Buccaneer: The Early Life and Crimes of Philip Rake

by Chris Thorndycroft

Bristol, 1713. When Philip Rake, pickpocket, smuggler and scoundrel is arrested and thrown in jail, he assumes he has a short walk to the gallows. But his father, a wealthy merchant who has remained a figure of mystery throughout his life, throws him a lifeline; become an indentured man on an expedition to the East Indies led by his friend, Woodes Rogers. Woodes Rogers is looking for Libertatia - the fabled pirate kingdom of the legendary buccaneer Henry Avery - and the hoard of treasure rumoured to be hidden there. But Philip wants his freedom and when he learns that there are men onboard who once sailed with Henry Avery and plan to take the treasure for themselves, he jumps ship and embarks upon a career of piracy. Philip's story takes him from the backstreets of Bristol to the sun-baked hills of Madagascar and on to the tropical islands of the Caribbean in a thrilling tale of adventure in which he rubs shoulders with some of the most notorious pirates of the age including Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

236 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2023

About the author

Chris Thorndycroft is a British writer of historical fiction, horror and fantasy. His early short stories appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Dark Moon Digest and American Nightmare. His first novel under his own name was A Brother's Oath. He also writes under the pseudonym P. J. Thorndyke.

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Reviews

[Antón]

Action focused old school adventure novel. Light and easy to read, a pretty decent summer novel.
Extra points to the author for including Miguel Enriquez and the guardacostas in the story, he clearly did some research, but I would have loved more depth in the characters.
I'll read more of Rake's adventures though