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The Big Book of Swashbuckling Adventure
The Big Book of Swashbuckling Adventure
The Big Book of Swashbuckling Adventure
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The Big Book of Swashbuckling Adventure

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The word “swashbuckler” conjures up an indelible image: a hero who’s a bit of a rogue but has his own code of honor, an adventurer with laughter on his lips and a flashing sword in his hand. This larger-than-life figure is regularly declared passé, but the swashbuckler is too appealing to ever really die. Who wouldn’t want to face deadly danger with confidence and élan? Who can deny the thrill of clashing blades, hairbreadth escapes, and daring rescues, of facing vile treachery with dauntless courage and passionate devotion?The swashbuckler tradition was born out of legends like the Knights of the Round Table and of Robin Hood, revived in the early 19th century by authors such as Sir Walter Scott, then caught hold with the publication of Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers in 1844. For the next century, it was arguably the world’s leading form of adventure fiction.Featuring selections by twenty hugely popular writers from the last century including Rafael Sabatini; Johnston McCulley (creator of the Zorro character); Alexandre Dumas, Arthur Conan Doyle; and Pierce Egan, author of Robin Hood, this anthology is dedicated to the swashbuckler’s roots: historical adventures by masters of the genre. Most of these stories have been out of print for decades; some have never before been collected in book form.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPegasus Books
Release dateDec 15, 2014
ISBN9781605987200
The Big Book of Swashbuckling Adventure
Author

Lawrence Ellsworth

Lawrence Ellsworth is the pen name of Lawrence Schick. An authority on historical adventure fiction, Ellsworth is the translator of Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Red Sphinx, and Blood Royal. Lawrence was born in the United States and now lives in Dublin.

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Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This compilation of famous and obscure swashbucklers certainly lived up to its subtitle! The author has covered each of the various "subgenres" of swashbucklers: the dashing pirate, the musketeer [not the one who comes to mind first :)], the jester-swashbuckler, the courtier, and others. I skipped around and read only those stories or excerpts from novels of my interest. The writing's a bit old-fashioned, mannered, and creaky. Most of the stories are from the twenties from the pulp magazine "Adventure" or before [e.g., writings of Conan Doyle, Dumas, Baroness Orczy]. I'm enjoying the compiler's brief biographies of the authors and what influence their writings have had on modern heroes. The quality of the collection varies, but the compiler has tried to be comprehensive. I'm sure there is something to everyone's taste here. There is so much to choose from! This is an outstanding collection. My favorites of the 17 herein:"The sin of the Bishop of Modenstein": a bishop rescues the princess Osra from kidnapping and gains back for King Rudolf the castle and demesne of Zenda. Set in the author's fictional Ruritania. I'd like to read "The Heart of Princess Osra" from which this short story is excerpted."Señor Zorro pays a visit": our introduction to the masked righter of wrongs, Zorro."How the Brigadier played for a kingdom": Brigadier Etienne Gerard is outwitted by a German princess and is unable to gain sympathy for France through her toying with him. Conan Doyle's character of the Brigadier shows his influence on the Flashman character."Robin Hood meets Guy of Guisborne": their duel to the death "The King of Spain's Will": Is Charles V's will a fake? "Crillon's Stake": how a lucky gamble leads to saving a king's life"The Black Death": Sir John Hawkwood escapes danger and in doing so, avoids the plague
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Just as advertised, an enjoyable collection of swashbuckling tales. For me, Dumas has been a longtime favorite, but I'd forgotten how much I love historical adventures. The sampling of authors has given me lots of ideas for books to add to my future reading list.

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The Big Book of Swashbuckling Adventure - Lawrence Ellsworth

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