The Curse of Treasure Island

Since discovering "The Adventures of Ben Gunn" when I was a young admirer of "Treasure island", I have tried to keep up with the sequels and prequels, but it's becoming a big job! SPOILERS COMING "The Curse of Treasure Island" is in many ways a worthy sequel, developing the situation and the characters, adding worthwhile new ones and taking us through many exciting episodes. I did not, like others, feel that it fell apart when they organised the expedition without knowing Grace's full story. In the end I felt that Grace was an incomprehensible character, but maybe that is a good period point - people of opposite sexes did not expect to understand one another. I got a bit uneasy about roping in Long John Silver "to catch a thief". We had a fairly sentimental version of Silver, a bit reminiscent of Robert Newton in his television series. If I were Jim, I might have worried a bit more about a possible double-cross. But what is wrong period-wise (and a bit odd anyway)is his comparatively unconcerned assumption that his beloved has had a child out of wedlock. Which turns out to be correct - but not by the repulsive father he imagines. A lover might make every allowance, but Jim does not seem to think as people of his time did think (at least conventionally) about extra-marital sex. There is another problem - COULD Louis be legitimised by a subsequent marriage? And a storytelling problem, which is that Tait the monster and cannibal seems a completely different man from Tait the credible witness, which Louis's claim to the title requires. Finally, of course, surely Jim has been consciously tricked, matrimonially, by his uncle? He does not seem to see it that way. Altogether, a strange book, but a good read.

I was very hesitant to buy this book. Sequels by other authors are often very disappointing. After reading the prologue I was hooked. I read it all in a day & half. There are many interesting books in the world, but not enough books that you don't want to put down & can't wait to see what happens. This is one of them. I was trying to tell someone about the plot, & just saying it out loud, it doesn't seem like it could work. But it does, & wonderfully. This book is just pure fun, one of the most enjoyable books I've read in quite a while. Anyone who likes pirates should read this book.

No, Francis Bryan is not as good as R.L. Stevenson, but this sequel is a well-written follow up to the original that moves along at a gripping pace. I don't think Bryan is slavishly imitating RLS's narratorial voice here; he imagines a more mature Jim Hawkins, and he does a good job bringing out the mixed feelings demonstrated by the original Jim at the close of Treasure Island. By comparison, I couldn't get through Porto Bello Gold, a prequel to Treasure Island. Bryan's book has better pacing and more sensitive writing than a lot of successful sequel writers; he seems to have real feeling for these characters.If you are a fan of the original and interested in how some of the loose threads MIGHT have been tied up, this book is a pleasure to read and worth picking up. Keep it away from younger or more sensitive readers, however; it does contain some perfectly logical but disturbing elements.

"Treasure Island" is one of my favorite books (see my list on [website]), so the hought of a sequel was very interesting to me. Buying the book was an excellent idea, as I horoughly enjoyed it. I've always wondered what became of the characters in the original, and this book answers that question quite well. Jim Hawkins has grown into a fine man, and Long John Silver, a bit older and somewhat the worse for wear, is as wily as ever. We see all "the usual suspects" from the original, and there is a rollicking adventure tale included. The ending is a bit bittersweet, but quite satisfying in its way. This is a book well worth reading, and I highly recommend it!

I imagine Robert Louis Stevenson would approve of this exciting tale. It measures up well to the original novel in all aspects. In fact, I found myself enjoying "The Curse..." more than the original. As a boy I recall wishing for Jim Hawkins' courage and nobility of spirit. And now, two decades after I first read "Treasure Island," I find myself thinking these same thoughts.