Wake of the Perdido Star

by Gene Hackman, Daniel Lenihan

Forced by tragedy to join the crew of the Perdido Star, a sailing ship, in 1805, young Jack O'Reilly experiences his coming of age on the high seas and in the ports of Cuba, Salem, and the South Seas. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Pirates, Coming Of Age, 19th Century

412 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Eugene Allen Hackman was an American actor and novelist. In a career that spanned six decades, he received two Academy Awards, two British Academy Films Awards and four Golden Globes.

Hackman's two Academy Award wins were for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's action thriller The French Connection (1971) and for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a villainous Sheriff in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven(1992).

He was Oscar-nominated for his roles as Buck Barrow in the crime drama Bonnie and Clyde (1967), a college professor in the drama I Never Sang for My Father(1970), and an FBI agent in the historical drama Mississippi Burning (1988).

Hackman gained further fame for his portrayal of Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and its sequel Superman II (1980). He also acted in: The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Under Fire (1983), Power (1986), Loose Cannons (1990), The Firm (1993), The Quick and the Dead (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Enemy of the State (1998), Behind Enemy Lines (2001) and Runaway Jury (2003). He retired from acting after starring in Welcome to Mooseport (2004).

Together with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, Hackman wrote three historical fiction novels: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), a sea adventure of the 19th century; Justice for None (2004),a Depression-era tale of murder based on a real-life crime in his boyhood town of Danville; and Escape from Andersonville (2008), about a prison escape during the American Civil War.

His first solo effort, a story of love and revenge set in the Old West titled Payback at Morning Peak
His final novel Pursuit, a police thriller, followed in 2013

Reviews

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I’d seen it mentioned as a “swashbuckling sea adventure” with plenty of action and piracy.
However, reading it, I was reminded that when I was a kid I went through a big phase of reading lots of historical nautical books, both fiction and non-fiction. (There were lots of sailors and sea voyages in my family history, which is where the interest stemmed from… check out THIS BOOK, it features my distant relative getting cannibalized…) So, although I don’t know HOW to sail or anything like that, I feel that I’ve got a pretty good concept of what life was like on a 19th-century sailing ship. And, in this book, I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t notice many inaccuracies (other than that I found it hard to believe that on a ship of 26 hands, there would be sailors that ‘didn’t know each other’ after any amount of voyaging…) but I just wanted more details of shipboard life… but, this is a book that doesn’t get bogged down in details or verisimilitude… it actually, I think, would make a very good movie – and I’m sure that must have been in Gene Hackman’s mind when he was working on it. It’s got just about the level of depth and characterization of your average big-budget movie, with plenty of action scenes, local color and exotic locations (all politically-corrected, to a certain degree.)
The story has to do with a young man who takes to the sea after his parents are murdered by a Cuban Count who seizes the family property. He makes friends with another young man, a victim of shipwreck, and together they have seagoing adventures, as he waits for his chance to take revenge… The checklist of Things That Happen At Sea occurs, fairly predictably – the standout scenes are diving scenes, which (considering that Lenihan is a deep-sea diving expert) seem technically very believable, if contextually very unlikely.

[John Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

In honor of the late great actor and author Gene Hackman, I recommend reading his enjoyable and adventurous seafaring novel. I read this novel for a second time approximately 9 years ago.

[Richard Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this post-American Revolutionary seafaring tale for its new twists on an old traditional sailor plotline. Young Jack O'Reilly is at that late teen-age point where he longs to escape the confines of his parental supervision, stretch his legs and take on the world. When Jack's father's work plays out in New England, the family sets off to start a new life in Cuba on hereditary plantation holdings. Arriving in Cuba, aboard the ill-fated ship, The Perdido Star, the family dreams are shattered as they find their lands confiscated by the powerful Count de Silva. The Count's treacherous plans play out as Jack's parents are murdered and he is forced to flee the country. Again aboard The Perdido Star, lumbered with a half-mad captain and semi-hostile crew around him, young Jack O'Reilly learns a sailor's trade in the school of hard knocks.
This is one of the very interesting parts of the book as it details daily life aboard ship, the interplay of personalities in a confined space that lasts for months on end, and the different roles played by the ship's sailors, mates and the captain. As the ship reaches the roaring '40, headed south around Cape Horn, the lack of a proper Captain puts the ship into repeated danger. Good seamanship can only be coordinated by having a strong hand at the helm and the captain's antics make him the laughing-stock of the ship with a consequent failure to deal with the raging weather surrounding the Horn. As masts break and men are washed overboard, the ship becomes a rudderless derelict during a hurricane. Jack and the other survivors of the storm find themselves wrecked on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific. There they spend more than a year meeting the natives, salvaging cargo from the wreckage of their ship and hoping for the chance passage of another ship to take them off the islands.
At this point in the book, I was intrigued by the novel methods used to salvage the deepwater muskets and stores from the wrecked ship using a makeshift diving bell. After months of isolation, an opportunity to escape the islands comes in the form of a Dutch slaver. It is a mixed blessing as the Americans are faced with either becoming prisoners of the Dutch, or being wiped out so that the slavers can capture the local natives to sell them as slaves to the East Indies plantations. In the ensuing battles, Jack finds that he has natural military leadership abilities and is accepted by the crew due to his size and level headed thinking abilities. When the crew of The Perdido Star finally takes control of the Dutch ship, they limp to Manila in the Philippines and complete repairs before heading back to America. Stopping in Cuba, Jack, now a full-grown man, leads the men on a rampage and wreaks his revenge upon Count de Silva.
You will find this book to be a fun read. Enjoy.

[karen S. Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Nice book with an engaging story line. Sadly, it was over before I was ready for it to end! Bummer!

[Jack Hance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will admit that I chose this book because Gene Hackman co-wrote it and I was curious. I was very pleasantly surprised at the writing quality. The story, set in the very early 1800s, has an authentic feel, almost Herman Melville-ish in style. The terminology and sentence structures, especially the seafaring language, take a little getting used to but you have to respect the effort it must have required. An exciting tale of piracy, revenge and brotherhood at sea, mixed with some intriguing history. Worth the read, rest in peace, Gene.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually dig down too deep in my fiction reviews. If I like a story and the characters, that is enough for a good one. I am trying to read more critically, and not just for entertainment. I don't want to get too in the weeds though. This was a good story and it was easy to get lost in it. I enjoyed the characters, though there were a couple that probably held on longer than they would have in a real life scenario. The characters, whose names were unfortunate and cliche (Cheatum and Smithers) were important, and the book would have ended differently if either was not led on their way by the Authors. They were an example of what happens when a character has to do something for the story, instead of the story developing as the characters react and move about on their own. I will say that there is nothing within that critique that makes me like the book any less.

I am not a sea adventure connoisseur, but this was a pretty fine story that I lost myself in a few times. Gene Hackman is a great actor, and he seems to have done very well as an author. The book certainly carried itself, without needing his name on the cover to make up for any deficiencies.

Worth your time for an escape from everyday life!

[Jonathan Schimmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mooi, maar vaak een bitter verhaal van het verlies van oa. jeugd. Zeer goed geschreven. Goed corny einde ook.

[Christian D. D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, Gene Hackman can really write as well as act! He should try his hand at writing screenplays--including perhaps an filmic adaptation of this very novel!

An entertaining and rousing maritime action-adventure novel and revenge tale set in first decade of 19th-century America. It follows the adventures and trials of one Jack O'Reilly, an American of an Irish father and a Cuban mother, who makes the transition from dutiful (if somewhat pugilistic) teenage son, to tragic grief-stricken (and vengeance-obsessed) orphan (via a brutal act of double-homicide) and accidental seaman, who goes through a rapid and fascinating period of mental and emotional growth into a competent seaman and fierce warrior and leader.

As a side note, the authors' description of the deep-sea diving maladies now known as "the bends" and "nitrogen narcosis" (though not specifically labeled as such in this book, given the lack of scientific knowledge of these conditions in the historical context of the time) are quite detailed and harrowing.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the adventure of this story. It must have played to my inner child. I was a fan of Moby Dick and Treasure Island when I was growing up. This story has elements of both. At times the book can be a little formulaic, but still a fun read. Maybe it was my love of pirate movies when I was a kid. Alas, 13 years later, I guess there will not be a sequel.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventure novel - 17-year-old Jack O'Reilly moves with his parents to Cuba; when they are murdered shortly after arrival, he ships out on a 3 year voyage of shipwrecks, pirates and maturation before returning to confront his parents killer.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was more of a fun read. It was slow in the beginning and very predictable, but once the plot picked up I found it very entertaining and even educational. Definitely a good summer read.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, THE Gene Hackman...
This is an awesome story for anyone who loves the sea, pirates, history, and adventure!

[Lorena Drapeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty simplistic but quick and engaging. not bad considering these two guys never wrote a book before.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost didn't buy this book because it was written by an actor -- would have missed a great read!

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A swashbuckling yarn about a young man's apprenticeship on a 1805
sailing ship. An obvious first novel but fun.

[Steven Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very exciting account of Black Jack O'Reilly and his adventures on the high seas during the early 1800's.

[Alixis Lupien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. This is definitely in my top 10 and would recommend it to anyone!

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack O'Reilly and his parents travel to Cuba (on the Perdido Star) after Jack's father's gun building business fails. His mother owns land in Cuba which an uncle has been overseeing for her. The uncle has been telling her that the land lies fallow. Now, the small family quickly learns that the uncle is a treacherous liar. He has been working the land (in sugar cane) and reaping the benefits from it. Now he plans to murder the family, dispose of their bodies and retain ownership of the land for himself. His plan is almost successful. He thinks his men have left Jack to die in a ditch, but Jack doesn't follow that plan. Instead he makes his way to the docks and is hidden aboard the Perdido Star. As Jack heals all he can think about his getting revenge on his uncle.

As Jack heals the men on the boat accept him into their family of ocean-going misfits. Jack becomes very close to the first mate from whom he learns much about life at sea. He learns somethings from the captain as well, chief among them, that the captain has lost his marbles.

The Perdido Star sinks near a series of islands and a group of the men seek refuge on the islands. They are able to salvage much from the ship and they find the natives (who eventually reach out to them) to be relatively friendly and helpful. One of the crew is able to converse with the natives.

The men don't know how they will manage to get home as large ships don't seem to cross the island with any frequency. Then a Dutch ship arrives. The shipwrecked men realize the Dutch are there to take slaves. They help the natives fight the Dutch. Then intend to act like pirates and steal the Dutch ship. Things go awry and the Dutch ship is also sunk. The men are able to raise a portion of their sunken vessel and they essentially Frankenstein the two boats together and create one sea-worthy vessel.

During their time on the island Jack proves himself to be very handy. He knows about building guns from his father. His father had been shipping some Kentucky long gun frames on the Perdido. These are recovered and the men are able to create stocks for them. Jack is also a fierce fighter. He also manages to create a diving bell from an empty barrel which helps the men recover materials from their sunken ships.

The book is set shortly after the American Revolution but before the war of 1812. A lot of common sense needs to be discarded to fully enjoy the exploits of the crew and Jack. Throughout the story Jack is driven by revenge but at the end he chooses to forego revenge in favor of saving his friends. He is shocked to learn this act removes the fever of revenge which has been consuming him.

Though it is a fairly unbelievable tale this is a fairly enjoyable read.

[Charles Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

WAKE OF THE PERDIDO STAR
A Seafaring Novel By Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan
Reviewed by Charles Johnson

Published by William Morrow Publishing
384 pages
ISBN 1-55704-398-1
Copyright 1999

As a young lad of 16 in the year 1805, Jack O’Reilly experiences his family being forced out of one country, only to settle in another where he watches the murder of his parents. He stows away aboard the ship that brought him to the new country and finds himself a member of a crew that is sailing around the world. His hunger for revenge against his parent’s killer is fertilized over time, and opportunities arise during his seafaring time to develop a plan that satisfies that deep hunger for revenge.

In addition to witnessing those horrible murders, Jack sails on the PERDIDO STAR, where he meets his seaworthy crewmen, including a man who was to become a lifelong friend, a blustery bloke, headstrong characters, and a captain who makes the work “inept” seem an easy title to earn. There are storms at sea, battles among the crewmen and between other sailing vessels, hand-to-hand combat, and struggles of varying degrees of life-threatening depth. There are also the islanders and their chief who become allies when the PERDIDO STAR is run aground. As the nemesis, in addition to the murder of Jack’s parents, there are the other marauding pirates who wish to see the end of Jack and his entourage.

Hackman and Lenihan offer great detail in sailing ships of the day. The nomenclature of all the rigs and sails abound throughout the book, especially when an engineering feat that defies the landlubber’s sense of logic (but nonetheless works out) must come to pass. So much of this engineering feat requires some aquatic skills that aren’t standard knowledge back then – but our innovative characters figure out how to bring about such endeavors – and more than once these skills come in handy.

It is up to the reader to discover the answer to Jack’s revenge – but it can be said that the answer comes in a book of great description and character, with rousing action in a theatre of the oceangoing sailing ships of the time.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pleasantly surprised. Who knew Gene Hackman (Popeye Doyle) could write so well. I am impressed by the quality of this read. Not a deep or contemplative novel, but it doesn't have to be. Just a rollicking seafaring tale, that in my opinion is up there with the Master and Commander series. Not quite Moby Dick, but a lot more fun to read. The tale moves over the salty brine at a steady pace and the characters are a fun bunch of old salts, with one complete with a hook for a hand. The plot is not complex, but suffices to keep the story moving. Some of the characters are a little over drawn. Mostly the protagonist, Jack. Given the strength of Popeye, the wisdom of an Admiral Nelson and the youth of a young Horatio Hornblower, he does seem a little outsized. His sidekick Paul, however is a delight with wry observations, quick wit and a plethora of bon mots. He is a good complement to the simple straightforward Jack. Tjhe other characters are mostly an amalgam of old salts. If you're looking for a challenging read, this ain't it. But, if you're looking to get the taste of salt in your mouth while reading a good yarn, then this is the book for you.

[Terry Halligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued to read this book co-authored by the famous American retired actor who was in "The French Connection" and other films and I was very pleased to say I enjoyed it very much. I have read all the 20 novels of Patrick O'Brien and there are a lot of similarities with those books and also perhaps the early books of Wilbur Smith.

In 1805, seventeen-year-old Jack O’Reilly sets sail with his parents from America to Cuba aboard the Perdido Star. But when tragedy strikes shortly after their arrival, Jack makes a desperate escape, rejoining the departing Star as a member of the crew. On his years long journey around the globe, he only grows more obsessed with avenging the murder of his parents.

The adventure is very vividly told and there is a lot of gory violence which isn't for the faint hearted but I believe it was necessary for the story. I think all in all it was the best book I have read this year.

[David Lowther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gene Hackman was one of the finest actors of the 20th. century and won two Oscars. I never saw a bad film with him in. He retired from acting and took up writing and the Wake of the Perdido Star was I believe, his first novel, written in conjunction with underwater archeologist Daniel Lenihan.

The Wake of the Perdido Star is a rattling good seafaring yarn set in the early 19th. century. It has all the ingredients of a great sea story; a brave and handsome young hero, dastardly villains, awful weather, a fascinating mix of crewmen, a beautiful woman back in port and so on. Several passages are immensely exciting. I enjoyed it so much.

David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and The Summer of '39, all published by Sacristy Press.

[Bertrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gene Hackman quitte le monde du cinéma et s'essaye ici au roman d'aventure. Pourquoi pas? Sauf qu'à la lecture de ce roman, au demeurant fort sympathique, on a l'impression de retrouver les grosses ficelles d'Hollywood derrière cette intrigue mêlant vengeance et piraterie plombée malheureusement par une résolution beaucoup trop simpliste des conflits. Alors, est-ce que Gene Hackman a écrit son roman en pensant à une éventuelle adaptation cinématographique de son histoire? Car à n'en pas douter, porter sur grand écran, cette histoire pourrait peut-être bénéficier d'un succès publique. Un trois étoiles mais qui vaut un 2.5/5 en réalité.

[Stuart Duffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, the camaraderie between the crew is brilliant and wish it would of played more in to this expanding some characters and giving more insiin to Jack's development from angry young man to leader. Loved the kirk/spock dynamic between Jack and Paul also the whispers on the sea breeze that created black jack oreilley. The downside of the book was the overly detailed nautical bits which pulled the excitement out of some chapters like the journey around the cape, the diving to the wreck of the star.

Shame there isn't the next adventure of the brotherhood but really enjoyed this

[Jeff Carpenter · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's some promise in the first few pages that we might be heading off in the wake of Patrick O'Brian's wonderful masterpiece, but it falls far short. I stuck with it through the first 20%, hoping for at least a contrast in taste, in locales, from O'Brian's, but it broke down in so many ways... plot, character traits, sex references, descriptive prose, premise... it became unbelievable.
They even mistook the tide to cycle only once every 24 hours. Surely, in the days of Kindle, if you were Gene Hackman, you would go correct that mistake, wouldn't you?

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I know there might be an inaccuracy or two about tides or whatever but man, this was an AMAZING read!! So much action and detail it had me on the edge of my seat for most of it. The slight lull came during the scenes with the bell on the island but it was awesome how all of that tied in with the ending. This is the first book of Gene Hackman’s I have read and I cannot wait to read more! If they turned this into a movie, I’d gladly pay the inflated theater ticket prices to see it. 6 out of 5 stars!

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently found out that the reason I haven't seen Gene Hackman in any movies lately is that he retired and started writing novels. I read this just based on how much I enjoyed many of his movies. In all fairness, he was in some clinkers. This was a great adventure story. A little stretching of the bounds of reality was involved, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. I have put the rest of his books on my reading list.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Jack is looking forward to adventure as he and his parents sail for Cuba to reclaim his mother’s land. His life takes a turn when his parents are killed and he find himself sailing away from Cuba on the Perdido Star. Revenge drives him, sustains him through rough seas, pirate attacks and more as he makes his way back to Cuba to avenge his parents.

Maybe 3.5 stars, just not quite a 4 star read.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please see Charles' review for all of the plot.

I picked this up because of Gene Hackman's name. Glad I did. It was VERY well researched and written by both he and Daniel Lenihan.

A LOT of details on shipboard during 1815-20s. Interesting perspective during three years of Black Jack's O'Reilly's early life. Some nearly impossible McGiver(sp?) elements in Belaur, plus combining two wrecked ships . . . well, maybe.

[Michael Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreams can come true

A young man Learns what it's like to be a singer without wanting to be a sailor. And becomes A pirate without meaning to. People landowners steal his Land kill his parents and I'm going to get a wake up call when he returns. It's a well told story and I enjoyed it