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Treasure & Vengeance (Buccaneers) #2
Black Bartlemy's Treasure (Treasure & Vengeance,
Martine Conisby, Lord Wendover, enraged by his five years of slavery on a Spanish galleon escapes during a sea fight. He is rescued by an English ship. Lord Wendover is determined to avenge this wrong. He returns to England disguised as a tramp just in time to save the beautiful Lady Jane Brandon. The beautiful lady is the daughter of the man he has sworn to punish. They learn of Black Bartlemy, an infamous pirate who has treasure buried on an island. The two set out in search of treasure.
366 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1920
7 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Jeffery Farnol
418 books30 followersJohn Jeffery Farnol was born in Aston, Birmingham, England, UK, son of Kate Jeffery and Henry John Farnol, a factory-employed brass-founder. The marriage had three more children, two boys and a girl.] He was brought up in London and Kent. He attended the Westminster School of Art, after he had lost his job in a Birmingham metal-working firm.
In 1900 he married Blanche Wilhelmina Victoria Hawley (1883–1955), the 16 years old daughter of the noted New York scenic artist H. Hughson Hawley; they moved to the United States, where he found work as a scene painter. The marriage had a daughter, Gillian Hawley. He returned to England around 1910, and settled in Eastbourne, Sussex. In 1938, he divorced and remarried with Phyllis Mary Clarke on 20 May, and adopted her daughter, Charmian Jane.
On 9 August 1952, he died aged 73 in Eastbourne, after a long battle with cancer.
Farnol published his first romance novel My Lady Caprice in 1907. The success of his early novels led Farnol toeventually become a professional writer. He produced around 40 novels and volumes of stories, and some non-fiction and children's books. His last book was completed by his second wife Phyllis.
From Wikipedia
In 1900 he married Blanche Wilhelmina Victoria Hawley (1883–1955), the 16 years old daughter of the noted New York scenic artist H. Hughson Hawley; they moved to the United States, where he found work as a scene painter. The marriage had a daughter, Gillian Hawley. He returned to England around 1910, and settled in Eastbourne, Sussex. In 1938, he divorced and remarried with Phyllis Mary Clarke on 20 May, and adopted her daughter, Charmian Jane.
On 9 August 1952, he died aged 73 in Eastbourne, after a long battle with cancer.
Farnol published his first romance novel My Lady Caprice in 1907. The success of his early novels led Farnol toeventually become a professional writer. He produced around 40 novels and volumes of stories, and some non-fiction and children's books. His last book was completed by his second wife Phyllis.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 8, 2016
I set this aside awhile back because I'd paid $.99 for the ebook and it was coded badly, so on the smallest print setting it still showed only four or five sentences per page! I finally broke down and got the free file from Gutenburg, and it was much better.
In this swashbuckler, Martin is not simply a man against a villain, or a man against nature; he is primarily a man against himself, as he has a prodigious temper. Things come to hand relatively easy as he and the fair lady are marooned on the island...even with goats for milk and cheese!...but he fights his temper over and over again.
Book two, Martin Conisby's Vengeance, follows closely and contains the end of the tale, so...on to it!
In this swashbuckler, Martin is not simply a man against a villain, or a man against nature; he is primarily a man against himself, as he has a prodigious temper. Things come to hand relatively easy as he and the fair lady are marooned on the island...even with goats for milk and cheese!...but he fights his temper over and over again.
Book two, Martin Conisby's Vengeance, follows closely and contains the end of the tale, so...on to it!
March 20, 2015
4 1/2 for Martin Conisby's be moaning his lot. Could have been a 5
Martin Conisby is more animal than human. For the last five years he has been chained to the rowing bench of a galley ship. The hot sun baked his brains till his every waking and dreaming thought was bent on getting revenge. For all his high upbringing, Martin Conisby is a fool. Unable to get beyond his past, he would let everything slip. Fortune, love, happiness and true friendship. None of it matters to his fever ravaged brain. And I became inclined to agree with Adam Penfeather (rogue that he is), that a pistol butt against his head was the only way. On the other hand, maybe that's why he was a fool till the end. A quote from Penfeather himself:
"Ha, doth the tap o' my pistol-butt smart yet, Martin? (...) And now," says Adam crossing his arms, "here's the truth on't. I found you a poor wretch bent on vengeance, murder, and a rogues death, which Is pure folly. I offered you riches, the which you refused, and this was arrant folly. I took you for comarde, brought you aboard ship with offer of honest employ which you likewise refused, and here was more folly. Your conduct on board ship was all folly. (...) Martin," says he,"'Tis true you are a fool but your folly harmeth none but yourself!"
Yes, buccaneer that he is, Penfeather did the best he could with an unwilling accomplice. And managed to love him for/despite his foolery.
I feel rather sorry for Lady Joan, she deeply loved Martin, she saw what he could be, instead of writing him off as a lost cause. But did Martin trust her to love him even when things were black against him? Of course not, he was Martin Conisby, pronounced fool by all. At moments like that I wished Adam could get out his pistol again. Joan was so sweet an patient with Martin and his black moods, she was a true heroine.
In case you are wondering, I enjoyed this book, I loved the adventure and now I must sit down and read the "sequel" (the other half in reality). Yes, it leaves off on a cliff hanger. Yes, the publishers decided splitting the book would be more profitable. Of I go to read Martin Conisby's Vengence! Part of me wondered why Martin took so long to get passed his past, then I remembered that this was really just the first half of the book, not a standalone.
G-PG Being a book on pirates, Black Bartlemy, A pirate with a hook-hand, treasure, buccaneers and a former galley slave there are multiple murders, we don't see more than a shot. There is a dead man's song, which holds the key to a murderer and a few swears.
Martin Conisby is more animal than human. For the last five years he has been chained to the rowing bench of a galley ship. The hot sun baked his brains till his every waking and dreaming thought was bent on getting revenge. For all his high upbringing, Martin Conisby is a fool. Unable to get beyond his past, he would let everything slip. Fortune, love, happiness and true friendship. None of it matters to his fever ravaged brain. And I became inclined to agree with Adam Penfeather (rogue that he is), that a pistol butt against his head was the only way. On the other hand, maybe that's why he was a fool till the end. A quote from Penfeather himself:
"Ha, doth the tap o' my pistol-butt smart yet, Martin? (...) And now," says Adam crossing his arms, "here's the truth on't. I found you a poor wretch bent on vengeance, murder, and a rogues death, which Is pure folly. I offered you riches, the which you refused, and this was arrant folly. I took you for comarde, brought you aboard ship with offer of honest employ which you likewise refused, and here was more folly. Your conduct on board ship was all folly. (...) Martin," says he,"'Tis true you are a fool but your folly harmeth none but yourself!"
Yes, buccaneer that he is, Penfeather did the best he could with an unwilling accomplice. And managed to love him for/despite his foolery.
I feel rather sorry for Lady Joan, she deeply loved Martin, she saw what he could be, instead of writing him off as a lost cause. But did Martin trust her to love him even when things were black against him? Of course not, he was Martin Conisby, pronounced fool by all. At moments like that I wished Adam could get out his pistol again. Joan was so sweet an patient with Martin and his black moods, she was a true heroine.
In case you are wondering, I enjoyed this book, I loved the adventure and now I must sit down and read the "sequel" (the other half in reality). Yes, it leaves off on a cliff hanger. Yes, the publishers decided splitting the book would be more profitable. Of I go to read Martin Conisby's Vengence! Part of me wondered why Martin took so long to get passed his past, then I remembered that this was really just the first half of the book, not a standalone.
G-PG Being a book on pirates, Black Bartlemy, A pirate with a hook-hand, treasure, buccaneers and a former galley slave there are multiple murders, we don't see more than a shot. There is a dead man's song, which holds the key to a murderer and a few swears.
May 14, 2010
Escaping from a Spanish slave-ship, Martin has only thoughts of one thing: revenge against the man who killed his father and sold him to slavery. Arriving back home he lands up in the stocks for something he didn't do, and then later stows away on a ship captained by the one who freed him from the stocks. This is the start of an adventure where he finds what he is not expecting....
A very interesting book in that as the story unfolds, you are unsure who is the pirate, who is the rogue, who is just a plain thief!!. The book is very difficult to read however, due to the usage of old English. Here is a quote "Aye, I do so, and judging from what I know, I do take ye for a very rogue and I'm done with you henceforth."
I read the e-book version, downloaded from Project Gutenberg and enjoyed it so much (despite the old English usage) that I immediately downloaded the follow-up book Martin Conisby's Vengeance.
This book can be read online right here on Goodreads.
A very interesting book in that as the story unfolds, you are unsure who is the pirate, who is the rogue, who is just a plain thief!!. The book is very difficult to read however, due to the usage of old English. Here is a quote "Aye, I do so, and judging from what I know, I do take ye for a very rogue and I'm done with you henceforth."
I read the e-book version, downloaded from Project Gutenberg and enjoyed it so much (despite the old English usage) that I immediately downloaded the follow-up book Martin Conisby's Vengeance.
This book can be read online right here on Goodreads.
May 26, 2012
From BBC radio 4 Extra:
Jeffrey Farnol's swashbuckling tale of piracy, love and death on a desert island.
Jeffrey Farnol's swashbuckling tale of piracy, love and death on a desert island.
April 1, 2024
I confess to possessing low tastes when it comes to entertainment. I enjoy both drama and melodrama (as long as it's done well), and I am quite happy to suspend my disbelief to a significant degree for the sake of a good story. I want interesting characters doing interesting things in interesting places. Black Bartlemy's Treasure succeeds quite well on all of these counts with the bonus that I like not only both Martin and Lady Brandon but also Adam Penfeather and Godby.
The first-person POV was the best choice to tell this story. Martin is a man both of high honor and of petulant immaturity who also happens to have suffered a vast injustice. In third person, I might have found it difficult to sympathize with his shifts between acts of nobility and fits of petulance, but with the aid of immersion in his thoughts, I could follow (in all but one instance) the thread of his character. Adam Penfeather appears as an interesting cipher, presenting himself differently in different situations, but since this is how Martin himself experienced him, I did not experience any dissonance when he changed his manner. Lady Joan Brandon serves as a spunky love interest (although her characterization does suffer a little at times from the way her dialogue is written, falling into a sort of sighing cadence that didn't quite mesh with her actions). The love story is very sweet. The best romances are founded not on bodily lust but on a commitment to honor and duty that enables the characters to sacrifice their own desires for good of the beloved. (That said, Martin is prone to overly zealous self-sacrifice and definitely pushes this too far, to his sorrow.) The one sour note in the whole book is a significant narrative misstep at about the three-quarters mark where Farnol failed to set up one of Martin's sudden changes. The abrupt shift in his behavior and thoughts jolted me right out of the story at that moment. It's not that his behavior was out of character--it was within the bounds of what had been established before--but the shift occurred so rapidly that I did not believe in it. I had to stop at the end of the chapter and decide how to reset my engagement with the story so that I could continue.
as for the plot, the action scenes are exciting and easily visualized. The story is a typical swashbuckler featuring a revenge plot spiced up with a touch of Capulet and Montague: the Brandon and Conisby families have engaged in a feud for generations and Lady Joan's father sent Martin's father to the block for treason. There are pirates and a marooning on a lush island, a brooding (and apparently jack-of-all-trades) hero, a lovely and capable heroine, and echoes of both Robinson Crusoe and The Tempest/As You Like It. And, of course, the titular treasure. Good stuff, all.
Farnol employed a version of old-fashioned English not only in dialogue but also throughout the narration. In some books, this is tedious, but after a couple of chapters I wasn't even aware of it. Farnol handles the idiom quite naturally and it actually adds to the immersive quality of the book. (I also seized the opportunity to look up unfamiliar words, which led me down some quite delightful side paths as I read.)
In addition to the old-fashioned language, this book has an old-fashioned outlook that I found a delightful escape from contemporary attitudes and mores. It makes no attempt to wrestle with the moral dilemmas of social ills. The world simply exists as it is and the characters move about within it. The book's moral center is concerned with character and behavior and with whether revenge is ever justified (particularly as a driving life force). In this sense, the setting feels rather more like a stage set for the characters to walk about in than a distinct reality. The hero and heroine are marooned together on an island, and while there is clear sexual tension between them, it was clear that there would be no sex scenes. Violence is present, but is neither graphic nor gratuitous.
I've knocked off one star for the inexplicable narrative misstep, but otherwise this is a delightful and exciting read.
The first-person POV was the best choice to tell this story. Martin is a man both of high honor and of petulant immaturity who also happens to have suffered a vast injustice. In third person, I might have found it difficult to sympathize with his shifts between acts of nobility and fits of petulance, but with the aid of immersion in his thoughts, I could follow (in all but one instance) the thread of his character. Adam Penfeather appears as an interesting cipher, presenting himself differently in different situations, but since this is how Martin himself experienced him, I did not experience any dissonance when he changed his manner. Lady Joan Brandon serves as a spunky love interest (although her characterization does suffer a little at times from the way her dialogue is written, falling into a sort of sighing cadence that didn't quite mesh with her actions). The love story is very sweet. The best romances are founded not on bodily lust but on a commitment to honor and duty that enables the characters to sacrifice their own desires for good of the beloved. (That said, Martin is prone to overly zealous self-sacrifice and definitely pushes this too far, to his sorrow.) The one sour note in the whole book is a significant narrative misstep at about the three-quarters mark where Farnol failed to set up one of Martin's sudden changes. The abrupt shift in his behavior and thoughts jolted me right out of the story at that moment. It's not that his behavior was out of character--it was within the bounds of what had been established before--but the shift occurred so rapidly that I did not believe in it. I had to stop at the end of the chapter and decide how to reset my engagement with the story so that I could continue.
as for the plot, the action scenes are exciting and easily visualized. The story is a typical swashbuckler featuring a revenge plot spiced up with a touch of Capulet and Montague: the Brandon and Conisby families have engaged in a feud for generations and Lady Joan's father sent Martin's father to the block for treason. There are pirates and a marooning on a lush island, a brooding (and apparently jack-of-all-trades) hero, a lovely and capable heroine, and echoes of both Robinson Crusoe and The Tempest/As You Like It. And, of course, the titular treasure. Good stuff, all.
Farnol employed a version of old-fashioned English not only in dialogue but also throughout the narration. In some books, this is tedious, but after a couple of chapters I wasn't even aware of it. Farnol handles the idiom quite naturally and it actually adds to the immersive quality of the book. (I also seized the opportunity to look up unfamiliar words, which led me down some quite delightful side paths as I read.)
In addition to the old-fashioned language, this book has an old-fashioned outlook that I found a delightful escape from contemporary attitudes and mores. It makes no attempt to wrestle with the moral dilemmas of social ills. The world simply exists as it is and the characters move about within it. The book's moral center is concerned with character and behavior and with whether revenge is ever justified (particularly as a driving life force). In this sense, the setting feels rather more like a stage set for the characters to walk about in than a distinct reality. The hero and heroine are marooned together on an island, and while there is clear sexual tension between them, it was clear that there would be no sex scenes. Violence is present, but is neither graphic nor gratuitous.
I've knocked off one star for the inexplicable narrative misstep, but otherwise this is a delightful and exciting read.
January 7, 2026
Hello, everyone!
Although this novel may not qualify as a classic because of its relative obscurity and scanty readership, it is definitely written like one and was also published in an age when classics were still coming off the press. The fact that it hasn't found an audience is a shame, because it is distinctly readable.
Given that there is a synopsis above, I hardly need to summarize the storyline. However, Mr. Farnol's deft management of so many characters and plot elements is a cruelly underrated accomplishment. This is by no means a typical swashbuckler.
The plot shows distinct traces of two well-known works: "Ben-Hur" and "Treasure Island". The inspiration and references are plain, but Mr. Farnol avoids slipping into derivative mentality by transforming the time period of the story (ostensibly the mid 1660's) into a world of his own. The dialect, the settings, and the character names ("Will Mr. God-be-here 'Godby' Jenkins please step forward?") all shine with the unmistakable splendor of literary genius.
Another aspect the book has to recommend itself is that Mr. Farnol does not rely on action to propel the story forward, which is unique for a pirate novel. The adventure is decidedly character driven, by our protagonist and narrator Martin Conisby in particular.
One of the only issues with the book (and perhaps the reason no specific date is given) is that the story apparently takes place during the reign of Charles II, since the nobility in England are running strong. The problem is that Martin is returning to Britannia after an absence of five years, when the nobility are also described as in power. Between 1649 and 1664 (if memory serves me correctly) England was a commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, and the nobility would have been driven out. But there is no reference to Cromwell within the story, with the result that I had the impression that it had been the Year of Grace 1665 (or thereabouts) for the past twenty years within the story.
True, the book may in fact be set later during Charles II's reign, putting Cromwell and the commonwealth twenty years behind. But Henry Morgan, who achieved great fame and knighthood as a privateer in the service of Charles, is mentioned to be "young" within the story, implying that his career was just starting out, which would be right around the time that the commonwealth fell and Charles II was crowned.
All of that to say, this is the 1660's of the buccaneers, not the 1660's of the monarchy restoration, so don't expect historical context relating to world events of the time period.
I am not a sentimental man, but our heroine Lady Joan Brandon very much touched my heart. She was very much a role model character, and a Godly young woman in a time of excess and corruption at court. The way she inspires Martin to become a nobler person (or rediscover the nobility he lost when he gave in to bitterness) was highly believable, and extremely moving, although one cannot help but sympathize with her when Martin initially hates her because of her relation to his nemesis.
The villain of the piece, Roger Tressady, sports a hook for a hand, which sounds like a gimmick until one reads how he uses it . . . the character makes his presence felt throughout the story, like a ghost, and does not show himself until the worst possible time for our heroes at the climax.
The role the eponymous plunder plays in the story is very different from the standard MacGuffin quest we expect from buried treasure. Instead of searching for it (Martin could not be less motivated by wealth; all he wants is revenge) our heroes are imperiled by being stranded on an island where a cursed treasure is hidden and knowing that a deadly crew of buccaneers will be coming for it (and them) at any time. (Similar to Disney's "Shipwrecked" movie from the '90's).
But menacing as the sea-raiders are, there is another villain waiting to destroy Martin's hopes of redemption . . .
This nuanced yarn may not be for everyone's taste, but it can change your life, compelling me to rate it proportionally to my enjoyment, which is the maximum.
Book appetite!
Although this novel may not qualify as a classic because of its relative obscurity and scanty readership, it is definitely written like one and was also published in an age when classics were still coming off the press. The fact that it hasn't found an audience is a shame, because it is distinctly readable.
Given that there is a synopsis above, I hardly need to summarize the storyline. However, Mr. Farnol's deft management of so many characters and plot elements is a cruelly underrated accomplishment. This is by no means a typical swashbuckler.
The plot shows distinct traces of two well-known works: "Ben-Hur" and "Treasure Island". The inspiration and references are plain, but Mr. Farnol avoids slipping into derivative mentality by transforming the time period of the story (ostensibly the mid 1660's) into a world of his own. The dialect, the settings, and the character names ("Will Mr. God-be-here 'Godby' Jenkins please step forward?") all shine with the unmistakable splendor of literary genius.
Another aspect the book has to recommend itself is that Mr. Farnol does not rely on action to propel the story forward, which is unique for a pirate novel. The adventure is decidedly character driven, by our protagonist and narrator Martin Conisby in particular.
One of the only issues with the book (and perhaps the reason no specific date is given) is that the story apparently takes place during the reign of Charles II, since the nobility in England are running strong. The problem is that Martin is returning to Britannia after an absence of five years, when the nobility are also described as in power. Between 1649 and 1664 (if memory serves me correctly) England was a commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, and the nobility would have been driven out. But there is no reference to Cromwell within the story, with the result that I had the impression that it had been the Year of Grace 1665 (or thereabouts) for the past twenty years within the story.
True, the book may in fact be set later during Charles II's reign, putting Cromwell and the commonwealth twenty years behind. But Henry Morgan, who achieved great fame and knighthood as a privateer in the service of Charles, is mentioned to be "young" within the story, implying that his career was just starting out, which would be right around the time that the commonwealth fell and Charles II was crowned.
All of that to say, this is the 1660's of the buccaneers, not the 1660's of the monarchy restoration, so don't expect historical context relating to world events of the time period.
I am not a sentimental man, but our heroine Lady Joan Brandon very much touched my heart. She was very much a role model character, and a Godly young woman in a time of excess and corruption at court. The way she inspires Martin to become a nobler person (or rediscover the nobility he lost when he gave in to bitterness) was highly believable, and extremely moving, although one cannot help but sympathize with her when Martin initially hates her because of her relation to his nemesis.
The villain of the piece, Roger Tressady, sports a hook for a hand, which sounds like a gimmick until one reads how he uses it . . . the character makes his presence felt throughout the story, like a ghost, and does not show himself until the worst possible time for our heroes at the climax.
The role the eponymous plunder plays in the story is very different from the standard MacGuffin quest we expect from buried treasure. Instead of searching for it (Martin could not be less motivated by wealth; all he wants is revenge) our heroes are imperiled by being stranded on an island where a cursed treasure is hidden and knowing that a deadly crew of buccaneers will be coming for it (and them) at any time. (Similar to Disney's "Shipwrecked" movie from the '90's).
But menacing as the sea-raiders are, there is another villain waiting to destroy Martin's hopes of redemption . . .
This nuanced yarn may not be for everyone's taste, but it can change your life, compelling me to rate it proportionally to my enjoyment, which is the maximum.
Book appetite!
February 15, 2024
One of the early swashbucklers (3 stars)
Jeffery Farnol (1878–1952) along with Georgette Heyer (1902–1974) is credited for largely initiating the Regency romantic genre. But he also wrote some of the early "swashbucklers", a genre which focuses on a gentleman hero who is daring, idealistic, and skilled in swordplay and guile.
Black Bartlemy's Treasure (1920) was followed by Martin Conisby's Vengeance (1921), and together makes up his Treasure and Vengeance Series. Together these two novels tell the story of Martine Conisby, Lord Wendover, who has spent five years as a slave on a Spanish galleon, and after his escape is bent on vengeance against Richard Brandon, the nobleman responsible for this wrong and for the death of his father. He meets Brandon's daughter, but remains bent on his quest for revenge.
The story is full of adventure, as Martin teams up with another buccaneer in search of the legendary treasure of Black Bartlemy. Ironically he ends up on a desert island along with Brandon's daughter, and finds himself falling in love, and even softening and maturing. But he also remains somewhat of a fool.
There's lots of bloodthirsty action, and the language will be difficult for modern readers to follow. And coming from a different era, things often go in a different direction than you'd expect from a modern tale, with notions of chivalry and adventure not always producing a result like "they lived happily ever after". I listened to the BBC dramatized version, and even that wasn't overly gripping.
Mildly enjoyable, but somewhat challenging for modern readers to get through.
Jeffery Farnol (1878–1952) along with Georgette Heyer (1902–1974) is credited for largely initiating the Regency romantic genre. But he also wrote some of the early "swashbucklers", a genre which focuses on a gentleman hero who is daring, idealistic, and skilled in swordplay and guile.
Black Bartlemy's Treasure (1920) was followed by Martin Conisby's Vengeance (1921), and together makes up his Treasure and Vengeance Series. Together these two novels tell the story of Martine Conisby, Lord Wendover, who has spent five years as a slave on a Spanish galleon, and after his escape is bent on vengeance against Richard Brandon, the nobleman responsible for this wrong and for the death of his father. He meets Brandon's daughter, but remains bent on his quest for revenge.
The story is full of adventure, as Martin teams up with another buccaneer in search of the legendary treasure of Black Bartlemy. Ironically he ends up on a desert island along with Brandon's daughter, and finds himself falling in love, and even softening and maturing. But he also remains somewhat of a fool.
There's lots of bloodthirsty action, and the language will be difficult for modern readers to follow. And coming from a different era, things often go in a different direction than you'd expect from a modern tale, with notions of chivalry and adventure not always producing a result like "they lived happily ever after". I listened to the BBC dramatized version, and even that wasn't overly gripping.
Mildly enjoyable, but somewhat challenging for modern readers to get through.
June 24, 2025
I was looking forward to reading this book due to its description, but it was hard going reading the old English. Although the plot is what I tend to like in a book such as adventure and romance, I did find Martin very annoying at times. I don’t doubt he suffered injustice but he couldn’t move past his need for vengeance. He had lots of opportunities to move on but didn’t take them. Also, this book has got to have the most unsatisfactory ending in the history of book endings! I persevered to the end as I desperately wanted the book to improve.
August 26, 2020
Fantastic story
Though the book ends in s painful cliffhanger, this part 1 of the story is one of my favorite books ever. Such depth of characters, such deep depth of human condition plumbed. Who has not had sorrow? Who has not raged against challenging circumstances? What a fantastic journey of manhood and love and hope.
Though the book ends in s painful cliffhanger, this part 1 of the story is one of my favorite books ever. Such depth of characters, such deep depth of human condition plumbed. Who has not had sorrow? Who has not raged against challenging circumstances? What a fantastic journey of manhood and love and hope.
April 29, 2008
"The Frenchman beside me had been dead since dawn. His scarred and shackled body swayed limply back and forth with every sweep of the great oar as we, his less fortunate bench-fellows, tugged and strained to keep time to the stroke."
Mr. Farnol brings back the pirate days of the Spanish Main in this stirring book filled with picturesque characters. It is a full-blooded, wholesome novel that captivates the reader.
Martine Conisby, Lord Wendover, embittered by his five years of slavery on the Spanish galleon Esmeralda, escapes during a sea fight to an English ship and makes his way back to England, determined to avenge himself on Richard Brandon, who was the cause of his father's death and his own ill-treatment. Broken in body and spirit, he arrives home one night disguised as a tramp, just in time to save from the hands of robbers a beautiful girl, Lady Jane Brandon, the daughter of the man whom he has sworn to punish. In a tavern he meets a pal, Adam Penfeather, who unfolds to him the story of Black Bartlemy, an infamous pirate, and his treasure buried on an island-- treasure of fabuous value that has been the dream and hope of roving adventurers along the Spanish Main for many years.
Bit of a language hurdle to get over, but once it's overcome the engrossed reader will eagerly follow the adventures of the treasure seekers who set sail on the good ship Faithful Friend and the unique experiences of Martin and the fair Lady Jane - whose family the hero hated - as they found themselves alone on the island which contained the buried treasure. He will encounter some rogues as bloodthirsty as any pirates who ever sailed the Seven Seas, and discover love episodes that stir the emotions. Mr. Farnol has never made a wider appeal than in this, his first sea story.
Mr. Farnol brings back the pirate days of the Spanish Main in this stirring book filled with picturesque characters. It is a full-blooded, wholesome novel that captivates the reader.
Martine Conisby, Lord Wendover, embittered by his five years of slavery on the Spanish galleon Esmeralda, escapes during a sea fight to an English ship and makes his way back to England, determined to avenge himself on Richard Brandon, who was the cause of his father's death and his own ill-treatment. Broken in body and spirit, he arrives home one night disguised as a tramp, just in time to save from the hands of robbers a beautiful girl, Lady Jane Brandon, the daughter of the man whom he has sworn to punish. In a tavern he meets a pal, Adam Penfeather, who unfolds to him the story of Black Bartlemy, an infamous pirate, and his treasure buried on an island-- treasure of fabuous value that has been the dream and hope of roving adventurers along the Spanish Main for many years.
Bit of a language hurdle to get over, but once it's overcome the engrossed reader will eagerly follow the adventures of the treasure seekers who set sail on the good ship Faithful Friend and the unique experiences of Martin and the fair Lady Jane - whose family the hero hated - as they found themselves alone on the island which contained the buried treasure. He will encounter some rogues as bloodthirsty as any pirates who ever sailed the Seven Seas, and discover love episodes that stir the emotions. Mr. Farnol has never made a wider appeal than in this, his first sea story.
March 2, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in May 1998.
Swashbuckling would not have been the same without Jeffery Farnol. He wrote many books in the spirit of the Errol Flynn films of the twenties; this one and its sequel, Martin Conisby's Vengeance, are typical, though among his best. These are the sources parodied affectionately by George Macdonald Fraser's Pyrates.
There are plenty of "Ar-hars" and "Wi'a curse" here to parody, but they are fun even today. Black Bartlemy's Treasure is perhaps less good than Martin Conisby's Vengeance; there is a fair amount of padding - about a third of the book is a fairly straight rip-off of Robinson Crusoe, though with an English aristocratic lady as a Man Friday.
Martin Conisby is already seeking his vengeance on Sir Richard Brandon, who has ruined him, and arranged his sale as a galley slave into long years of torture. He falls in with a group of buccanneers who are seeking the treasure hoard of the infamous Black Bartlemy, and who take service on a ship with Richard Brandon's cousin and daughter Joan (she is the one stranded on a desert island with Martin). Naturally, he falls in love with Joan, and spends the rest of the book trying to make the agonising decision of foregoing the revenge that has been keeping him going or losing the woman he loves. The island he is stranded on, naturally, turns out to be the one on which the treasure is hidden; but he is only interested in those parts of it which he can use in living on the island - it won't help him with his revenge. Their rescue more or less ends the book, though there are many plot issues remaining to be sorted out in the sequel.
Swashbuckling would not have been the same without Jeffery Farnol. He wrote many books in the spirit of the Errol Flynn films of the twenties; this one and its sequel, Martin Conisby's Vengeance, are typical, though among his best. These are the sources parodied affectionately by George Macdonald Fraser's Pyrates.
There are plenty of "Ar-hars" and "Wi'a curse" here to parody, but they are fun even today. Black Bartlemy's Treasure is perhaps less good than Martin Conisby's Vengeance; there is a fair amount of padding - about a third of the book is a fairly straight rip-off of Robinson Crusoe, though with an English aristocratic lady as a Man Friday.
Martin Conisby is already seeking his vengeance on Sir Richard Brandon, who has ruined him, and arranged his sale as a galley slave into long years of torture. He falls in with a group of buccanneers who are seeking the treasure hoard of the infamous Black Bartlemy, and who take service on a ship with Richard Brandon's cousin and daughter Joan (she is the one stranded on a desert island with Martin). Naturally, he falls in love with Joan, and spends the rest of the book trying to make the agonising decision of foregoing the revenge that has been keeping him going or losing the woman he loves. The island he is stranded on, naturally, turns out to be the one on which the treasure is hidden; but he is only interested in those parts of it which he can use in living on the island - it won't help him with his revenge. Their rescue more or less ends the book, though there are many plot issues remaining to be sorted out in the sequel.
August 21, 2025
"Sorrow and suffering may lift a man to greatness if he be strong of soul, or debase him to the brute if he be weak."
✨
”Who art thou,” cries Flesh, “to adventure thing so great and above thy puny strength to perform? Who art thou?” “I am God” answers Man-soul, “Since finite man am I only by reason of thee, base, coward Flesh.”
✨
”Who art thou,” cries Flesh, “to adventure thing so great and above thy puny strength to perform? Who art thou?” “I am God” answers Man-soul, “Since finite man am I only by reason of thee, base, coward Flesh.”
October 27, 2010
Interesting what you can pick up online in the public domain. I haven't bought a Kindle, but can still download Kindle books and read them on my Mac. And this public domain stuff is all free – free, I tell you, free!
Black Bartlemy is a rip-snorting pirate/shipwrecked island/revenge/romantic lovers tale written in 1920 that holds together on style more than anything else. That and a first-person narrator who is almost always better than he thinks he is and worse than he can accept. Tortured, enflamed, stubborn, vicious, loving – Martin Conisby is quite a guy. The language is as explosive as the character. Amazing what you can do without introducing four-letter words. (A recurring pirate song is the most blood-curdling ditty anyone would not want to hear floating in on the wind.)
It's an emotional tour de force, and modern-lit purists might well hate it. The ending is so wracking it demands that you read the sequel RIGHT NOW.
Black Bartlemy is a rip-snorting pirate/shipwrecked island/revenge/romantic lovers tale written in 1920 that holds together on style more than anything else. That and a first-person narrator who is almost always better than he thinks he is and worse than he can accept. Tortured, enflamed, stubborn, vicious, loving – Martin Conisby is quite a guy. The language is as explosive as the character. Amazing what you can do without introducing four-letter words. (A recurring pirate song is the most blood-curdling ditty anyone would not want to hear floating in on the wind.)
It's an emotional tour de force, and modern-lit purists might well hate it. The ending is so wracking it demands that you read the sequel RIGHT NOW.
January 20, 2014
This is one of these deals where the hero basically just needs to get his head out of his ass. Comparable to Sabatini in that sense, except that with Sabatini it's the heroine. I was looking forward to this because, hey, Farnol, pirates, how do you go wrong. Farnol has written stuff that's more fun than this.
October 8, 2019
Better than my wife realizes. Some fascinating chararacters, action and dialogue. Unfortunately, the protagonist and his beloved are weak reeds. I would have preferred a book or series about Adam Penfeather and La Culebra.
November 8, 2013
I'd never heard about this book before I was researching writing a pirate book of my own. It was super, though a little long in the romance. I enjoyed the visualization, the "everything I wanted in a pirate story" aspects, as well as great pirate-y dialogue.
May 2, 2020
A tale of vengeance, much like the Count of Monte Cristo, of a man robbed of his fortune and the girl he loves. One of the great pirate/adventure books of all time. I enthusiastically recommend this and the sequel, Martin Conisby's Vengeance.
August 31, 2013
A real swashbuckling yarn. Farnol turned out a huge volume of these, and they all made good reading for winter days by the fire
February 5, 2014
Certainly different
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