Isle of Swords Review

Author: Wayne Thomas Batson

"Captain Declan Ross is a pirate who wants out. He is desperately searching for a treasure that will free him from the piracy business forever. Meanwhile, his crew is starving and his ship is falling apart in shark-infested waters. Desperate for supplies, they sail into the territory of . . .

Pirate Bartholomew Thorne, the black-hearted rogue who seeks to destroy anyone standing in the way of his finding the legendary treasure of Constantine.

A sixteen-year-old awakens on an island, alone and brutally injured, with no memory of who he is. The rare diamond he clutches will bring him between the pirates and their treasure, but will it also be the key to his own identity?"
-Summary from the back of Isle of Swords

Characters: Amazing! The many characters are colorful and vibrant, with the good guys not perfect and the bad guys thoroughly bad. Bartholomew Thorne is enjoyably chilling, and I would be hard put to find a bad guy who could match him. Alternately, many of the good guys, especially Jacques St. Pierre, are engaging and funny without being too crazy for me to picture. I just wish that some of the characters hadn’t died, as they caught my interest and I would’ve liked to hear more about them.

4/5

Location: Very clear and well mapped-out. There’s enough description that you can “see” the different places, but not so much that you’re overwhelmed with detail.

4/5

Plot: Very exciting! The main plot is clear, and there’s just enough subplot to make things really interesting. Mysterious secrets, epic battles on land and at sea, tons of high-speed action, and a healthy dose of hilarity will keep you on your toes throughout the novel.

5/5

Other: This book is one of the few historical fiction books that would make it onto my “favorites shelf”. Although it is actually historical fiction, as it is set on Earth, it has all the action, adventure, and variety of my favorite fantasy books. This is a must-read for anyone who likes adventure!

Overall Rating: 4/5