Pirates of the Levant (Capitan Alatriste Series #9)

by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Overview

The sixth novel in the international bestselling adventures of Captain Alatriste, set in a time when the only thing needed to summon hell on earth—or sea—was a Spaniard and his sword.

Accompanied by his faithful foster son, Íñigo, Captain Alatriste accepts a job as a mercenary aboard a Spanish galleon. The ship sets sail from Naples on a journey that will take them to some of the most remote—and wretched—outposts of the empire: Morocco, Algeria, and finally to Malta for a stunning and bloody battle on the high seas that will challenge even the battle-hardened Alatriste's resolve.

Now seventeen, Íñigo is almost ready to leave Alatriste, his foster father and fellow soldier. But will age and experience bring wisdom, or is he likely to repeat many of his mentor's mistakes?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101460870
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/02/2010
Series:	Captain Altriste , #9
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	601,523
File size:	302 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s novels have captivated readers around the world and earned him a reputation as “the master of the intellectual thriller” (Chicago Tribune). Originally a war correspondent, he now writes fiction full-time. His novels include the Captain Alatriste series, The Flanders Panel, The Club Dumas, The Fencing Master, The Seville Communion, The Nautical Chart, The Queen of the South, and What We Become. His books have been published in fifty countries.He is a member of the Spanish Royal Academy. He lives near Madrid, Spain.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"With swords a-slashing and muskets a-blazing, Pérez-Reverte once again effortlessly channels Rafael Sabatini in this witty and—-alas—-final novel in a marvelous series. " —-Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

In his spirited sixth outing, Pérez-Reverte's 17th-century sword-for-hire, Captain Diego Alatriste, enlists as a mercenary on the Spanish slave galley Mulata, cutting a bloody swath through the corsairs of the Mediterranean. Overshadowing battles at sea and raids on land is the escalating conflict between Alatriste and Íñigo Balboa, the captain's former page, now 17 and desiring to make his own way in the world. Though lacking the intrigue of previous installments, this episodic book moves smoothly from duel to duel and climaxes with a savage sea battle. With swords a-slashing and muskets a-blazing, Pérez-Reverte once again effortlessly channels Rafael Sabatini in this witty and--alas--final novel in a marvelous series. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"With swords a-slashing and muskets a-blazing, Pérez-Reverte once again effortlessly channels Rafael Sabatini in this witty and---alas---final novel in a marvelous series. " ---Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Spanish novelist Pérez-Reverte (www.perez-reverte.com), a former war correspondent, completes his saga about Capt. Diego Alatrise and his sidekick, Íñigo, with this sixth series entry, following The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet (U.S. 2009), about life aboard 17th-century Spanish ships patrolling the Mediterranean fighting pirates and Moors. The repetitiveness of most days as the crew of the galleon Mulata moves from one location to another is juxtaposed with a series of exhilarating yet gruesome sea battles, all set against a background of rich historical detail. Veteran narrator Michael Kramer's skillful performance makes this swashbuckling and seafaring life feel real. Recommended for those liking adventure and historical novels. [Bks. 1 and 2, Captain Alatriste and Purity of Blood, are currently the only other titles in this series available on audio, from Books on Tape.—Ed.]—Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY

Library Journal

For this thinking person’s swashbuckler full of poetry and rich prose, there’s no better narrator than Michael Kramer. In dark, rugged tones hinting of Moorish vessels, flashing swords, and plunder, Kramer delivers the florid phrases that tell the tale of soldier of fortune Diego Alatriste. In Alatriste’s sixth adventure, he is aboard the Spanish galley MULATA and is dedicated to making mincemeat of the REAL pirates in order to keep the Mediterranean’s commercial lanes open for Spain. Kramer’s somber narration gives way to spirited exchanges between Alatriste and his foster son, Íñigo, then goes back to solemn accounts of a sailor’s brutal life in the early seventeenth century. Perez-Reverte’s novel is historically accurate—unflinching in its detail of bloody battle sequences and squalid living conditions. Kramer makes listening compelling. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2011 - AudioFile

Heaving bosoms and hyperbolic derring-do abound in this sixth volume of the acclaimed Spanish author's series of period swashbucklers (The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet, 2009, etc.).

It's announced as "the final installment" in the saga of freelance soldier of fortune Captain Alatriste and his page turned foster son and companion Íñigo Balboa (imagine Sancho Panza in flaming youth, eager to emulate his master Don Quixote's glamorous and amorous exploits). Final installment? Well, we all know what happened the first time Conan Doyle tried to off Sherlock Holmes, don't we? Be that as it may, Pérez-Reverte treats us to another rousing adventure firmly in the tradition of modern romancer Rafael Sabatini channeling the immortal Alexandre Dumas. Once again, Íñigo narrates, in old age, remembering. The story records their deeds as mercenary soldiers aboard a Spanish galleon on a perilous mission that will culminate in a savage battle at sea, traveling from Naples through the eastern Mediterranean to Morocco and Algeria, thence Venice, and eventually Malta. Alatriste attempts to rescue an old friend; Íñigo, itching to attain full maturity (he has survived to the age of 17), writhes in the coils of his infatuation with beautiful Angélica, the niece of Alatriste's oldenemy—and either a paragon of burgeoning womanhood or a homicidal vixen leading the impulsive Íñigo to his doom. The action feels a bit generic, but the nicely timed introductions of savory and unsavory supporting characters keeps the reader hooked. (Pérez-Reverte even invents his own Gunga Din—resourceful Moorish manservant Gurriat.) The mix is further enriched by an autumnal sense of the waste and folly—and inevitability—of men's compulsion to go to war.

First-rate entertainment, from one of the masters.

Kirkus Reviews