Wake of the Perdido Star

September 27, 1999
Actor Hackman and undersea archeologist Lenihan team up for this joint debut, a conventional but intriguing coming-of-age adventure full of information about early-19th-century diving, salvage and piracy. Young Jack O'Reilly begins the novel as a passenger on the Perdido Star, leaving bigoted New England with his Catholic parents to seek a new life in Cuba, his mother's homeland. Soon after their arrival, the senior O'Reillys are killed at the behest of a wealthy Cuban landowner. Escaping his own death by returning to the Star, O'Reilly takes to the sea as a lowly deckhand, becoming a valued member of the colorful crew. "An angry young man who despises injustice," he is bitter, short-tempered and determined to avenge his parents. On its way from the Caribbean to the South Pacific, the Star encounters a predictable host of nautical obstacles: violent storms, pirates and shipwreck--and also friendly natives who help patch the ship together. Jack matures over the course of the journey, mainly through the tough love of the ship's captain, Quince, and the bravery of another young deckhand, aristocratic Paul Le Maire. Though he becomes known as "Black Jack" O'Reilly, the reputed "scourge of the western Pacific," by the end he's been transformed from a hot-headed teen to a respected sailor, willing to use his brain before resorting to his fists. Despite a formulaic plot and predictable characters, the authors do a fine job of blending historical and technical details into their narrative. Of particular interest are sections--including a well-constructed, exciting ending--in which the crew of the Star must learn how to accomplish tasks modern sailors take for granted: how to stay under water for more than a few minutes without drowning and how to refloat a sunken ship. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild featured alternate.

October 15, 1999
The sea has always been a good setting for adventure; from Joseph Conrad to Patrick O'Brian, there has been no shortage of stories about shipwrecks and pirates. An unexpected addition to the genre comes from actor Hackman and underwater archaeologist Lenihan. In 1805, Jack O'Reilly, after witnessing the murders of his parents, enlists on the American ship Perdido Star. His adventures--sometimes improbable but always entertaining--form the basis of the novel, which includes shipwrecks, salvage operations, savages both friendly and hostile, and enemy attacks on land and sea. Along the way, readers will absorb some arcane information, such as the 19th-century version of scuba diving. Throughout, Jack's motivation is to avenge the deaths of his parents. The characterization is well done; Jack and his intellectual friend Paul are joined by an interesting, well-drawn cast of both friends and villains. Recommended for popular fiction collections.--Fred M. Gervat, Concordia Coll. Lib., Bronxville, NY

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2000
YA-Forced from their home in New England in the early 1800s, Jack O'Reilly, 17, and his parents board the Perdido Star to Cuba, where Jack's mother plans to claim the land left to her by her family. De Silva, the guardian left in trust of the land, makes sure that she and her husband are murdered. Jack barely escapes and seeks refuge aboard ship with his new friends, Paul Le Maire and the first mate, Quince. Although Jack mourns his parents, adventures on the ship quickly turn his focus to sea storms, shipwrecks, diving for salvage, and the dark intrigues of opium smuggling. Jack and his friends survive through their physical strength, courage, and wits, ultimately deciding to unite as a brotherhood of pirates pledged to help Jack avenge his parents' deaths. With almost nonstop action, the characters struggle to survive or deal with dastardly villains. Secondary characters take on distinct personalities and quirky behaviors befitting the crew of a sailing ship of 1805. Any empathy or emotional bonding that might have occurred between the major characters and readers just doesn't happen. This doesn't affect the appeal of the story, for the action sweeps readers up like a strong tide. The hot sun of the South Pacific comes across as vividly as the moist, humid, bug-infested jungle areas. This sense of place and time helps set the stage for the impending action, making it seem all the more real. For teens who enjoy the sea, adventure, or survival stories, this novel will provide all of these and more.-Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.