Pieces of Eight

Pieces of Eight by John Drake

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the second book in the prequel series to Treasure Island and I think this one is even better than the first.

Pieces of Eight picks up where Flint and Silver leaves off. Silver and his crew is marooned on the island with Flint's hidden treasure and Flint has made off with Selena. Silver, who knows they will have to face Flint again, rallies the crew against not only the threat of Flint but hidden dangers on the island. Meanwhile, Flint is trying to muster an army to take back his treasure and finds that the royal navy is after him.

The flow of this book is much better than the first. There's not so much jumping back and forth in time keeping you disoriented. We also get a little more back story on Flint and come to understand what has made him so evil. There are some side stories as well that are woven in nicely. At first you wonder what they have to do with anything but it all comes together in the end.

Overall, I enjoyed this book better than the first one. But you should read Flint and Silver before Pieces of Eight or you'll be lost at sea mateys. Aarg!! Nothing better than a good pirate adventure. Can't wait to continue with the third one.



View all my reviews

Flint and Silver

Flint and Silver: A Prequel to Treasure Island by John Drake

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the second time I've read this one, and I think I liked it more this time around. A prequel to Stevenson's Treasure Island, it seeks to put a backstory to the adventure we loved so well. But its certainly no children's tale as we find out the history between Long John Silver and Captain Flint and answers to many questions we had about favorite characters.

I love the characters that are brought to life in this story along side Long John and Flint. We meet characters such as Billy Bones, Ben Gunn, Black Dog and of course Selena. Many questions are answered such as how did Long John loose the leg as well as where did the parrot come from.

My biggest complaint about the book was the timeline. The story kept shifting back and forth in time and you had to pay attention to the headings of the chapter to keep up with where you were.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I look forward to continuing with Pieces of Eight. If you like a good pirate tale and/or enjoyed Treasure Island, I would suggest you give this one a try.



View all my reviews