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Mad Morgan
A riveting and action-packed novel of the life and times of Henry Morgan, MAD MORGAN is the legendary pirate's story told with swashbuckling romance, derring-do, and an edge as sharp as Spanish steel.
Born in the Welsh countryside in 1655, Henry Morgan is captured as a youth by Spanish raiders and carried off to Santiago de Cuba to a life of cruel servitude. Grown to manhood and unbowed by the slaver's whip, Morgan eventually escapes, stealing a prison ship and rescuing a crew of hardened freebooters in the process. With vengeance in his heart, Morgan sets out to harry the Dons. Before long, the turquoise waters of the Spanish Main run red with blood. No Spanish treasure ship or guarded port is safe--he is Captain Henry Morgan, "El Tigre de Caribe", the most feared buccaneer alive and an imposing figure of dread throughout the Caribbean.
In a rousing adventure that culminates in Morgan's infamous and bloody conquest of the supposedly impregnable Spanish port of Panama City, Mad Morgan unfolds at a breathtaking pace. Rich with stunning detail, violence, passion and revenge this is a pirate tale that will captivate every armchair adventurer until the last, thrilling page is turned.
Born in the Welsh countryside in 1655, Henry Morgan is captured as a youth by Spanish raiders and carried off to Santiago de Cuba to a life of cruel servitude. Grown to manhood and unbowed by the slaver's whip, Morgan eventually escapes, stealing a prison ship and rescuing a crew of hardened freebooters in the process. With vengeance in his heart, Morgan sets out to harry the Dons. Before long, the turquoise waters of the Spanish Main run red with blood. No Spanish treasure ship or guarded port is safe--he is Captain Henry Morgan, "El Tigre de Caribe", the most feared buccaneer alive and an imposing figure of dread throughout the Caribbean.
In a rousing adventure that culminates in Morgan's infamous and bloody conquest of the supposedly impregnable Spanish port of Panama City, Mad Morgan unfolds at a breathtaking pace. Rich with stunning detail, violence, passion and revenge this is a pirate tale that will captivate every armchair adventurer until the last, thrilling page is turned.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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32 people want to read
About the author
Kerry Newcomb
37 books13 followersKerry Newcomb was raised in Texas. He has served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and taught at the St. Labre Mission School on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana. Mr. Newcomb has written plays, film scripts, commercials, liturgical dramas, and over thirty novels under both his own name and a variety of pseudonyms. He lives with his family in Ft. Worth, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 3, 2024
Mad Morgan, Kerry Newcomb (historical fiction)
Jeff Book Review #293
The buccaneer kept a tight grip on the reins. He held his mount in place, and raised the saber in his hand. Framed by the gateway, the saber resembled a scythe and the faintly discernible figure, an all-too-real resemblance of a Grim Reaper, terrible in his resolve.
"Tell them, Morgan is coming."
An historical fiction adventure tale starring "el Tigre del Caribe," English Privateer/Pirate Captain Henry Morgan, "Mad Morgan" tells of Morgan's romantic pursuits and his army's attack on the Spanish fort in Panama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_M...)
Verdict: Unfortunately it has too much adult content to be appropriate for young readers and, until the final third, it also has more doses of exposition and colonial politicking than action or adventure. Still, pirates are cool, and I was glad I hung in there for the final third.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
Jeff Book Review #293
The buccaneer kept a tight grip on the reins. He held his mount in place, and raised the saber in his hand. Framed by the gateway, the saber resembled a scythe and the faintly discernible figure, an all-too-real resemblance of a Grim Reaper, terrible in his resolve.
"Tell them, Morgan is coming."
An historical fiction adventure tale starring "el Tigre del Caribe," English Privateer/Pirate Captain Henry Morgan, "Mad Morgan" tells of Morgan's romantic pursuits and his army's attack on the Spanish fort in Panama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_M...)
Verdict: Unfortunately it has too much adult content to be appropriate for young readers and, until the final third, it also has more doses of exposition and colonial politicking than action or adventure. Still, pirates are cool, and I was glad I hung in there for the final third.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
November 2, 2018
Aside from a few careless typos scattered throughout the book, this was a fun book to read! Ahoy, Matey! Plus, just enough sex to make it unsuitable for kids!
August 23, 2010
Mad Morgan is a historical novel based on the life of Henry Morgan, an infamous English pirate who harrassed Spainard prosperity in the Caribbean.
Newcombe does a pretty good job of describing pirate life and customs. He makes reference to drinking "jack iron" (rum or whiskey), the black spot, the black flag, the brethren hanging out in Port Royal in between attacking Spanish shipping--
He also does an excellent job creating villains. The governors, both English and Spanish, share the trait of being pompous and inefficient. The Black Cleric, a Bible-quoting French pirate named LeBishop is an interesting character, even if the Scriptures he quotes are so far from their proper context and no real Biblical character has managed to penetrate the scoundrel's brain.
The author paints Morgan as heroic and charasmatic. He attempts to paint a picture of a wronged man bent on violent retribution.. and there he falls short. The reader never really can feel the fury that must've been burning within Morgan's heart. He makes a few half-hearted comments about vengeance, but I was looking for the type of vengeance-filled attitude we saw in the swordsman from "The Princess Bride." I wanted him to utter his speech and take great vengeance on those who had wronged him.. And while he took that vengeance, it is done in an almost dispassionate manner. Well, dispassionate is a strong word for what I am trying to describe. Newcombe was better at describing action sequences and the pirate's desire for freedom and love of the open sea then he was at putting Morgan's need for vengeance at center stage for his readers.
Sadly, the author frequently relies on what he calls Morgan's luck to get his hero out of trouble. While he attempts to present Morgan as a grand tactician or strategist, more often than not, Morgan gets out of trouble based on a lucky turn of events, or someone else's grand incompetence.
Still, Mad Morgan is an interesting, if not great, book. At times, one can almost smell the unwashed pirates in the sea air and feel the rough ropes, and hear the clang of steel on steel. At times, Newcombe brings the reader into the acrid smell of black powder. Newcombe is at his best as he describes melee combat. (Very little sea combat for those looking for grand cannonades and broadsides, look elsewhere)... Newcombe accomplishes a swashbuckling novel while failing to offer us any emotional depth.
Newcombe does a pretty good job of describing pirate life and customs. He makes reference to drinking "jack iron" (rum or whiskey), the black spot, the black flag, the brethren hanging out in Port Royal in between attacking Spanish shipping--
He also does an excellent job creating villains. The governors, both English and Spanish, share the trait of being pompous and inefficient. The Black Cleric, a Bible-quoting French pirate named LeBishop is an interesting character, even if the Scriptures he quotes are so far from their proper context and no real Biblical character has managed to penetrate the scoundrel's brain.
The author paints Morgan as heroic and charasmatic. He attempts to paint a picture of a wronged man bent on violent retribution.. and there he falls short. The reader never really can feel the fury that must've been burning within Morgan's heart. He makes a few half-hearted comments about vengeance, but I was looking for the type of vengeance-filled attitude we saw in the swordsman from "The Princess Bride." I wanted him to utter his speech and take great vengeance on those who had wronged him.. And while he took that vengeance, it is done in an almost dispassionate manner. Well, dispassionate is a strong word for what I am trying to describe. Newcombe was better at describing action sequences and the pirate's desire for freedom and love of the open sea then he was at putting Morgan's need for vengeance at center stage for his readers.
Sadly, the author frequently relies on what he calls Morgan's luck to get his hero out of trouble. While he attempts to present Morgan as a grand tactician or strategist, more often than not, Morgan gets out of trouble based on a lucky turn of events, or someone else's grand incompetence.
Still, Mad Morgan is an interesting, if not great, book. At times, one can almost smell the unwashed pirates in the sea air and feel the rough ropes, and hear the clang of steel on steel. At times, Newcombe brings the reader into the acrid smell of black powder. Newcombe is at his best as he describes melee combat. (Very little sea combat for those looking for grand cannonades and broadsides, look elsewhere)... Newcombe accomplishes a swashbuckling novel while failing to offer us any emotional depth.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews