The King of Pirates

I think the previous reviews miss the point of this book, and indeed, the crucial context of 18th century travel writing. Defoe was a master of dramatic narrative, and this book, though perhaps "dull" by modern standards, is a fascinating dramatization of one of the most infamous English pirates, Captain Avery. The book is not a novel at all, nor is it a work of fiction per se; rather, Defoe writes two "letters" supposedly written by Avery himself, defending his crimes and trying to dispel the myth spun out by numerous writers (ironically, people like Defoe himself!). Yet what Defoe does with Avery is remarkable, since he is using a real pirate to advance a very personal argument: the pirate as a nationalist agent of empire, striking blows against foreign commerce to enrich the coffers of England. While this is not at all true from what little we know of Avery, Defoe mythologizes him much in the way that other pirates, notably William Dampier, tried to cast their own piracies in a nationalist light. The voice Defoe creates in the narrative is very unique and believable, as Avery narrates what led him to raid the Great Khan's treasure ship, abduct (but not rape or harm!) his daughter, and eventually settle in Madagascar over a quasi-pirate empire. Though a great deal of time is spent making the narrative seem believable (which can be slow--descriptions of battles, sailing from here to there), Defoe never forgets he is creating a fictional persona, and gives us numerous scenes that let us study Avery as a thinking, plotting individual. The scenes with the Great Khan's daughter are particularly interesting, as are Avery's attempts to steal away from his crew and return to England. This is unmistakably a work by Defoe, very much in the vein of his longer, and somewhat less interesting Captain Singleton, and even his more popular work, Robinson Crusoe. Defoe makes the characters and situations come to life, and is careful to shape his narrative to follow specific artistic demands. In other words, it's not simply a story of Avery's life. To see the difference, read Captain Johnson's "A General History of the Most Notorious Pirates," which is sometimes attributed to Defoe; the style is bland, unimaginative, and utterly disinterested in the pirates as people. If you can remind yourself when this was written and what Defoe's aims might have been, you have a good chance of enjoying this colorful, concise work. Very appreciative of Dover for reprinting it!