really manage his way out of the events in this book. His wife is very smart, only she is purely secondary ... but the villains are interesting. Perhaps it's because I was reading of his adventures instead of seeing it on screen, such as the 1999 movie "The Mummy" with Brandon Fraser and Rachel Weisz. In that movie, too, Fraser's Rick O'Connell is a bit stupid but I found him clever and charming — which I didn't with Gage.
An interesting read but not enough to try more. Give me a Clive Cussler novel any day — swashbuckling characters oozing charm and wit. Not too realistic but a lot of fun.
I'll make short work of this — madcap it was but not really funny. I admit I picked this up hoping for way more than I got, and then thought perhaps I should hold to get a copy of the first in the series. It never happened and I decided to just dive in. I don't think I missed much.
I found Ethan Gage a bit too stupid and therefore its doubtful that he could really manage his way out of the events in this book. His wife is very smart, only she is purely secondary ... but the villains are interesting. Perhaps it's because I was reading of his adventures instead of seeing it on screen, such as the 1999 movie "The Mummy" with Brandon Fraser and Rachel Weisz. In that movie, too, Fraser's Rick O'Connell is a bit stupid but I found him clever and charming — which I didn't with Gage.
An interesting read but not enough to try more. Give me a Clive Cussler novel any day — swashbuckling characters oozing charm and wit. Not too realistic but a lot of fun.
May 14, 2012
Ethan gage
A sort of serious Harry Flashman / MacGyver hybrid in the 1800's. A man for whom no mission is to big. Life has changed somewhat since he has changes his personal circumstances, but his need for racing from one sword fight to another, from one intrigue to the next is not diminished.
As writers go WD is excellent, the plot is fun and well told, couple that with the daring do of Ethan Gage and you the reader will find yourself flicking to the next page and the next and if you're like me looking up to find its 2am and you have work in the morning, wondering if you can squeeze one more chapter in before lights out and not be too exhausted for work.
Of the 5 books in the series, this isn't my favourite that's the last one Barbary Pirates (but I love pirate tales) what I am amazed at is that given his undoubted ability and the comparisons noted below in the description, how is this man not bigger, how are the books not hitting higher in the charts? Maybe because people don't shout out...so here goes "BUY THIS BOOK & THIS SERIES, ITS GREAT FUN"
A recommended book and series go buy them
(Parm)
Description (from Back of Book)
In the fifth instalment of master storyteller William Dietrich's bestselling adventure series, the swashbuckling, battle-scarred hero Ethan Gage must race from the slopes of the Alps to the sultry tropics of the Caribbean to pursue a mysterious Spanish treasure as the fate of England - and of the world's first successful slave revolt - hang desperately in the balance. The Emerald Storm is the action-packed historical masterpiece that Ethan Gage fans have long awaited. Fans of the Indiana Jones adventures, the Sharpe's Rifles series, and the thrilling works of James Rollins, who himself calls Dietrich's writing 'adventure at its grandest,' will find The Emerald Storm a satisfying, sword-in-hand romp through history - and new readers will discover it as the perfect introduction to the breathtaking Ethan Gage Adventures.
A sort of serious Harry Flashman / MacGyver hybrid in the 1800's. A man for whom no mission is to big. Life has changed somewhat since he has changes his personal circumstances, but his need for racing from one sword fight to another, from one intrigue to the next is not diminished.
As writers go WD is excellent, the plot is fun and well told, couple that with the daring do of Ethan Gage and you the reader will find yourself flicking to the next page and the next and if you're like me looking up to find its 2am and you have work in the morning, wondering if you can squeeze one more chapter in before lights out and not be too exhausted for work.
Of the 5 books in the series, this isn't my favourite that's the last one Barbary Pirates (but I love pirate tales) what I am amazed at is that given his undoubted ability and the comparisons noted below in the description, how is this man not bigger, how are the books not hitting higher in the charts? Maybe because people don't shout out...so here goes "BUY THIS BOOK & THIS SERIES, ITS GREAT FUN"
A recommended book and series go buy them
(Parm)
Description (from Back of Book)
In the fifth instalment of master storyteller William Dietrich's bestselling adventure series, the swashbuckling, battle-scarred hero Ethan Gage must race from the slopes of the Alps to the sultry tropics of the Caribbean to pursue a mysterious Spanish treasure as the fate of England - and of the world's first successful slave revolt - hang desperately in the balance. The Emerald Storm is the action-packed historical masterpiece that Ethan Gage fans have long awaited. Fans of the Indiana Jones adventures, the Sharpe's Rifles series, and the thrilling works of James Rollins, who himself calls Dietrich's writing 'adventure at its grandest,' will find The Emerald Storm a satisfying, sword-in-hand romp through history - and new readers will discover it as the perfect introduction to the breathtaking Ethan Gage Adventures.
February 20, 2015
The 5th Ethan Gage novel picks up shortly after the events of the previous novel, The Barbary Pirates, and we find Ethan looking to retire on the proceeds of the huge emerald he secured in that last book and live the life of a proper husband and father. However, the fates and his own lust for one last chance to be an influencer of world events have a different course in mind.
His adventures this time around take Ethan to Paris and a final chance to undertake one last mission for Napoleon who is ramping up his anti-England campaign. Of course Ethan has trouble determining where his allegiances lie and this episode is no exception. His trek leads to the Caribbean to secure the lost treasure of Montezuma. Unfortunately, British agents are in hot pursuit, hoping to use the gold to finance a slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, taking away one of France’s cash cows.
As always in an Ethan Gage novel, there is swashbuckling adventure splashed against a vibrant historical background. I like the way the author weaves in historical characters, many of whom I have never heard of but have, in fact, had a relatively large impact on history. In this novel, I learned more about such historical persons as Jean-Jacques Dessalines, (self-declared emperor of the new Haiti), Toussaint L’Ouverture (the “Black Spartacus”), aeronaut George Cayley, the spy Charles Frotte, Sir Sidney Smith, General Charles LeClerc, and others. But don’t get the impression these books are boring history lessons. Rather they are much more a cross between Indiana Jones and George MacDonald Fraser’s Harry Flashman character.
This novel ended in a bit of a cliff hanger so it goes without saying that I am looking forward to the next one.
His adventures this time around take Ethan to Paris and a final chance to undertake one last mission for Napoleon who is ramping up his anti-England campaign. Of course Ethan has trouble determining where his allegiances lie and this episode is no exception. His trek leads to the Caribbean to secure the lost treasure of Montezuma. Unfortunately, British agents are in hot pursuit, hoping to use the gold to finance a slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, taking away one of France’s cash cows.
As always in an Ethan Gage novel, there is swashbuckling adventure splashed against a vibrant historical background. I like the way the author weaves in historical characters, many of whom I have never heard of but have, in fact, had a relatively large impact on history. In this novel, I learned more about such historical persons as Jean-Jacques Dessalines, (self-declared emperor of the new Haiti), Toussaint L’Ouverture (the “Black Spartacus”), aeronaut George Cayley, the spy Charles Frotte, Sir Sidney Smith, General Charles LeClerc, and others. But don’t get the impression these books are boring history lessons. Rather they are much more a cross between Indiana Jones and George MacDonald Fraser’s Harry Flashman character.
This novel ended in a bit of a cliff hanger so it goes without saying that I am looking forward to the next one.
May 12, 2015
I'm reading these in sequence, having already enjoyed the first four. My favorite is still the first one, "Napolean's Pyramids," but all of these are very good. William Dietrich is so good at taking odd historical events to new heights of thrills.
May 8, 2012
I loved this book! In the fifth installment of master storyteller William Dietrich’s bestselling adventure series, the swashbuckling, battle-scarred hero Ethan Gage must race from the slopes of the Alps to the sultry tropics of the Caribbean to pursue a mysterious Spanish treasure as the fate of England— and of the world’s first successful slave revolt— hang desperately in the balance. The Emerald Storm is the action-packed historical masterpiece that Ethan Gage fans have long awaited. Fans of the Indiana Jones adventures, the Sharpe’s Rifles series, and the thrilling works of James Rollins, who himself calls Dietrich’s writing “adventure at its grandest,” will find The Emerald Storm a satisfying, sword-in-hand romp through history— and new readers will discover it as the perfect introduction to the breathtaking Ethan Gage
The year is 1803. Swashbuckling, ribald, and irreverent hero Ethan Gage has outsmarted wily enemies and survived dangerous challenges across the globe, from the wilds of the American frontier to the pyramids of Egypt. Now the rakish hero finds himself in the Caribbean with his wife, Astiza, on a desperate hunt to secure the lost treasure of Montezuma— a legendary hoard rumored to have been hidden from Cortés's plundering Spanish conquistadors. Hot on his heels are British agents who want the gold to finance a black slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, robbing hostile France of its richest colony. The French, too, seek the treasure for the secrets it contains, the key to an incredible new means of invasion that can ensure Britain's defeat— on its own land.
Caught between the French and the rebel slave forces, Ethan and Astiza are in a race for gold and glory that will thrust them into the center of a bloody struggle for freedom as they try to rescue their son. And this time, Gage's luck may be running out. Brilliantly combining science, history, mythology, and wit, William Dietrich has woven a larger-than-life tale that sees Ethan embroiled in the Napoleonic era's ideals, opportunism, and inventions, which gave rise to the modern world. Filled with intrigue, voodoo, a hurricane, violent political unrest, and unexpected passion, The Emerald Storm is Dietrich's most captivating work to date.
The year is 1803. Swashbuckling, ribald, and irreverent hero Ethan Gage has outsmarted wily enemies and survived dangerous challenges across the globe, from the wilds of the American frontier to the pyramids of Egypt. Now the rakish hero finds himself in the Caribbean with his wife, Astiza, on a desperate hunt to secure the lost treasure of Montezuma— a legendary hoard rumored to have been hidden from Cortés's plundering Spanish conquistadors. Hot on his heels are British agents who want the gold to finance a black slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, robbing hostile France of its richest colony. The French, too, seek the treasure for the secrets it contains, the key to an incredible new means of invasion that can ensure Britain's defeat— on its own land.
Caught between the French and the rebel slave forces, Ethan and Astiza are in a race for gold and glory that will thrust them into the center of a bloody struggle for freedom as they try to rescue their son. And this time, Gage's luck may be running out. Brilliantly combining science, history, mythology, and wit, William Dietrich has woven a larger-than-life tale that sees Ethan embroiled in the Napoleonic era's ideals, opportunism, and inventions, which gave rise to the modern world. Filled with intrigue, voodoo, a hurricane, violent political unrest, and unexpected passion, The Emerald Storm is Dietrich's most captivating work to date.
May 24, 2012
This was a book I won through the firstreads program. I think I would have liked it more if I'd read the previous Ethan Gage books. I felt like I was missing something the whole time (which I probably was). The story can stand alone, but referred to things that happened in previous books. There is lots of action, historical fiction and mystery all wrapped together in one book.
November 18, 2019
Wasn’t quite sure what to make of this semi-historical novel at first!?! It is one of a series (5th) and main character speaks to the reader directly! Interesting real people and places are interspersed with fictional narrative full of swashbuckling adventures and it kind of grew on me the more I read. I definitely learned a bit more about a time and places I had been only somewhat familiar with until now. Ended with a bit of a cliffhanger—which I think must be the author’s style in this series.
August 25, 2019
Strong story again, this #5 in the series. I indulged myself this summer to read an adventure historical fiction novel of potboiler intensity. I forgot what it was like to read a real "page-turner" of a book. Dietrich's tempo for dialogue and impossible situations in the plot made this fully entertaining. Since he slips in historical information about the setting, the scene, serendipitously I pick up a little history too. Very enjoyable reading.
July 18, 2024
Ethan Gage finds himself in another adventure, this time in the Caribbean during the Haitian revolution looking for lost Aztec gold. I always like how Dietrich manages to insert Ethan into historical events. Unlike previous books, I felt like this one ending on a sort of cliffhanger more so than others. I'm definitely curious to see what happens next for Ethan and little Harry.
September 11, 2018
William Dietrich has done it again! Every Ethan Gage adventure is action packed, fun to read, and keeps you wanting more. This one is no exception! I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series.
January 19, 2021
Jaunty and fun, every problem has a solution and the language and tone add to the satisfaction of the nearly historical fiction. i would enjoy Ethan Gage on the big screen.
of all the Ethan Gage books so far, this one was my least favorite and i still liked it.
of all the Ethan Gage books so far, this one was my least favorite and i still liked it.
Want to read
January 3, 2023I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I started reading this book, but then decided that it would be better to read the earlier books in the series. I never bought them to read.
December 30, 2017
I love adventuring with Ethan Gage. This time was a wild goose chase in the Caribbean looking for treasure. Curious what will come next...after the ending of this book
September 21, 2017
I hate starting a series mid way, but enjoyed this enough to continue it despite that! Am starting back at the beginning now, but I HATE that he lost his wife.... how careless!
September 28, 2017
Another exciting and entertaining installment in the Ethan Gage series!
November 11, 2017
Eh. Worst of the series
March 10, 2018
Ethan Gage, an American rogue in the Napoleanic era.
Part Indiana Jones, part McGyver all fun and you learn a little history too.
Part Indiana Jones, part McGyver all fun and you learn a little history too.
June 25, 2018
swashbuckling historical fiction set in Haiti & the Caribbean
October 15, 2018
I like this series enough to stick with it and see how the characters fare, but I can’t always give five stars because the violence and battle scenes are hard to get through.
April 3, 2022
Witty, satirical descriptions and dialog.
March 3, 2024
An epic tale of swashbuckling and treasure hunting!
January 12, 2026
Wonderful adventure adventure novel.
March 19, 2012
Having not read any of the Ethan Gage Adventures series by William Dietrich, but heard good reviews, I wanted to read his latest book, "The Emerald Storm". Self-proclaimed adventurer, antiquarian and spy in the 1800's, the swashbuckling Gage sounded akin to James Bond with a powder-packed pistol and waistcoat. Page one finds him clinging to the side of a frozen fortress. I was hooked. However, Gage is now a devoted newlywed with a young son; his main goal in life is to settle down with his family in his native America. But he is learning, in his new role as provider, that adventuring and gambling do not put food on the table. Womanizing is not an option. And, as he fumbles with fatherhood, he realizes that his skills as a "savant" and "electrician" are useless as he keeps misplacing his son "like a button".
When called to meet with Napoleon Bonaparte one last time before he retires, he cannot resist. Bonaparte needs him for a final mission: stay in Paris and convince the Americans to purchase the Louisiana Territory. His colony in Saint-Dominigue, now Haiti, is crumbling due to the slave rebellion and yellow fever is diminishing his army at an alarming rate. He has no troops to protect the Territory, the British are threatening a naval war, he needs the money. Gage agrees to stay, if only to sell an emerald he "procured" from an Ottoman in the last story. It is his retirement fund and pension for he and his wife, Astiza, and son, Harry.
Disaster strikes when the emerald and Harry are snatched by a renegade police inspector, Martel, who tortures Gage while cryptically demanding "where are the flying machines?" At this point, the reader would expect an impassioned search for Harry and revenge against Martel. But instead, the book takes a circuitous meander involving British spies, Gage becoming a double agent, and a French prison break-in. The British tell Gage that Martel is searching for Montezuma's hidden treasure in Haiti. And Gage, being a treasure hunter at heart, sets out to find this prize and his son. He and Astiza set off for Haiti with Gage fretting over the state of their marriage. Astiza is questioning their union and foresees tragedy.
When they finally, after sailing for over a month, arrive in Haiti, the story becomes meatier, the action more focused, new characters are introduced. Dietrich's depiction of the historical French sugar plantations with it's slave population adds a stimulating essence. Attempting to establish a Little France on the island, the Europeans build huge mansions in the humid forbidding jungle. They fill the houses full of antiques, overdress in the oppressive heat and throw parties while the colony dies off and their wallpaper molds. They enslave the native population to harvest sugar, the island's gold. This all comes to a head with voodoo, rebellion, treasure, betrayal, battles on land and sea, and a deadly hurricane. The last third is the best part of the book.
Although this is part of a series, "The Emerald Storm" can be read as a stand alone novel. But throughout the book, Gage makes passing references to "an extremely unhappy experience with a Nile crocodile" or "an Ottoman that came to too close to his wife" or submarine adventures that inspire me to read the other novels. This book appears to be a marital lull and judging from the state of affairs by the end of the story, I expect by the next book Gage will come out of retirement with pistols blazing.
The Historical Note chapter at the end of the book explains that many of the events depicted in the novel were true, most characters did exist, and the hidden treasure of Montezuma is legend.
When called to meet with Napoleon Bonaparte one last time before he retires, he cannot resist. Bonaparte needs him for a final mission: stay in Paris and convince the Americans to purchase the Louisiana Territory. His colony in Saint-Dominigue, now Haiti, is crumbling due to the slave rebellion and yellow fever is diminishing his army at an alarming rate. He has no troops to protect the Territory, the British are threatening a naval war, he needs the money. Gage agrees to stay, if only to sell an emerald he "procured" from an Ottoman in the last story. It is his retirement fund and pension for he and his wife, Astiza, and son, Harry.
Disaster strikes when the emerald and Harry are snatched by a renegade police inspector, Martel, who tortures Gage while cryptically demanding "where are the flying machines?" At this point, the reader would expect an impassioned search for Harry and revenge against Martel. But instead, the book takes a circuitous meander involving British spies, Gage becoming a double agent, and a French prison break-in. The British tell Gage that Martel is searching for Montezuma's hidden treasure in Haiti. And Gage, being a treasure hunter at heart, sets out to find this prize and his son. He and Astiza set off for Haiti with Gage fretting over the state of their marriage. Astiza is questioning their union and foresees tragedy.
When they finally, after sailing for over a month, arrive in Haiti, the story becomes meatier, the action more focused, new characters are introduced. Dietrich's depiction of the historical French sugar plantations with it's slave population adds a stimulating essence. Attempting to establish a Little France on the island, the Europeans build huge mansions in the humid forbidding jungle. They fill the houses full of antiques, overdress in the oppressive heat and throw parties while the colony dies off and their wallpaper molds. They enslave the native population to harvest sugar, the island's gold. This all comes to a head with voodoo, rebellion, treasure, betrayal, battles on land and sea, and a deadly hurricane. The last third is the best part of the book.
Although this is part of a series, "The Emerald Storm" can be read as a stand alone novel. But throughout the book, Gage makes passing references to "an extremely unhappy experience with a Nile crocodile" or "an Ottoman that came to too close to his wife" or submarine adventures that inspire me to read the other novels. This book appears to be a marital lull and judging from the state of affairs by the end of the story, I expect by the next book Gage will come out of retirement with pistols blazing.
The Historical Note chapter at the end of the book explains that many of the events depicted in the novel were true, most characters did exist, and the hidden treasure of Montezuma is legend.
January 7, 2015
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find glowing adjectives about Ethan Gage, and William Dietrich’s delightful (there’s one!) series about the pseudo-savant-turned-reluctant-hero-turned-overly-willing-treasure hunter. The Emerald Storm, as with the previous four installments, is a frisky and fun ride through the days of Napoleonic history… although this time, Gage finds himself in the Caribbean hunting down the lost treasure of Montezuma.
At the conclusion of The Barbary Pirates, Gage stole a large emerald from the pasha of Tripoli. When The Emerald Storm opens, Gage and his family – now including his Egyptian wife, Astiza, and their three-year-old son, Horus – are back in Paris where Gage is trying to pawn the emerald and retire. When Gage takes the emerald to a jeweler, he is attacked by a rogue French policeman, and, as with all of Gage’s adventures, he finds unlikely rescuers in the British, who reveal to Ethan that he has managed to steal the Green Apple of the Sun – a legendary emerald that is part of an equally legendary lost treasure of the Aztecs. As thanks for their timely rescue, the British order Gage to free the Haitian revolutionary, Toussaint L’Ouverture from a French prison so he can lead them to this lost treasure. But does that go smoothly? It wouldn’t be Ethan Gage if it did! L’Ouverture – a real historic figure who died in a French prison – is killed during his escape attempt, and the flummoxed British send Gage to the Caribbean to find the treasure on his own.
What makes Ethan agree? During the attack by the French policeman, Horus is kidnapped, and he has been taken to Haiti to ensure Gage follows. Because guess what the French want? This same lost treasure!
So Gage and Astiza head to the Caribbean where in a desperate ploy to save their son, Gage tries to play for all sides, including the Haitian revolutionaries, the French, and the British. All sides that happen to be at war with each other: the Haitians, slaves to the French, have revolted and are fighting for their independence. The French and British are at war again. And right in the middle is Ethan Gage. That is way too much for poor Ethan to handle – since he also wants to find and claim the Aztec treasure too – so hilarity ensues. As is typical for Ethan. And as is the case with all the Ethan Gage books, the laughs abound, the adventures fly, the history fascinates, and the escapism occurs.
It means that Books 6 and the newly released Book 7 should be just as much as fun as the previous five!
At the conclusion of The Barbary Pirates, Gage stole a large emerald from the pasha of Tripoli. When The Emerald Storm opens, Gage and his family – now including his Egyptian wife, Astiza, and their three-year-old son, Horus – are back in Paris where Gage is trying to pawn the emerald and retire. When Gage takes the emerald to a jeweler, he is attacked by a rogue French policeman, and, as with all of Gage’s adventures, he finds unlikely rescuers in the British, who reveal to Ethan that he has managed to steal the Green Apple of the Sun – a legendary emerald that is part of an equally legendary lost treasure of the Aztecs. As thanks for their timely rescue, the British order Gage to free the Haitian revolutionary, Toussaint L’Ouverture from a French prison so he can lead them to this lost treasure. But does that go smoothly? It wouldn’t be Ethan Gage if it did! L’Ouverture – a real historic figure who died in a French prison – is killed during his escape attempt, and the flummoxed British send Gage to the Caribbean to find the treasure on his own.
What makes Ethan agree? During the attack by the French policeman, Horus is kidnapped, and he has been taken to Haiti to ensure Gage follows. Because guess what the French want? This same lost treasure!
So Gage and Astiza head to the Caribbean where in a desperate ploy to save their son, Gage tries to play for all sides, including the Haitian revolutionaries, the French, and the British. All sides that happen to be at war with each other: the Haitians, slaves to the French, have revolted and are fighting for their independence. The French and British are at war again. And right in the middle is Ethan Gage. That is way too much for poor Ethan to handle – since he also wants to find and claim the Aztec treasure too – so hilarity ensues. As is typical for Ethan. And as is the case with all the Ethan Gage books, the laughs abound, the adventures fly, the history fascinates, and the escapism occurs.
It means that Books 6 and the newly released Book 7 should be just as much as fun as the previous five!
December 21, 2012
Ethan Gage is back for yet another swashbuckling adventure in the Napoleonic era. Ethan is a married father now, and ready to settle down with his family. He’s got a large emerald to sell to finance his retirement, so he and wife Astiza go to one of Paris’s premier jewelers to sell it, and thereby find themselves in the middle of another adventure when their son is kidnapped. The French authorities believe Ethan’s emerald to be only one small piece of a large Aztec hoard lost somewhere in the Caribbean. Gold and jewels are of interest, but the French are mostly interested in rumors of Aztec flying machine designs that will help them gain military superiority over England. The English are onto the plan, and they want to free slave rebel Dessalines from a French prison and get the secret to the treasure for themselves. Forced into action in order to save their son, Ethan and Astiza travel to Haiti under the guise of working for both the English and the French in the midst of a slave revolt. Ethan has to play it very carefully when he also befriends the new revolutionary leader and finds himself in the middle of a hurricane.
This is a fun adventure series filled with historical detail. Ethan is an engaging hero who always manages to find trouble. I was not as thrilled with this book as the last in the series, and found the theme of Ethan always being separated from his family to be going bit stale. I would have enjoyed the story more if they entered this adventure for different reasons, rather than retreading what’s been done before. Dietrich does weave actual historical detail quite well into fictional adventure, though, and I learned several new things. The action is gripping, the other characters are well drawn, and the cliffhanger at the end made me impatient for the next book in the series.
This is a fun adventure series filled with historical detail. Ethan is an engaging hero who always manages to find trouble. I was not as thrilled with this book as the last in the series, and found the theme of Ethan always being separated from his family to be going bit stale. I would have enjoyed the story more if they entered this adventure for different reasons, rather than retreading what’s been done before. Dietrich does weave actual historical detail quite well into fictional adventure, though, and I learned several new things. The action is gripping, the other characters are well drawn, and the cliffhanger at the end made me impatient for the next book in the series.
March 23, 2014
Ethan Gage's 5th adventure takes him from the Grande Salons (and saloons) of Paris to a mountain top prison in the Jura mountains in the dead of winter to the Caribbean islands of Santo Domingo (Haiti) and Martinique. WILLIAM DIETRICH has written several stand alone stories besides the six or so in the Ethan Gage series. THE EMERALD STORM (ISBN 978-0061989216, trade paperback) continues Ethan's adventures after his dust up with the Barbary Pirates in Book 4. Ethan is an American soldier of fortune and a disciple of Benjamin Franklin. He has worked for the British against the French and for the French against the British. On the surface he is helping the United States with the Louisiana Purchase. All of the Ethan Gage stories take place in the late 1790s and early 1800s.
Returning to Paris with his wife and son plus a huge emerald taken from the Pasha of Tripoli in Book 4, Ethan mistakenly thinks that he will now be able to retire in comfort back home in the fledgling United States. Boy is he wrong, again! First he loses the emerald to a nasty rogue French policeman. Then he loses his wife and son to the same character. His contact in the British Secret Service comes to his assistance. His British task is to rescue Toussaint L'Ouverture (leader of the slave revolt in Haiti) from a mountain top prison. His French nemesis then tells him if he wants his wife and son back, he has to go to the Caribbean to search AND find Montezuma's lost treasure.
As in all of the Dietrich books I have read, this is a page turner incorporating some real history. You don't have to read the books in sequence but it certainly the story move along if you do. There is some tongue cheek humor as well.
GO! BUY! READ!
Returning to Paris with his wife and son plus a huge emerald taken from the Pasha of Tripoli in Book 4, Ethan mistakenly thinks that he will now be able to retire in comfort back home in the fledgling United States. Boy is he wrong, again! First he loses the emerald to a nasty rogue French policeman. Then he loses his wife and son to the same character. His contact in the British Secret Service comes to his assistance. His British task is to rescue Toussaint L'Ouverture (leader of the slave revolt in Haiti) from a mountain top prison. His French nemesis then tells him if he wants his wife and son back, he has to go to the Caribbean to search AND find Montezuma's lost treasure.
As in all of the Dietrich books I have read, this is a page turner incorporating some real history. You don't have to read the books in sequence but it certainly the story move along if you do. There is some tongue cheek humor as well.
GO! BUY! READ!
September 17, 2012
I'm disappointed that I chose the latest book in the "Ethan Gage" series to start with. I will definitely have to go back and start the entire series in proper order.
Dietrich does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the dawn of the 19th century with this work. The protagonist, Ethan Gage, is an American adventurer / treasure hunter and all-around scoundrel with plenty of self-effacing charisma and charm. This work details his efforts to recover both his son and a fabled treasure lost for centuries. Caught between France and England during the Napoleonic wars, he is tossed back and forth on the waves of fortune as he continues his quest.
The characters are especially memorable, but I found myself truly pulled into the book when the author describes meeting famous characters from the period. Smith, Bonaparte and others add a zesty pepper to the mix and keep the narrative moving forward.
I would definitely NOT consider this to be "historical fiction" though it certainly meets the criteria. When I finished the book I got the sense of reading a fascinating mashup of Clive Cussler + Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat + Cornwell's Sharpe's series. Really fun to read.
My only gripe is the sometimes excessive asides the protagonist makes via first person POV to the reader. While almost always highly amusing, it became tiresome at a few points. In the middle of a tension-filled action scene is not the best place to insert a humorous aside; it deflates the tension like a 4 day-old balloon.
As mentioned earlier I will definitely make a point to catch up on the other works in the series. Very enjoyable reading.
Dietrich does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the dawn of the 19th century with this work. The protagonist, Ethan Gage, is an American adventurer / treasure hunter and all-around scoundrel with plenty of self-effacing charisma and charm. This work details his efforts to recover both his son and a fabled treasure lost for centuries. Caught between France and England during the Napoleonic wars, he is tossed back and forth on the waves of fortune as he continues his quest.
The characters are especially memorable, but I found myself truly pulled into the book when the author describes meeting famous characters from the period. Smith, Bonaparte and others add a zesty pepper to the mix and keep the narrative moving forward.
I would definitely NOT consider this to be "historical fiction" though it certainly meets the criteria. When I finished the book I got the sense of reading a fascinating mashup of Clive Cussler + Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat + Cornwell's Sharpe's series. Really fun to read.
My only gripe is the sometimes excessive asides the protagonist makes via first person POV to the reader. While almost always highly amusing, it became tiresome at a few points. In the middle of a tension-filled action scene is not the best place to insert a humorous aside; it deflates the tension like a 4 day-old balloon.
As mentioned earlier I will definitely make a point to catch up on the other works in the series. Very enjoyable reading.
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