Pirate! – A Novel Of Blackbeard

Welcome to the early 18th century and the bloody “Golden Age of Piracy.” Scores of ruthless marauders roam the world’s oceans, wreaking havoc on the maritime trade of Europe and her colonies by plundering ships and settlements from Canada far down into the Caribbean and along the Spanish Main.

This was a dark and savage period of history, when life was cheap and freedom was precious. Slavery was rampant, forcing thousands of imprisoned Africans to labor and die in distant pestilential colonies for a new treasure: Sugar. England, France, and Spain, their economies ravaged by a long, futile war for European dominance, now struggled for control of their sea routes and the vast riches from their overseas territories.

At this precarious time, scores of desperate, disenfranchised mariners risked everything for wealth and adventure, and the elusive chance to live life on their own terms.   

The legend of one man survives from this bloody period. He was the most infamous pirate of the time, despised and hunted by sovereigns and colonists, feared by society, and betrayed by his country and even his own crew, all the while boldly defying the laws of man. 

People still know his name, which continues to haunt our imaginations, conjuring images of glorious conquests upon sky-blue tropical seas, all for the capture of sea chests brimming with gleaming Spanish doubloons. 

But who was this legend? Killer? Tyrant? Bloodthirsty freebooter? Brilliant mariner? Cowardly traitor? Loyal comrade? Inveterate drunkard?

His name was Edward Teach. History knows him by a more infamous name: Blackbeard.

And this is the story of his extraordinary life.