Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: I read this book when I was in Jr. High School (required reading in one of my English Classes) and this was the book that really motivated me into recreational reading. After having to read some Dickens and Shakespear as well as some other "Classic" authors, I was not expecting a book like this. This was an adventure. Very exciting. Very suspensful. This is what reading is about. I purchased this book recently and relived the adventure after more than 25 years and found it hadn'd lost any of suspense. GREAT READING. Give it to a young reader and get them excited about reading. I don't understand why schools don't require more books like this to motivate kids to read instead of the reading assignments that keep Cliff Notes in business. Other authors that I like reading are James Clavell, Gary Jennings, Tom Clancy and Herman Wouk and this book fits in the same catagory of Historical Adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island
Review: Men Against the Sea is the second book in the Bounty Trilogy. Mutiny on the Bounty (see my review of that book under that title) recounts the tale of the voyage of the H.M.S. Bounty from England to Tahiti and a little way back, the mutiny, and the subsequent events that affect those of the Bounty's crew who remain on Tahiti. When last seen in that book, Captain William Bligh is cast adrift far from land in a small vessel overladen with 18 other loyal men and about 7 to 8 inches of freeboard above a flat sea. Men Against the Sea describes what happens to Captain Bligh and those he commands as they make their way eventually to the Dutch East Indies. Along the way, Captain Bligh and his men traverse around 3,600 miles in their fragile vessel while suffering many horrors including attacks from the native people, lack of sleep, storms, bailing for their lives, cold, thirst, too much sun, and hunger. The authors make a good decision in choosing to have the ship's surgeon serve as the narrator of this saga. This perspective made it possible for the book to include his physical descriptions of the deprivations of the Bounty's abandoned crew to help make the story more compelling. In the true spirit of a story about English tars, there is a considerable discussion of how the starvation the men experienced affected their intestinal tracts. Captain Bligh comes across very poorly in Mutiny on the Bounty. The opposite occurs in Men Against the Sea. His leadership is one of the great accomplishments of seamanship of all time. But the men are only human after all. Someone steals two pounds of pork. Another shipmate sent to capture birds is overcome by the need to eat them, and spoils the hunting for everyone. In their weakened state, they miss many wonderful chances for food. When they reach civilization and begin to recover from their privations, complaining quickly returns. My test of how well written such an adventure tale is that I often felt like I was in the boat struggling with them. The main weakness of the book is that it skips many days on end, when the circumstances were at their most dire such as during unending days of storms. By doing this, the reader is denied the chance to have the full horror of the crossing bear down more strongly. Most of the weaknesses of Mutiny on the Bounty are overcome in Men Against the Sea. So if you found that work unappealing, give this one a chance. It has many of the qualities of great survival and adventure books. After you finish this remarkable tale, I suggest you think about the ways that adversity brings out the best in you. How can you do as well when times and circumstance are not adverse? Squarely face the challenge, with confidence that success will follow! Before reviewing Pitcairn's Island, let me note that it contains explicit scenes of violence that would cause this book to exceed an R rating if it were a motion picture. These scenes are very effective in enhancing the emotional power of the story, but certainly exceed what had to be portrayed. Pitcairn's Island is by far the best of the three novels in The Bounty Trilogy. While the first two books seem like somewhat disconnected pieces of the whole story of the events leading up to and following the mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty, Pitcairn's Island stands alone as a worthy story. In its rich development of what happened to nine of the mutineers and those Polynesians who joined them, this book ranks as one of the great adventure and morality tales of all time. The story picks up with the H.M.S. Bounty under sail in poorly charted seas, commanded by Fletcher Christian and looking for Pitcairn's Island. On the ship are 27 adults (9 British mutineers, 12 Polynesian women, and 6 Polynesian men). Everyone is a little edgy because Pitcairn's Island is not where the charts show it to be. After much stress, Pitcairn's Island is finally sighted. Then, it becomes apparent that the Bounty cannot be kept safely there in the long run because of the poor mooring conditions. If they commit to Pitcairn's Island, there will be no leaving it. What to do? The novel follows up on what happens in the 19 years following that fateful decision. The key themes revolve around the minimum requirements of a just society, differences between the two cultures of British and Polynesians, the varying perceptions and expectations of men and women, and the impact of immorality on the health of a society. Anyone who has enjoyed Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, or The Lord of the Flies will find this novel vastly appealing. Here, part of the fascination is that real-life events are being described. The decision to turn this into a novel is a good one. The accounts of what occurred vary, and cannot be totally reconciled. So no one can really know what happened, other than it was dramatic. Towards the end of the book, the narration becomes that of one character, and the use of that character's language, perspective, background is powerful in making the novel seem more realistic and compelling. This is a story where the less you know when you begin, the more you will enjoy the story. To increase your potential reading pleasure, I will say no more. After you finish reading the book, I suggest that you take each of the characters and imagine how you could have improved matters for all by speaking and behaving differently then that character did. Then, think about your own family, and apply the same thought process. Next, make a change! Think through the long-term consequences of your potential actions very carefully when many others will be affected!
Rating:
Summary: Review of Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island
Review: Men Against the Sea is the second book in the Bounty Trilogy. Mutiny on the Bounty (see my review of that book under that title) recounts the tale of the voyage of the H.M.S. Bounty from England to Tahiti and a little way back, the mutiny, and the subsequent events that affect those of the Bounty's crew who remain on Tahiti. When last seen in that book, Captain William Bligh is cast adrift far from land in a small vessel overladen with 18 other loyal men and about 7 to 8 inches of freeboard above a flat sea.
Men Against the Sea describes what happens to Captain Bligh and those he commands as they make their way eventually to the Dutch East Indies. Along the way, Captain Bligh and his men traverse around 3,600 miles in their fragile vessel while suffering many horrors including attacks from the native people, lack of sleep, storms, bailing for their lives, cold, thirst, too much sun, and hunger. The authors make a good decision in choosing to have the ship's surgeon serve as the narrator of this saga. This perspective made it possible for the book to include his physical descriptions of the deprivations of the Bounty's abandoned crew to help make the story more compelling. In the true spirit of a story about English tars, there is a considerable discussion of how the starvation the men experienced affected their intestinal tracts. Captain Bligh comes across very poorly in Mutiny on the Bounty. The opposite occurs in Men Against the Sea. His leadership is one of the great accomplishments of seamanship of all time. But the men are only human after all. Someone steals two pounds of pork. Another shipmate sent to capture birds is overcome by the need to eat them, and spoils the hunting for everyone. In their weakened state, they miss many wonderful chances for food. When they reach civilization and begin to recover from their privations, complaining quickly returns. My test of how well written such an adventure tale is that I often felt like I was in the boat struggling with them. The main weakness of the book is that it skips many days on end, when the circumstances were at their most dire such as during unending days of storms. By doing this, the reader is denied the chance to have the full horror of the crossing bear down more strongly. Most of the weaknesses of Mutiny on the Bounty are overcome in Men Against the Sea. So if you found that work unappealing, give this one a chance. It has many of the qualities of great survival and adventure books. After you finish this remarkable tale, I suggest you think about the ways that adversity brings out the best in you. How can you do as well when times and circumstance are not adverse? Squarely face the challenge, with confidence that success will follow! Before reviewing Pitcairn's Island, let me note that it contains explicit scenes of violence that would cause this book to exceed an R rating if it were a motion picture. These scenes are very effective in enhancing the emotional power of the story, but certainly exceed what had to be portrayed. Pitcairn's Island is by far the best of the three novels in The Bounty Trilogy. While the first two books seem like somewhat disconnected pieces of the whole story of the events leading up to and following the mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty, Pitcairn's Island stands alone as a worthy story. In its rich development of what happened to nine of the mutineers and those Polynesians who joined them, this book ranks as one of the great adventure and morality tales of all time. The story picks up with the H.M.S. Bounty under sail in poorly charted seas, commanded by Fletcher Christian and looking for Pitcairn's Island. On the ship are 27 adults (9 British mutineers, 12 Polynesian women, and 6 Polynesian men). Everyone is a little edgy because Pitcairn's Island is not where the charts show it to be. After much stress, Pitcairn's Island is finally sighted. Then, it becomes apparent that the Bounty cannot be kept safely there in the long run because of the poor mooring conditions. If they commit to Pitcairn's Island, there will be no leaving it. What to do? The novel follows up on what happens in the 19 years following that fateful decision. The key themes revolve around the minimum requirements of a just society, differences between the two cultures of British and Polynesians, the varying perceptions and expectations of men and women, and the impact of immorality on the health of a society. Anyone who has enjoyed Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, or The Lord of the Flies will find this novel vastly appealing. Here, part of the fascination is that real-life events are being described. The decision to turn this into a novel is a good one. The accounts of what occurred vary, and cannot be totally reconciled. So no one can really know what happened, other than it was dramatic. Towards the end of the book, the narration becomes that of one character, and the use of that character's language, perspective, background is powerful in making the novel seem more realistic and compelling. This is a story where the less you know when you begin, the more you will enjoy the story. To increase your potential reading pleasure, I will say no more. After you finish reading the book, I suggest that you take each of the characters and imagine how you could have improved matters for all by speaking and behaving differently then that character did. Then, think about your own family, and apply the same thought process. Next, make a change! Think through the long-term consequences of your potential actions very carefully when many others will be affected!
Rating:
Summary: One of the most exciting trilogies I have read.
Review: Nordhoff and Hall truely make this trilogy come to life. I read this set while traveling to the South Pacific and their attention to detail and the culture of the people was magnificient. The only negative was that there was not a fourth story. I will look forward to rereading the series in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Adventures!
Review: Rereading KIDNAPPED and TREASURE ISLAND, I was disappointed that the youthful adventure seemed outdated and disappointing by my contemporary, adult standards. Not so with the BOUNTY trilogy....highlighted with wonderful NC Wyeth art. There is so much more to the Bounty story with which we're all familiar from the motion picture dramatizations. And it's thrillingly, vividly told in these works! Each story is fascinating and compelling, beautifully told with both a youthful sense of adventure and adult sense of drama. Wonderful, exciting reading for all ages!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Adventures!
Review: Rereading KIDNAPPED and TREASURE ISLAND, I was disappointed that the youthful adventure seemed outdated and disappointing by my contemporary, adult standards. Not so with the BOUNTY trilogy....highlighted with wonderful NC Wyeth art. There is so much more to the Bounty story with which we're all familiar from the motion picture dramatizations. And it's thrillingly, vividly told in these works! Each story is fascinating and compelling, beautifully told with both a youthful sense of adventure and adult sense of drama. Wonderful, exciting reading for all ages!
Rating:
Summary: Three of my all time favorites rolled into one volume.
Review: The Bounty Trilogy is a masterful work. Each piece of the trilogy is a fascinating story in and of itself. Put them all together and they are a marvelous adventure. The characters and events spring to life and draw you in. The amazing conclusion of the trilogy is a great moral lesson for us all.
Rating:
Summary: High seas excitment and drama
Review: The bounty trilogy is one of the great accomplisments of modern literature. Through the great skill and talent of the authors we are transported back to dramatic seagoing days of yore for a fabulous adventure.
Personally I enjoyed the second installment "men against the sea" most of all (that book itself gets a 11!
Rating: 
Summary: Half fiction
Review: The first book is basically half fiction which distorts the real William Bligh.In reality Bligh was not a complete monster. A more balanced look into the causes of the Mutiny will be found in Richard Hough's Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian. This book is the basis of the Hopkins/ Gibson Movie. The other movies are based on the Nordoff/Hall writings. The second book of the trilogy seems to be an accurate description of the open boat journey which Bligh and the non-muntineers endured. This book seems based on Bligh's written account. The third book of the trilogy is loosely based on what happened to Flecther Christian and his fellow mutineers after they settled on Pitcairn Island. Little historical fact is actually known about the fate of the mutineers.Thus, this part of the trilogy is, almost out of neccesity, complete speculation. But it is interesting reading
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Tale - Non Fiction - In an Exotic Location
Review: The is excellent read, and as another reviewer put it, written for adults due to the length and style. It is a near 700 page long classic and south sea adventure.
The classic describes what happens to group of sailors that are rebel from the vice grip of discipline of the old Royal Navy and escape to Tahiti. I can only image how that would feel. From the terrible ships of the navy they are set free into a virtual paradise of beautiful women, breathtaking scenery and plenty. It traces how they try and survive and how the group of mutineers eventually fragments and stumbles. Also it traces what happens to their former master Captain Bligh and how he survives a long trip in a small boat and eventually makes his way back to the safety of England. The book is 691 pages long divided into three sections. It has no index, but does have one map and a sprinkling of color drawings that recreate the atmosphere and some actions. A classic and highly recommended. I read it every 10 years. Jack in Toronto
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