What do you think?
Rate this book
SWASHBUCKLER
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 12, 2026
Veteran author, D.R. Bensen penned an interesting novelization of the film, "Swashbuckler." The film, itself is based on the story "The Scarlet Buccaneer" which was written by Paul Wheeler and adapted for the screen by Jeffrey Bloom. The novelization is handled well with a few problems.
The movie itself is a farce and parody of pirate movies so it was humorous. The author who is not adept at writing humorous material struggled to convey the humor which is essential to it. The two main characters, Captain "Red" Ned Lynch and Acting Governor, Lord Durant rarely interact until the last quarter of the book. Their underlings and the heroine, Jane Barnet are given equal time which carries this burdensome novelization. When most of the humor was physical or sarcastic with accompanying facial gestures, it is hard to convey that in the written word.
Overall, this was a decent read but themes like bi-sexuality, lust, greed, disdain, cowardice, and honor are all presented as one-dimensional concepts. But, this was the 1970s so authors steered clear or danced around aforementioned topics. On the other hand, there is still plenty of action and interesting characters here. I still would recommend this novelization for its continuity and depth.
The movie itself is a farce and parody of pirate movies so it was humorous. The author who is not adept at writing humorous material struggled to convey the humor which is essential to it. The two main characters, Captain "Red" Ned Lynch and Acting Governor, Lord Durant rarely interact until the last quarter of the book. Their underlings and the heroine, Jane Barnet are given equal time which carries this burdensome novelization. When most of the humor was physical or sarcastic with accompanying facial gestures, it is hard to convey that in the written word.
Overall, this was a decent read but themes like bi-sexuality, lust, greed, disdain, cowardice, and honor are all presented as one-dimensional concepts. But, this was the 1970s so authors steered clear or danced around aforementioned topics. On the other hand, there is still plenty of action and interesting characters here. I still would recommend this novelization for its continuity and depth.
Displaying 1 of 1 review