Prinz Faisals Ring

by Bjarne Reuter, Gabriele Haefs (Translator)

Auf einer kleinen Insel mitten in der Karibik lebt Tom Collins, ein Junge irischer Abstammung mit der Sehnsucht nach Abenteuern im Blut. Eines Nachts rettet er zwei Schiffbrüchige, die sein Leben verändern werden: den Spanier Ramón und einen Sklaven namens Bibido. Bibido trägt einen Ring, der ihn als Sohn des Königs von Kap Verde auszeichnet. Wer ihn zu seinem Vater zurückbringt, erhält eine hohe Belohnung! Tom macht große Pläne angesichts des bevorstehenden Reichtums, doch eines Morgens ist Ramón mit dem schwarzen Jungen verschwunden. Tom nimmt die Verfolgung auf und geht auf eine Abenteuerfahrt, die Jahre dauern wird und auf der er es mit Haifischern, Inquisitoren, Sklavenhändlern, Plantagenbesitzern und Piraten zu tun bekommt...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Pirates, Adventure, Danish

491 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Bjarne Reuter, born 1950 in Brønshøj, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark and the setting of many of his books.
His first book was published in 1975, the same year he graduated from teacher’s college.
In 1980, Bjarne Reuter left teaching to devote full time to writing.
He is the author of some 60 books for children and young adults (see complete bibliography).
He has written several novels for adults as well. In addition, he is the author of plays, musicals,
radio and television series for children. Eight of his books have been made into films for children, a number have been serialized on television and many of them have been dramatized on the stage in Denmark, Finland and Germany as well as in countries as far from home as Japan and Argentina.

Publications:
1975 Kidnapning (children's book)
1975 Rent guld i posen (children's book)
1976 En dag i Hector Hansens liv
1976 Ridder af skraldespanden (children's book)
1976 Rottefængeren fra Hameln (children's book)
1977 Den største nar i verden (children's book)
1977 Det skøre land (children's book)
1977 Eventyret om Hu (children's book)
1977 Skønheden og uhyret (children's book)
1977 Tre engle og fem løver (children's book)
1977 Zappa, en kaldblodig hore
1978 De seks tjenere (children's book)
1978 Den utilfredse prins (children's book)
1978 Drengen der ikke kunne blive bange (children's book)
1978 Slusernes kejser
1979 Busters verden (children's book)
1979 Børnenes julekalender (children's book)
1979 Den fredag Osvald blev usynlig (children's book)
1979 Rejsen til morgenrødens hav (children's book)
1979 Støvet på en sommerfugls vinge
1980 Før det lysner (short stories)
1980 Kolumbine & Harlekin (children's book)
1980 Kys stjernerne (children's book)
1980 Suzanne & Leonard
1981 Knud, Otto og Carmen Rosita
1981 Skibene i skovene
1982 Abdulahs juveler (children's book)
1982 Det forkerte barn (short stories)
1982 Hvor regnbuen ender (children's book)
1982 Østen for solen og vesten for månen (children's book)
1983 Casanova
1983 Når snerlen blomstrer
1984 Malte-Pøs i Den Store Vide Verden (children's book)
1984 Tre skuespil (drama)
1984 Tropicana
1985 Bundhu
1985 Da solen skulle sælges (children's book)
1985 Shamran - den som kommer
1986 De andre historier (short stories)
1986 En tro kopi
1986 Natten i Safarihulen (children's book)
1987 Den dobbelte mand
1987 Drømmenes bro (children's book)
1987 Os to, Oskar... for evigt (children's book)
1987 Vendetta
1988 Den cubanske kabale
1988 Månen over Bella Bio
1989 Den skæggede dame (children's book)
1989 Peter Pan (children's book)
1989 Vi der valgte mælkevejen
1990 3 til Bermudos
1990 Mig og Albinoni
1991 Drengene fra Sankt Petri
1991 Lola
1992 7.A.
1992 En rem af huden
1992 Kaptajn Bimse & Goggeletten (children's book)
1993 Den korsikanske bisp
1993 Johnny & The Hurricanes
1994 Anna Havanna (children's book)
1995 Langebro med løbende figurer
1996 Anna Havanna, Kaptajn Bimse og alle de andre (children's book)
1996 Ved profetens skæg
1997 Fakiren fra Bilbao
1998 En som Hodder (children's book)
1998 Mikado
1999 Mordet på Leon Culman
1999 Under kometens hale
1999 Willys fars bil (children's book)
2000 Prins Faisals ring; "The Ring of the Slave Prince", English translation by Tiina Nunnally (2004)
2002 Barolo Kvartetten
2002 Kaptajn Bimse i Saltimbocca (children's book)
2003 Kaptajn Bimses jul (children's book)
2004 Løgnhalsen fra Umbrien
2006 Halvvejen til Rafael(Novel)
2007 Skyggernes hus
2008 [Fem]
2008 Den iranske gartner
2010 Den egyptiske tenor

Reviews

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would make a great movie with one incredible twist after another. The adventures of the earlier chapters become the tall tales of incorrigible liar Tom O’Connor in later chapters. Tom leaves his home on a 17th century Caribbean island, seeking the slave he believes will be his fortune. In turn he becomes a shark fisherman, a blacksmith, sugar plantation overseer, cabin boy, castaway and pirate. It’s all a bit unbelievable, but then that’s the fun of it. This book is every boy’s dream of adventure.

A major theme is attitudes toward slavery, and along the way Tom’s perception’s change. The passages on the sugar plantation are tragic. Some comments will definitely be offensive to African American readers, but then we are meant to be appalled at them. In contrast, the pirate section is as light and comic as Pirates of the Caribbean.

I read the book in translation from the Danish. The author uses strong language that some American audiences might object to, but not inappropriately to the time and characters. Tom does a lot of heavy drinking for one so young, but I suspect that is not inappropriate to the time period either. I never quite figured out the odd switches between present and past tense or the use of the third person instead of the second. Sometimes it was Spanish-speaking characters, but at others it was virulently anti-Spanish Englishmen, so why are they using Spanish sentence structure? There was some sloppy editing such as on p 132 when Sugar George says “I was the oldest” and on the next page his older brother dies. But all in all, a good read.

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great favourite of mine. I only wish I could have read it in its original Danish.

[Edmund]

Hands down, the worst book I have ever read in my life!!!

Don't take my word for it. I was 15 and expecting a magnificent tale of pirates and swashbuckling with a satisfying reward for all the protagonist suffered. This book drew me in with promises of that, and yet when the end came, I contemplated what I could have done with all the time I wasted waiting to reach the end and a climax the book would not deliver. Ever wondered what it felt like to be catfished by a book? Because I have. And it was this book--...my goodness! Imagine if dating apps had the option for participants to review and rate each other based on non-superficial stuff as well as personal interactions...uh...sorry.

[Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein spannender Abenteuerroman mit vielen Wendungen.
Die bildliche Sprache Reuters hat mir gut gefallen und mich des Öfteren zum Schmunzeln gebracht.
Darüber hinaus konnte ich viel über nautische Begriffe und die Geschichte der Karibik im 17. Jahrhundert lernen.

Abenteuer- und Piratengeschichten in dieser Qualität dürfen es gern immer wieder in meine Lesewunschliste schaffen.
Einziges Manko ist für mich, dass sich der Mittelteil auf der Plantage etwas gezogen hat.

[Christelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien que l'histoire soit intéressante, j'ai eu du mal à me plonger dans cette fiction YA. Le personnage principal est très bien construit mais je n'ai pas senti de connection.

[Geena · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Written: April 15, 2006] | [Edited: September 09, 2019]

I honestly thought this book was going to be something of an adventure, but as always it took far too long to get itself to the major point and purpose of the story and main character itself. In the beginning the story highlights the hardships of Tom O'Connor's life working in a inn owned by a pompous Spanish-man, Senor Lopez, who treats his mother and his sister (whom he hates just as much as Lopez, and her in return) like animals to be treated horribly and paid lightly. Tom in turn hates the man and his equally despised by everyone in the Island of Nevis for the Irish Blood that runs through his veins.

He apparently is so used to insults thrown his way because of this that he hardly seems bothered by it anymore. He is also full of contempt because of his lifestyle and his Irish blood, that its hard to like him. In his spare time he rows out to sea and searches for valuable items under water and just when he's having a off day at sea he comes across two "shipwrecked" people, a Spaniard and a slave boy no older than him. He stashes the slave away and tends to the Spaniard around the time a Bishop comes to the inn searching for a seer named Zamora, who scares him into telling him where the seer has gone.

From there the book just becomes one crude tale of obvious hatred and self-hatred for one's self and his situations. I honestly tried to enjoy the book, but in the end it was far too dull and angry for me to complete. Not because of the way the author depicts the time line (1639), nor most of the semi-gritty cruelty and reality of slavery when Tom comes across a Plantation. But because of the anger the character carries and the crude characters he meets along his adventures.

It just was not a pleasing romp to even "skim" through at the least. All in all I hardly enjoyed this book and I cannot recommend it to anyone. If your looking for a book concerning slavery, pirates, adventure, or any of the above, look elsewhere.

[Kieran · Rating 4 out of 5]

well worth a read, especially when you need to fantasize and let your mind slip free. you don't get the feeling that you are being taken for a ride, but the authors imagination is very inspiring. i don't know where he gets it from!

shitty title, and the picture here is crap. it is a very good book though and will drag you into reuters world.

[Zainab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in Danish because it's the original language. I will therefore review in Danish and English :D

English:
I am shocked by how much I ended up liking the book. I thought it wouldn't be something for me, so this was a pleasant surprise.
I must admit that the pacing was a little slow at the beginning of the story, but it quickly gets interesting when we, as readers, are introduced to new characters. After this, we are met with one plot twist after the other. It is such an intriguing story, and it gives a great perspective to some of the hardships and ideologies of the time. It is interesting to see how Tom grows as a character, develops new skills and starts showing empathy. I also appreciate how every character in the story have a detailed background and a role in the story.
The ending of the story is very emotional, bittersweet, and satisfying. If this sounds like something for you, I definitely recommend reading it. I wish there was a whole series based on the book.

Danish:
I starten var jeg en smule skeptisk om jeg burde fortsætte med at læse historien, men jeg endte med at læse videre, og jeg må sige at jeg nu er meget glad for at jeg gjorde. Der er nogle lidt langtrukne scener fra tid til anden, men det er det værd. Jeg er meget glad for personerne i historien, og deres karakter ark, altså hvordan de alle udviklede sig. Ham Tom Collins er en værre en, man kan ikke lade være med at synes godt om ham. Samme med Sunday Morning, George, Bibido, Toto...!
Slutningen er også virkelig god og bittersød.
Jeg anbefaler varmt historien.

[Vibeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Prins Faisal’s ring, lydbogsudgave
af Bjarne Reuter
Oplæst af Paul Hüttel

Bjarne Reuter leverer med Prins Faisal’s ring en intens og medrivende fortælling, hvor ungdom, ansvar og konsekvenser væves sammen i et stærkt plot. Historien er både spændende og tankevækkende, uden at blive belærende, og Reuter formår at gøre personerne troværdige og menneskeligt nuancerede.

Oplæsningen

Paul Hüttel gør lydbogsoplevelsen særligt levende. Hans stemme giver karaktererne tydelig identitet og stemning, samtidig med at han formidler historiens alvor og humor subtilt. Hüttels oplæsning tilføjer ekstra dybde til tekstens refleksioner og holder lytteren engageret fra start til slut.

Helhedsvurdering

Prins Faisal’s ring er en gennemført ungdomsroman, der både kan læses og lyttes til med stor fornøjelse af både unge og gamle. Så længe man er vild med en velskrevet piratroman.
Kombinationen af Reuter som forfatter og Hüttel som oplæser gør dette til en 5-stjernet oplevelse, der både underholder og engagerer intellektuelt.

5 ud af 5 stjerner

[Ester Pablos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha costado un poco terminar el libro. No es que esté mal, pero no he conectado demasiado con los personajes. Me parece que la relación entre Tom y Boto no tiene demasiado desarrollo, y su reencuentro tarda demasiado en materializarse. Creo que es el verdadero talón de Aquiles de la novela.
Las aventuras están bien, aunque Tom se libra de los problemas de forma demasiado fácil y conveniente.
Destacaría los diálogos, que tienen bastante gracia, y la ambientación, que está bastante lograda, aunque cambien de entorno muy deprisa.
Para la gente a la que le gusten las aventuras clásicas, los piratas y un protagonista con mucha labia, puede funcionar muy bien.

[Hazel West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts on the Overall Book: I had high expectations for this book when I got it, and for the most part, I was not disappointed. It was maybe not quite as awesome as I hoped it would be, but I really did enjoy the story a lot.

Cover--Yea or Nay: Despite the fact that the characters are portrayed on the cover, I really like it. I think the artist did a good job portraying Tom and Boto, at least how I pictured them, and the fact that it's drawn instead of using models makes it better. It also portrays the kind of story you get to read in the pages as well.

Characters: Tom O'Connor, while at first might seem to be a bit of an anti-hero and not the world's best person, ends up being a really strong young man, and a good one too. This is most definitely a coming of age story, and Tom is the perfect kind of protagonist for a story like that. Despite the fact that he was rather world-weary even at only fourteen, he had a lot to learn, and he didn't only learn how to make his way in the world, but he learned other things like compassion, and honor. He was sharp, and a bit sarcastic and I really liked him a lot. I absolutely loved Nyo Boto too. I really wish he had been in the whole story along with Tom, their eventual friendship almost felt a little rushed when it happened, so I kind of wish there had been more of them together beforehand. Otherwise, their friendship was awesome, just the kind of brotherly bond I love to see. Maybe still not quite as awesome as Marcus and Esca from "Eagle of the Ninth" but still awesome. And Boto was also a sharp character and had a wonderful quiet wit that always made me laugh. I also really came to like Feodora, Tom's half sister, even though I really didn't care much for her at the beginning of the story. And her and Tom's brother/sister relationship was also really touching. C. W. Bull was an awesome pirate, and I ended up really liking his character too. He was another one who I wished had come into the story earlier as a main character. There were a few baddies in the story who were bad, though not particularly vile as they could have been. Probably the worst baddie in my opinion was the Inquisitor (because aren't they always the worst?) Salazar or Father Innocent as he was also called. There were too many supporting characters to name here, but they were all very colorful and enjoyable to read about.

The Romance: There's not really anything one could call romance in this book.

Writing Style: The style itself kind of reminded me of Stevenson, but the book as a whole really felt like one of Louis L'Amour's historical novels, particularly the ones set in the same time period. There was a lot about this book that made me think of "Fair Blows the Wind" even though as far as story and characters go, there really isn't many similarities. But this book felt like one Louis L'Amour could have written. The writing is very visual and lovely and it flowed with a classical style. I kind of liked the fact that the author portrayed the time period and especially slavery, in a way that it hinted at the horror of it, but at the same time, the reader never really gets to see any of that. That also bothered me a bit though, because sometimes I thought it felt like the author was missing something. But by the end of the book, I kind of figured I liked it better because of that because it didn't feel like the author was preaching to the reader on slavery and all that. The only thing that kept this book from being five stars was the fact that it was what I call a 'meandering plot' (again another thing that kind of made me think of Louis L'Amour's novels, though his usually have a beginning and an end). Yes, the story ends well, but it's kind of a series of different events, that, while they lead to each other, kind of still felt a little disjointed in parts. But this book was about Tom's journey from boy to man, and this is usually what one can expect from those kinds of books. That being said, I was never bored with this book, and even though it's long, it was a quick read.

Accuracy/ Believability: The historical accuracy is very good, and believability is too. The only thing that I could lecture on was the keelhauling scene. I find it very hard to believe Tom was not worse off after that. Keelhauling is usually a death sentence, drowning usually being the least of your problems. But apart from that (because you all know how I am always strict on the accuracy of gory details) there wasn't anything I could really mark, although I think the bombas on the plantations probably could have been a lot meaner than they were. We always heard about how bad they were to the slaves, but we never really saw any of that.

Problems/What bothered me: Apart from the minor problems already addressed, the only thing that really bothered me was the random scenes with the lizard. I could never tell whether Tom was ACTUALLY talking to a lizard and it was actually talking back, or whether that was all in his head. I always hate it when books do that, when I can't figure out whether they mean something literally, or if it's just a hallucination or something like that.

Conclusion: 4 stars. I probably would have given it five if it had had a more direct plot line, but as it was, I still really enjoyed it.

Recommended Audience: A good guy read, 16 and up, Stevenson fans would probably like it, and I almost certain Louis L'Amour fans would like it too. If you enjoyed his "Fair Blows the Wind" and "Sackett's Land" and such, you would definitely like this one.

[Melanie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great tale with shades of good and evil (temptations are never far away) and hearty characters. The writer doesn't tell us a lot about Nevis, but it's unusual to have a story with Nevis representing home. In reality though, Nevis was not a haven. It was as barbaric a place as Jamaica - its slave market was a central trading place and its plantations just as intolerable as those described in Jamaica in the book. Bjarne Reuter is a competent writer, on the whole, and I'd be interested to read more of his books.

[Anth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1639 on Nevis, a 14-year-old boy named Tom O'Connor embarks on a thrilling quest across the Caribbean, facing pirates, plantations, and moral dilemmas. His adventures transform him, teaching him to value compassion over greed.

A wonderful book to get lost in with some great characters along the way.

[Rachelilehcar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about uncorruption, undepravity and honesty

[Morgan Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be a great fast paced pirate movie. Very enjoyable to read.

[Robert Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very adventure and excitement

[Jen Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitaasti huimaavaksi seikkailuksi kasvava tarina, joka pakotti ahmimaan itsensä. Seuraavaksi menen pyyhkimään meren roiskeet laseistani.

[Aia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meget spændende roman! Fyldt med vilde eventyr, og omhandler mange vigtige emner, som racisme, kønsnormer, og slavehandlen.

[Susanne Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

a true adventure book!

[Josip Štrkalj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book! I like how the mystical and realistic are intertwined. Beautiful story about friendship, adventures and colonialism.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

La verdad es que me encantó. Disfruté como un chiquillo. Aventura y un protagonista muy prespicaz y vivo en una verdadera historia de piratas. Si te gustan estos géneros, El anillo del príncipe es un gran libro.

[Alenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not as kid-appropriate a I thought it would be, and painfully slow (for the first 50 pages).

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is action adventure of the 'Boy's own' sort set in Nevis and Jamaica during the times of sailing ships and the slave trade.

Young Tom O'Connor lives with his mother and half sister ( Spanish) in an Inn on Nevis owned by a grumpy old Spaniard. Tom aged 14 is an exert sailor and often goes out at night sailing by himself. One night he rescues a Spanish man from Cadiz and a small skinny slave . The Spanish man says the slave is a prince and there fore very valuable is they can get him back to his home island s off Africa.

One day Ramon, the rescued Spaniard disappears with the young valuable slave prince and Tom sets off to find him. This is the start of some pretty amazing and at times unbelievable adventures where Tom ends up close to death on a number of occasions.

He works on a slave plantation in Jamaica, sails on a Spanish galleon as a galley cook, is captured by pirates, shipwrecked and more.

It is a good adventure story but you do have to suspend belief at times that a young lad could live through quite so much and come out alive.

It is well written, and translated from the original language. It is a fun, easy read with lots of excitement, intrigue and close calls.

[Arvydas Sidorenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denne slags bøger var altid min yndlings. Jeg ville give mere and fem stjernen vis jeg kunne. Det er en eventyr historie, som handle i år 1639. Du vil erfare en bred vifte af oplevelse - ungdom og ældning, overflod og fattigdom, virkeliggørelsen og tab, beundring og hader, tålmodighed og agitation, wanderlust og hjemve, trofasthed og uærlighed, venskab og antipati, tapperhed og fejhed, hav eventyr og landskab eventyr, fisker og pirater, frihed og slaveri, fødsel og død, visdom og dumhed, racisme og tolerance, naturlige evner og naturkatastrofer og meget meget mere.

Jeg kan ikke find rigtige ord med min barnlige dansk at udtrykke, hvor meget jeg elske denne bog. Det var min første bog jeg har læst af dansk forfatter. Bjarne Reuter minde mig meget Hemingway. Så så dejligt.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom is clever, creative, and very, very lucky. I like how his big mouth gets him in and out of trouble. The author did a great job with his character development and with the moral of the story that God and life are worth clinging to. If the translator hadn't used the s word for going to the bathroom, I would have given this book five stars and I would have ordered it for my bookshelf. Alas. One cannot have everything in life.

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nachdem dieses Buch seit einer Vielzahl an Jahren in den Tiefen meines Bücherregals vor sich hin staubte, habe ich es nun endlich hervorgeholt und gelesen. Und ich muss sagen, es hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Eigentlich lese ich recht selten Bücher aus diesem Genre und habe mich vielleicht gerade deswegen solange davor gedrückt das Buch zu lesen. Das war aber definitiv ein Fehler. Prinz Faisals Ring lebt von tollen Charakteren und spannenden Wendungen! Daher gibt es von mir 4 Sterne!

[Lori Clark-Erickson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Historical topic: Slavery.

What did you like most about the book: How you could play certain parts of the book out in your mind.

What did you dislike most about the book: How it would drag on and seemed like it never really went anywhere.

Summary: A boy whos family has gone into dept and become slaves. As he entered his teen years he decided to run away from home and try to find money in order to get his family out of dept by trying to steal money from a pirate crew.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very eventful book. It is about the young adventures that Tom O'Conner in the late 1600's. At the time that he leaves home he is 13. He does return after sailing on ships, learning to be a blacksmith and becoming a bomba in Jamacia. When he returns he finds that home is not what he left so he soon leaves again this time with his sister! This book was well worth reading!

[Tobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good. I found it in the Library and wanted to read it. It was interesting in hooking. The characters, like Tom O'Connor and Nyo Boto were very interesting and the way they interacted was great. There was also a little humor involved. I woudl recommend this book to anybody because it is a great book and one of my favorites.

[Yvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the book he is searching for his ticket to richness at the end of the book you realise all that glitters doesnt bring richness. Richness lies in being kind,paying it forward. Doing good regardless race, colour or who you like. Although I am hidrofobic I sailed and even swam the seven seas with Tom O Connor