Book Review: The Sea-Hawk by Rafael Sabatini
The Sea-Hawk follows Sir Oliver Tressilian right after he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for buccaneering.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! This is an amazing book! I loved the last Sabatini novel I read, but this was amazing! Pirates, betrayal, thwarted love, exotic locations, continual suspense... seriously, what more can you ask for?
The Sea-Hawk by Sabatini is not the same story as the Errol Flynn movie by the same name. I am an Errol Flynn fan, so I had to mention this. The stories are not even close to the same, and the protagonists don't even have the same name. Even though the character's personality is roguish like Errol Flynn, this book is way grittier and heavier than any of his movies.
The Sea-Hawk follows Sir Oliver Tressilian right after he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for buccaneering. Everything is going perfectly for him: he's rich, happy, and engaged to his love, Rosamund. Don't expect this book to have a hook, like the modern books, and the prolog is a bit boring, but you don't have to go far before it gets exciting. Everything goes downhill from there. His fiancee's brother refuses to permit the engagement, and a rivalry ensues. When the brother ends up dead, all, including Rosamund, think he did it. He is wanted for murder while protecting the true killer, his half-brother. He is then betrayed by his brother to be kidnapped and sold as a slave to the Barbary pirates, but the ship is taken by the Spanish. He still ends up a slave. After years of slaving away on a Spanish galley, he is liberated by the Barbary pirates and rises to become their most notorious leader, the Hawk of the Sea. An opportunity arises for him to return to England and take his revenge, but things don't work out right. Both he and Rosamund must use their wits to fight for their lives.
This is an intense book full of action and emotions. I hated Rosamund in this book for most of it and kept wondering why Sir Oliver didn't just move on and find another girl, but she really redeems herself in the end. Her stubbornness becomes both her greatest flaw and greatest strength. Sir Oliver becomes quite cruel and heartless through his trials, but he too redeems himself. His religious views may irk some Christian readers, but he changes his beliefs like he changes clothes, so I would get hung up with that. I started to worry that I would hate the ending because I couldn't see where the solution would go. It has an amazing ending, though!
I highly recommend this book to everyone. It has some archaic English and lots of violence, so it would be difficult for younger readers. High school and up should really enjoy this book, though.
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