Rating: 
Summary: "He's an honest man- I hate him!"
Review: "The Pyrates" is the first book I read by the wonderful George Fraser, and it's a great place to start. A pretty unique achievement, the book blends every bit of pirate lore, atmosphere and outright clichés into a marvelously funny and entertaining read.
The plot is rather difficult to explain; it follows the dashing Captain Avery as he attempts to recover a priceless treasure, sometimes helped and sometimes hindered by the roguish Colonel Blood, falling in love with Lady Vanity (who describes herself as "gorgeous, proud, and insufferably spoiled"), fighting pirates, winning battles, getting stranded, imprisoned, rescued, rescuing and virtually every other thing that has ever happened in a pirate story (including, of course "The Black Spot").
It's all such huge fun, and Fraser's writing is so delightful, you can't go wrong. An absolute must for fans of swashbucklers (literary or cinematic). Be sure to stick around for the "Afterthought", where Fraser discusses the real life figures he placed in his story. The bit about the real Colonel Blood is by itself worth the price of the book. Recommended.
GRADE: B+
(If you like this book, PLEASE check out Fraser's lesser known "The General Danced at Dawn". It's even better.)
Rating:
Summary: Delightful pirate tale with all the trimmings.
Review: A wonderful yarn with every pirate image, trope, name, idiom, and stereotype from every pirate book, play and movie popping up; if you can imagine all the 17th century sea adventure stories rolled into one, you'll get the idea. While in many hands such an over-the-top concept would prove dull and predictable, Fraser manages to keep it moving by taking absolutely none of it seriously. This is one of the most fun books I've read in some time.
Rating:
Summary: Me Harties!
Review: Are you down? Depressed? Feeling blue? Read this book. It will make you smile. It'll cheer you up. And sometimes that's the best thing a book can do.
Rating: 
Summary: The funniest pirate movie never filmed
Review: Author George MacDonald Fraser, the accomplished British author of the FLASHMAN PAPERS and the Private McAuslan trilogy, has also toiled as a Hollywood scriptwriter. And he's been fascinated by pirate stories all his life. Thus, in THE PYRATES, the reader is treated to what could serve as the script for the funniest, most outrageous buccaneer saga ever not put on film. The hero of THE PYRATES is Captain Ben Avery, RN, the handsomest, most chivalrous, noblest, most incorruptible, bravest, most dutiful, and most unseducible man ever to wield an officer's sword on behalf of His Majesty. In Avery, as with every other of the novel's characters, Fraser has lovingly created a caricature. In any case, the time is "the old and golden days of England". King Charles occupies the throne. Ben is ordered to secretly convey a priceless crown to the King of Madagascar. On the same outbound ship are Admiral Lord Rooke and his gorgeous daughter Vanity. Of course, seafaring rascals capture the vessel, steal the crown, abandon Ben on a sandspit, and sell Vanity into white slavery. The tabloids (!) blame Avery for the debacle, and the remainder of the book has our superhero valiantly struggling to rescue honor, crown and Vanity from assorted scoundrels and near things. Of course, even the villains are occasionally endearing, especially if they're British, e.g. Colonel Blood, RA (Cashiered), a darker version of Avery without the ethics or meticulous dress code. And, needless to say, Captain Ben is besotted with Vanity, though his appreciation for her considerable charms is entirely platonic, anything more prurient unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. Since a small movie plays in my mind whenever I read fiction, the chief delight of this swashbuckling caper is the way Fraser attaches period-piece incongruities to the plot which result in hilarious "sight gags" and other absurdities. Contemplate the following: laundry chutes in a Spanish galleon, meal-seating announcements aboard a pirate ship, buccaneers getting drunk and rowdy on captured Perrier, eau de cologne by the barrel or the handy bucket size, a pirate chief's stock portfolio, the deplorable lack of Kleenex in a fetid orlop prison, shipboard ruffians being entertained by a puppet show, pirate disability insurance, the limited number of headsets for men set adrift in small boats, threats of a horrible death by bicycle pump (?), or the French buccaneers' battle cry of "Remember Dien Bien Phu!" Imagine what Mel Brooks could do with this material! THE PYRATES is about fifty pages too long. Those parts of the non-stop action that include the South American Indian tribe and the insanely evil Spanish Viceroy, Don Lardo, were unnecessary digressions better left on the cutting room floor. However, that minor flaw didn't prevent me from laughing out loud on several occasions, causing my wife to throw alarmed glances my way. Yes, I think even the Queen would be amused.
Rating:
Summary: Pirates on acid
Review: First and foremost: this book is absolutely unrelated to the movie starring Kevin Bacon. George MacDonald Fraser's unique take on history is already well-known from his "Flashman" books: a mix of roguish characters, a free-wheeling witty style, and immaculate research. Imagine this salted with Monty Python humour, and you have an idea of "The Pyrates". It's the seventeenth century, and the story follows the impossibly handsome Captain Ben Avery and his quest to recover the fabled Madascar Crown and save his beloved, Lady Vanity Rooke ... but this is lost in a growing melee of comic absurdity. Fraser cheerfully piles together accurate history, anachronisms such as Kleenex and Vogue magazine, every pirate cliche you every saw in the movies, and a cast of weird characters incluing the Gucci-booted Black Sheba, the Franglais-speaking Happy Dan Pew ("Caillou le corbeaux!") and an Aztec princess stoned on chocolate. What can one say but "Aaaar, ye lubbers, read it..."
Rating:
Summary: Pirates on acid
Review: First and foremost: this book is absolutely unrelated to the movie starring Kevin Bacon. George MacDonald Fraser's unique take on history is already well-known from his "Flashman" books: a mix of roguish characters, a free-wheeling witty style, and immaculate research. Imagine this salted with Monty Python humour, and you have an idea of "The Pyrates". It's the seventeenth century, and the story follows the impossibly handsome Captain Ben Avery and his quest to recover the fabled Madascar Crown and save his beloved, Lady Vanity Rooke ... but this is lost in a growing melee of comic absurdity. Fraser cheerfully piles together accurate history, anachronisms such as Kleenex and Vogue magazine, every pirate cliche you every saw in the movies, and a cast of weird characters incluing the Gucci-booted Black Sheba, the Franglais-speaking Happy Dan Pew ("Caillou le corbeaux!") and an Aztec princess stoned on chocolate. What can one say but "Aaaar, ye lubbers, read it..."
Rating:
Summary: The Pyrates
Review: For years I gauged the funniness of a book by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas(Hunter S. Thompson), that is, until I read The Pyrates by George Macdonald Fraser.... I wept with laughter on almost every page. He is not only a superb storyteller, but a master historian, and possesses a sense of humor I think unparalleled in the artistry of writing. If you like to laugh, this book is for you!
Rating:
Summary: I wish I had written this!
Review: Here's the totally absurd and unpredictable (at times) adventures of one Captain Benjamin Avery told by the master story teller and screenwriter, George MacDonald Fraser. Fraser plunges the reader "head first" into a bizarre Hollywood cliche pirate adventure that keeps the reader hanging onto each chapter as if to harken back to the days of the serial cinema cliffhangers. The language of the story is a blend of 17th century English / "Pirateese" with a dash of modern inventiveness (where else would one encounter a female buccaneer who wears Gucci boots?). Complex plot twists combined with truly amazing and memorable characters will lead the reader into a fun world of swashbucklers the likes of which haven't been seen since the great Errol Flynn / Raphael Sabatini pirate flicks. Sprinkle in some Monty Pythonesque humor, and a dash of nuttiness and you'll have fun. Takes some time to get into (especially the pirate language), and be forewarned, the ending leaves the reader somewhat disappointed. Otherwise, a fun and total "walk the plank" experience. Take it on vacation with you to a deserted Caribbean island beach and let your imagination run free.
Rating:
Summary: Review of The Pyrates
Review: Here's the totally absurd and unpredictable (at times) adventures of one Captain Benjamin Avery told by the master story teller and screenwriter, George MacDonald Fraser. Fraser plunges the reader "head first" into a bizarre Hollywood cliche pirate adventure that keeps the reader hanging onto each chapter as if to harken back to the days of the serial cinema cliffhangers. The language of the story is a blend of 17th century English / "Pirateese" with a dash of modern inventiveness (where else would one encounter a female buccaneer who wears Gucci boots?). Complex plot twists combined with truly amazing and memorable characters will lead the reader into a fun world of swashbucklers the likes of which haven't been seen since the great Errol Flynn / Raphael Sabatini pirate flicks. Sprinkle in some Monty Pythonesque humor, and a dash of nuttiness and you'll have fun. Takes some time to get into (especially the pirate language), and be forewarned, the ending leaves the reader somewhat disappointed. Otherwise, a fun and total "walk the plank" experience. Take it on vacation with you to a deserted Caribbean island beach and let your imagination run free.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I had written this!
Review: I am a huge fan of Fraser's "Flashman" series, and have enjoyed "Mr. American" and "Black Ajax" as well. "Pyrates" only enhanced my appreciation for this author. It is one of the few books I have ever read that actually made me laugh out loud. It is hilarious from start to finish, especially the side comments from the pirate "greek chorus" at different spots throughout the book. You don't have to be a fan of swashbucklers to like this story. You just need to enjoy well-written, well-crafted, and unbelievably witty writing. Thank you, Mr. Fraser...you are a master of your craft. I know you wrote this book while working on screenplays for Hollywood -- any chance THIS story will ever become a movie? We can only hope!
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