A well researched and thorough biography of English privateer Henry Morgan.

I appreciated the context provided within the first few chapters, i.e., the relations between Spain and England and the ongoing conflicts over New World holdings. The discussion of the significant differences between the Spanish hierarchical method as contrasted with the English freewheeling privateers was interesting as well. The final chapter on the earthquake which destroyed Port Royal was also appreciated.

Inexplicably, while the majority of the book describes Morgan’s numerous campaigns, at some point my attention started to wander. Each campaign seemed a bit too much like another. Also, what seems to be the case with all books concerning pirates, while the real life adventures were incredible by any standards, the author decided to include unnecessary exaggeration.

Nonetheless, a good book and an interesting read. ( )

Have you ever wanted to know the truth about the Pirates of the Caribbean?
Have you ever wondered the difference between a pirate, a privateer, and a buccaneer?
Did you question how Captain Henry Morgan could have been both a pirate and a knight?
Have you ever heard of the great earthquake that occurred in Port Royal, Jamaica, in 1692?

This book provides the answers to these queries and more. The author has found an impressive number of primary sources from which to draw information. Talty is particularly adept at describing the vicious battles initiated by the pirates in their insatiable desire for plunder. He does not shy away from describing the cruelty, torture, and debauchery of a piratical life. One wonders how these criminals can be as romanticized as they are in entertainment.

Talty provides an in-depth biography of Morgan (1635-1688), while also imparting a wealth of information on English, Spanish, and French history. The reader learns details about battles on the Spanish Main, including Granada, Portobelo, Maracaibo, and Panama. It explains the reasons behind the rise and fall of the pirates under Morgan. I found it gripping, informative, and eye-opening.

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Seriously, pirates. I don’t know when, where or how my love of them began, maybe all little kids are born with a fascination of the pirate’s life. From Peter Pan’s arch-nemesis Captain Hook to Will Turner in the first Pirates of the Caribbean to Alvilda, the protagonist of my current writing project who is based on the Viking pirate princess Alfhild, my love runs deep. When a coworker first told me about Cinnamon & Gunpowder, I jumped at the chance to read it for the sole reason that it featured a female pirate! Everywhere that I’ve traveled from the Outer Banks in North Carolina to Nassau in the Bahamas, I have visited each locale’s respective pirate attractions and museums.

In addition to pirates, I also love a good non-fiction book that can be affectionately referred to as “novelistic nonfiction” as exemplified by Erik Larson, among other authors. Talty’s prose also falls into the subgenre of nonfiction. I find that, as a bookseller, when I recommend nonfiction to primarily fiction readers, this trait is ideal. The pages turn quickly, the action moves at a good clip and the book holds the readers interest. Gone are the days of nonfiction being judged as dry and without character – half the time when reading I have to remind myself that the people in Empire of Blue Water are/were real people – not characters. Though when referencing Henry Morgan, the myths about him are hard to ignore.

Additionally, Empire of Blue Water is not just about Henry Morgan, but about a great many other pirates who lived and raided around the same time, as well as the political culture of the colonies in the Caribbean, South, Central & North America. It is a fascinating and compelling read, and, of course, PIRATES! ( )

A sweeping history that reads like a novel, of one of my favorite historical periods and favorite geographical locations. Not just a story of Henry Morgan, but a tale of the Caribbean from the arrival of the Spanish, the rise and fall of Port Royal, and the brave (and greedy) buccaneers whose true exploits are ever more exciting than anything you could make up. ( )

An easy and enjoyable history read. ( )