Captain in Calico
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
The first unpublished novel from the historical fiction legend, George Macdonald Fraser, featuring the unscrupulous and brilliantly entertaining pirate, Calico Jack Rackham.
New Providence, 1720s. When infamous pirate Captain ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham returns from the high seas to ask Governor Woodes Rogers for a royal pardon, the Governor sees his chance to put his own devious plans into action.
Their agreement sets off an adventure of betrayals, counter-betrayals, plots and escapes that see Rackham join forces with the scheming but seductively beautiful pirate, Anne Bonney.
Captain in Calico is a wonderfully spirited and entertaining novel, which will delight fans of George MacDonald Fraser. The unscrupulous Captain Rackham is pure pleasure, and shows the author’s early penchant – and flair – for writing scoundrels of the highest order.
Reviews
‘There are enough marvellous Fraser touches to make CAPTAIN IN CALICO a real pleasure’ Daily Telegraph
Praise for The Flashman Papers:
‘Politically incorrect, lascivious and fiendishly handsome, Flashman is the greatest’ Boris Johnson
‘Flashman is drop-dead funny, unputdownable story-telling, and much better history than anybody gets taught in schools’ Max Hastings
‘Flashman is one of the great characters of modern fiction; a rogue, a lover, and always an irresistible read’ Bernard Cornwell
‘Flashman, Sherlock Holmes, Toad of Toad Hall, Bertie Wooster. Any writer would give his eye-teeth to have created a character as good as those. GMF was one of the greats’ Conn Iggulden
'Flashman is a wonderful creation, by a master storyteller. We'll forever delight in his evil antics' Jeffrey Archer
‘The perfect fictional creation’ Tony Parsons, author of Man and Boy and The Murder Bag
About the author
George MacDonald Fraser OBE was a bestselling historical
novelist, journalist and screenwriter. Having worked on newspapers in Britain and Canada he is perhaps most famous for his series of Flashman novels and his anti-hero Harry Flashman. In addition to his novels he also wrote numerous screenplays, most notably The Three Musketeers and the James Bond film Octopussy. George MacDonald Fraser died in January 2008 at the age of 82.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in the early 18th century, this energetic tale of piracy and peril, a previously unpublished early novel by the late author of the Flashman series, opens as real-life pirate captain and outlaw John "Calico Jack" Rackham makes a midnight visit to real-life Bahamas governor Woodes Rogers. Rackham wants a King's pardon in order to reclaim his former fianc e, Kate Sampson, who he has learned remains unmarried. The governor offers the amnesty Rackham seeks in exchange for the pirate's gold, but moments after the pardon is granted, Rackham discovers that Kate is Rogers's fianc e. An enraged Rackham later meets unconventional Anne Bonney, also a historical figure, who proposes that they raid one of Rogers's treasure-filled ships. Rackham is too seduced by thoughts of revenge, riches, and Anne's own charms to refuse. Fans expecting Flashman's roguish wit and flamboyance will be disappointed, but the book satisfies as a suspenseful though traditional nautical thriller and a glimpse into Fraser's development as a writer.
