Under the Black Ensign: A Pirate Adventure of Loot, Love and War on the Open Seas
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About this ebook
Long before Captain Jack Sparrow raised hell with the Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom Bristol sailed to hell and back Under the Black Ensign. That’s where the real adventure begins.
Bristol’s had plenty of bad luck in his life. Press-ganged into serving aboard a British vessel, he’s felt the cruel captain’s lash on his back. Then, freed from his servitude by pirates, his good fortune immediately takes a bad turn . . . as the pirates accuse him of murder—and leave him to die on a deserted island. Now all he has left are a few drops of water, a gun, and just enough bullets to put himself out of his misery.
But Bristol’s luck is about to change. Finding himself in the unexpected company of a fiery woman and a crafty crew, he unsheathes his sword, raises a pirate flag of his own, and sets off to make love and war on the open seas.
In his early twenties, Hubbard led the two-and-a-half-month, five-thousand-mile Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition. He followed that with the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition near San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he completed the island’s first mineralogical survey as an American territory. It was during these two journeys that Hubbard became an expert on the Caribbean’s colorful history—an expertise he drew on to write stories like Under the Black Ensign.
“A riveting tale of sailing ships, piracy and the high seas.” —Midwest Book Review
* A National Indie Excellence Award WinnerL. Ron Hubbard
With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most acclaimed and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard.
Read more from L. Ron Hubbard
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Reviews for Under the Black Ensign
45 ratings22 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I had heard the name L Ron Hubbard but never read any of his works, thinking he only wrote Science Fiction. So when I saw this pirate tale I thought why not. I am now a fan and will be looking for more of his works regardless of the genre.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rousing adventure on the high seas. A fun tale in a simpler pulp style. Refreshing brisk and well dramatized. A rewarding audio experience. Brought back memories of daydreaming while reading Classics Illustrated. A great way to spend two hours.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I received Under the Black Ensign as a free audio book from the publisher. I have enjoyed listening to this and reading several other stories from the Golden Age previously.This is a great story! Lots of fun. One of them many Golden age stories from L.Ron Hubbard. It kept my attention throughout the story. I would recommend it strongly for those looking for a fast action fun read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is my favorite L. Ron Hubbard audiobook so far. Great to listen while driving somewhere. Both male and female lead characters are wonderful, plot shifts often and the story goes by in a blink. I'd recommend it for the fun of listening if you enjoy Golden Age short tales.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As usual I received this title for free in exchange for a review. This time from LibraryThing and in AudioBook format. Despite that kindness I will give my scrupulously honest review below.First and foremost, it should be realized that my review is predicated entirely on the understanding that this is pulp action fiction pure and simple. Is there a grand and complex plotline to keep you guessing? no. Is there Dickensian detail and character development? no. Is there a grand social commentary buried in these pages? Not really... but sorta. This is just action, action and more action and that's all it tries to be. And at that, it does pretty well. OK, so that understood, lets get down to it.So, on the positive side (and remember I have the audio book version of this) the book isn't really a book so much as a radio play. The narrator's voice is strong and steady and flawless throughout and the sound effects are comparable to what you would have heard in one of the radio broadcasts back in the 40s-50s. I'm a fan of such rot so that's a positive for me. It may well be a negative for you. To the negative, while the narrator is steady his supporting cast is sometimes a bit off their game. The only other real negative is, possibly, everything I said in the first and foremost category. If you want depth or complexity look elsewhere. If you want sword battles and cannon fire, then stay right here.In summary, it's pretty good at what it tries to be. I cannot fathom actually reading this text as it is pretty pulpy but as an audio book is does pretty well.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not something I would normally read, but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed reading it and it was an easy read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Much better than I expected. I've never read any Hubbard because I haven't wanted to (even indirectly) support Scientology, so getting this as an Early Reviewer book was fantastic. And the read was fantastic. It's a bit predictable reading it in 2013, and even in 1936 it was probably easy to see how it was going to end, but it was still an enjoyable, fun, easy read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Under the Black Ensign by L. Ron Hubbard was originally published in the August 1935 issue of Five Novels Monthly. Galaxy Press was republished a lot of the Pulp Magazines stories of the Golden age in book form.Being borned in the early '50's I just missed the Golden Age of stories in magazines. This story is a good sample of the era by one of its best known authors.It is an action packed fun read.From Tom Bristol's joining a pirate crew to its his wedding of his noble born true love.Plot and character while there take a back seat to the action.Tom does not dwell on the dangers he faces or why he just draws his cutlass and charges.We have pirates who live by an unbreakable code and loyalty to crew mates, british Lords who think teir noble birth mean they can treat people anyway they want and a brave woman who will do anything she can for the dashing man she falls in love with.This is a great easy fun read for older middle school kids who are not ready for YA books or for those older readers who can look back on the days when a plastic sword and eye patch could turn into a entire day of play.This book also contains a great bio on L. Ron Hubbard.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I dont really know what to say other than l ron hubbards pulp fiction books are great . This one has a great storyline and the charactors a great . Would highly recommend this book
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I've always enjoyed pulp and noir, but they're both genres that I don't get to read often. The fun, campy action and quick pace makes for a very enjoyable read. An exciting swashbuckling adventure with some traditional twists presented in a new way is what you can expect from this page turner.Also, I thought the explanation of where the term "pulp" comes from in the foreword was a nice touch.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I had so much fun reading this quick pirate adventure. The descriptive writing put me in the action. Had I been more cognizant of the glossary at the back of the book, the enjoyment would have been greater just by knowing what some of the terminology meant. All in all a fun read and a new look at L. Ron Hubbard pre Scientology.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5L. Ron Hubbard was a master of "Pulp" fiction because of his life of adventure and interaction with unique people throughout the world. Like Melville, London, and Hemingway Hubbard lived or heard directly people describe the stories he sold to the pulp magazines. The publications were so named because of their low price, rough cut pages, cheap brown pulp paper and garish art work on the cover. Hubbard contributed many stories to magazines, like Argosy, that were monthly publications of stories that were well-written for reader excitement and easy reading.A good example of L. Ron Hubbard's work is Under the Black Ensign, a swashbuckling international naval story set in the Caribbean in the late 17th Century. The story was originally published in 1935 in the pulp magazine Five Novels Monthly. It is a short "novel," 84 pages enclosed in a rough cut single volume with bright red, black, and yellow artwork depicting the hero Tom Bristol dressed in silk and cloth brandishing a bloody cutlass.As the story opens, navigator Bristol is about to be flogged to death on a British Man O' War for an accident that almost killed the island of Nevis Lord High Governor, a paunchy dandy aboard the ship, Terror. Bristol is stripped to the waist and strung up by the hands against a mast. A lucky turn of events, for Bristol (not the British crew of the Terror) allows Bristol to avoid the flogging and become a pirate captain flying the Black Ensign (white skull and crossbones against a black background). Readers follow Bristol's buccaneer career as he and his crew of Moors fight bloody battles, take ships as "prizes," and generally disrupt the politics of the Caribbean islands.Included in this paperback volume is a glossary of historical and nautical terms that show Hubbard's background research in his pulp fiction writing. Also included is a description of L. Ron Hubbard's career as a pulp fiction writer and his many work experiences (ethnologist, engineer, captain, and screenwriter)that gave him ideas for stories. I recommend this story from the 1930's as a good example of pulp fiction that may be a good source of reissued work that has a current market. Amazon's Singles program may be the electronic version of the pulps.(Full Disclosure: This book was given to me as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent and colorful adventure story.Tom Bristol gets himself in a tight spot and works and wits his way out. Excellent characters as always with Mr Hubbard. Bristol isn't fond of slavery.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another outstanding Ron L Hubbard book "Under the Black Ensign" on CD. Features a great and outstandind cast led by Marisol Nichols, R F Daley, and Jim Meskimen just to name a few. It was directed by Jim Meskimen as well. A tale set on the high seas as only Mr. Hubbard could weave it. A must listen to for all lovers of adventures.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Having never read any pulp fiction, I was unsure what to expect when starting this book. The story follows Tom Bristol and "Jim" as they expand from working aboard a British ship to becoming pirates. Under the Black Ensign is a quick easy read but as enough storyline to keep it interesting. I do wish there was a lot more fleshing out of the characters and plot line but from what I understand, pulp fiction is more quick stories than in depth detail plots. This is not a book I would have normally read, but now that I have I am looking forward to reading more of L. Ron Hubbard's works. There are times when you just need those books that you can knock out in an afternoon and don't require a lot of thinking!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very quick read. It was more interesting then I expected it to be. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in pirates and adventure.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is the second book that I am reviewing from L. Ron Hubbard and I hope it is my last. Nothing about this work is impressive or interesting. The story seems to be a rough draft with all the details left out. There is nothing that helps you to care about any of the characters. L. Ron Hubbard's deplorable view (this might be an unfair assumption, but both books of his that I have read have this view) that whites are superior is very prevalent in this book. The production is good, but the story is not worth the effort. It is a simple recycling of stereotypes in an unoriginal plot stolen from far superior writers.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This review is for the multicast audio book I got free from LibraryThing in exchange for a review. This is first time I listened to/read a non-science fiction story from L. Ron Hubbard's pen, And I have to say: yeah, let's have some more pulp fiction here. The story was wildly fantastic, with Pirates, and the high seas, and people hiding their identities, and true love! What a ride. It's an old story, re-released by Golden Stories for a new audience.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have won several of these L. Ron Hubbard dramatizations through librarything.com and they are great. Excellent production values, sound effects and music. Under the Black Ensign is set in the Caribbean. Tom Bristol was a junior officer on a US ship before he was shanghaied into the British navy. Now, as a simple sailor, he accidentally endangers the governor of Nevis and is unfairly sentenced to death for attempted murder. When the ship is taken by pirates, he gladly switches sides, as does Midshipman Jim, a teenager on the naval boat. Tom's time with the pirates does not go very well and he is soon cast ashore on a small island. Jim comes to rescue him and they begin a series of adventures together.We can imagine that Galaxy Press, publishers of these dramatizations, is a Scientologist outfit, but there is nothing that points directly to a link.I received the Galaxy Press audio dramatization of Under the Black Ensign (Stories from the Golden Age) by L. Ron Hubbard through Librarything.com.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This story placed a solid meh in my opinion. The story was short enough that there was no character development, but because that was the case the action felt fairly fast paced. I finished reading it about five minutes ago and I feel nothing. I don’t have that slight feeling of euphoria and longing that comes from finishing a good book, but I also don’t have that bitter taste in my mouth from reading something distasteful and poorly written. All in all this in one of the most unremarkable things I have ever read. Like I said it ranks at a solid meh.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book, one of the Stories From the Golden Age collection, is a classic pulp novel of the sea. It has all the necessary elements -- a brave hero, a damsel in distress, and many scenes of action and conflict around the Caribbean. Originally published in 1936, the language is hardly dated, and I found it to be an enjoyable afternoon’s reading. The twists and turns of the plot kept the story moving well, and the story ended with a satisfying result.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great adventure. Also, very educational about the pirates. I also listened to the audio version, which I really enjoyed. Fun light reading.