

Joining forces with the Sallee Turk, Captain Tangle, the galleon is saved and Peter becomes the right-hand confident of the swashbuckling Tangle. Somewhat true to his nature Bishop sets them adrift to save his own skin, and Peter and two other crew members are abandoned aboard the sinking galleon.

One of these is a commanding, Sallee Turk, who prior to his capture was a high-ranking captain of the Sallee Rovers (i.e. The plot thickens when the Ajax comes upon a sinking Spanish galleon in distress, and Peter and a crew are sent aboard to free the enchained, galley slaves in order to give them a chance at survival. Moreover, matters are made worse for Thornton because Bishop takes an arbitrary disliking for him, such that he can do no right. As luck would have it-or perhaps not-he and Perry are both given assignments aboard HMS "Ajax." The not-so-lucky part is the rather pompous and acerbic master-i.e. This is partly due to being eclipsed by his best friend, Roger Perry (with whom he is secretly in love) being a partial orphan, and being new to his commission. In this book we are introduced to Lieutenant Peter Thornton, a likeable sort but insecure in his role. Nevertheless, when the discussion got tactical I had no difficulty following it, nor did I find that it burdened the story-that is, not at first. Having said that, I must admit that I wouldn't know the difference between a marlinspike and a hat pin. He can therefore rightfully claim his status as an authority.

Kei is the first of the Pirates of the Narrow Seas trilogy and, according to his bio, the author is not only an experienced sailor, but has also experienced many of the risks and challenges described in the story.
