Remember when pirates briefly became ironically cool, and all of your annoying friends were joining facebook groups for International Talk Like A Pirate Day? And the first Pirates of the Carribbean movie came out and was surprisingly awesome? And then the second Pirates of the Carribbean movie came out and was decidedly less awesome, but you didn't really realize it until the third one came out and you discovered you couldn't remember and didn't care about number two's cliffhanger ending (it was like The Matrix in that way actually)? And then you finally saw the third one on DVD when you were home from the hospital after almost dying of mono,who knew that could happen, but apparently it really messes with your liver, and the movie was so bad you couldn't even stay awake through the literally 45-minute long action sequence that caps it all off, and besides, it makes no sense at all, with everyone betraying everyone else so many times you need a flow chart to follow the plot?

I suppose we have RLS and Treasure Island to blame for all that. Because this is the book that established what we think of when we think of pirates, from skull & crossbones banners to peg legs to squawking shoulder-mounted parrots to maps with big red Xs and yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum. It's kind of weird to think about: those concepts are so ingrained in our culture (see: International Talk Like a Pirate Day), and yet they all stem from this rather innocuous adventure story for children.

But it is a really great adventure, which is probably why it became so iconic. This book is 130 years old but exhibits none of the mustiness of late Victorian-era fiction (turgid description being the chief offender, which you know if you've tried to slog through Jules Verne, and how in the world do you make submarines and sea monsters boring? Ask Jules). The adventure clips along quite nicely, moving from murder and mayhem on dry land to mutiny and more murder on the sea, and then to a creepy island filled with treasure and other dangers. Long John Silver is a crafty and compelling villain, switching sides more often than Benjamin Linus (hey, speaking of islands). Even though I knew basically where the story was going, it was a fast and engaging read, with a lot of creative sequences of suspense.

The only sections that bogged down a bit were the brief but somewhat technical descriptions of the ship, the sails, how the waves turned it this way and that, etc. I don't know starboard from port, and I don't care to, RLS. So get back to the parts with the talking parrot.

"There's never a man looked me between the eyes and seen a good day a'terward"
-- Long John Silver --

Long before there was a Captain Jack Sparrow, there was Long John Silver. In fact, Disney, the producer of Pirates of the Caribbean, did a movie remake of Treasure Island back in 1950. Some believe Disneyland's pirate ride, which opened in 1967, was modeled after the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel.

We all know the story, or at least have heard the names. Vague memories from high school days gone by. The opening chapter is vivid in pirate lore. The bedraggled pirate, Billy Bones, checks into the seaside inn, Admiral Benbow, along with his pirate trunk. He drinks rum, sings "fifteen men on a dead man's chest" and befriends the son of the innkeeper, Jim Hawkins. He asks the young boy to let him know immediately if he spies a one-legged man. Soon after, a blind man enters the inn and gives the pirate a piece of paper with a black spot on it, and the pirate then promptly falls over dead. Jim soon discovers a treasure map hidden in the pirate's trunk. Thus begins the adventure to find the lost treasure of Captain Flint.

The main character, Long John Silver, is epic. He's the ultimate politician, as he tends to blow with the wind. One never knows who's side he's really on. He's a smooth operator. He'll save your neck one minute, and slice it the next. Like Johnny Depp's role in Pirates, Long John is indeed colorful. His parrot, Flint, sits on his shoulder and squawks "pieces of eight!". What can I say, you just gotta like my man, LJ!

I enjoyed this book much more than when I was required to read it in school years. The story is, well, ...classic. My only beef is that sometimes I'm not quite up to speed on my pirate lingo and that really slows me down. But, it truly is a must read.

YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!!!

This is the iconic novel about pirates that it stands as the best example in this topic and easily one of the most adapted to other media novels in any genre.

I can remember having watched several adaptations, live action films, animated movies, even an animated film using animals as the characters, there is the Muppets' one, a Japanese anime TV series, an European mini-series taking the story to outer space starring Anthony Quinn, the animated remake of that version by Disney and the current Starz channel prequel TV series "Black Sails". Just to mention the ones that I have watched but there are a lot of more adaptations.

While the topic of pirates is a popular one, I think that there aren't much novels about it. At least not examples really worthy of reading them. Obviously there are some here and there, but taking in account how much options one has in other topics in literature, pirates has been a concept seldom touched with success.

However, this novel was able to keep on the mind of everybody the storytelling appeal of the topic of pirates inspiring successes on other media such as Japanese anime "Captain Harlock" and live actions films of "Pirates of the Caribbean".

For all that and its own merit, Treasure Island keeps retaining the crown as the best novel about pirates.

Characters like Jim Hawkins, Billy Bones, Ben Gunn, Captain Smollett and of course, Long John Silver have become iconic in the universe of literature. Even they have been so admired that other authors couldn't resist to makes homages/mentions of them on their own novels, such examples like on Peter Pan.

Its appealing is obvious depending the readers, many young ones can't resist to be amazed by Jim Hawkins who is 14 years old but he is able to keep up in the middle of adult characters and even being a key character in the success of the adventure.

To readers and writers of all ages, certainly the character of Long John Silver stands out as one of the best developed characters in the history of literature becoming a model to many following similar ones. He is able to do ruthless things but he has a code, he has limits, and not matter that he is not a nice person, there are things that he never will do and for that, he is a complicated and truly interesting character to read about.

Not matter how was on real life, Robert Louis Stevenson, the author, was able to show a romantic picture of pirates' world with now iconic elements like islands with treasures, maps with "x"'s, fearful papers with a black spot, peglegs, eye patches, parrots on shoulders, but above all, he had no doubt to show how dangerous and murderous can be real pirates.

THE Pirate Adventure by Excellence.

18th century, Bristol Channel. Jim Hawkins is the young son of the innkeeper of the Admiral Benbow Inn. One day an old suspiciously wary sailor makes his entrance and lodges for a time. After his untimely death due to a stroke, revising his belongings, Jim finds a map revealing what could be the possible location of a treasure hidden by the infamous pirate Captain Flint and his gang. With the help of Dr. Livesey, John Trelawney, Captain Smollett and cook Long John Silver, they arm the schooner Hispaniola with enough crew members and resources to make an expedition to the island in search of the treasure.

This one is by all accounts the most famous pirate story ever written, spawning countless of adaptations and retellings in books, films, plays, and whatnot.

It’s been ages since I read it, and at the time for me this was just another classic book like any other. I remember enjoying it enough, the plot everything you can expect from a pirate story, the characters not great but very memorable, like the iconic one-legged eye-patched pirate with the parrot on the shoulder. So classic! The pacing somewhat slow but not enough to be bothersome. Decently easy to read, considering, although that may be because I read it in spanish. I wouldn’t mind rereading it someday to admire it in its full splendor a second time around, savouring now everything with full knowledge of its literary importance, and in its original language.

A true immortal classic like few others. 3.5 rounded up for legendary status. A must read, if only to know the original work that inspired so many others after. Recommendable.

It’s public domain. You can find it  HERE.

Still remaining, the movie (1950) and (1990)



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n  PERSONAL NOTEn:
[1882] [311p] [Classics] [3.5] [Conditional Recommendable] [“X never, ever marks the spot.”]
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★★★★☆  Treasure Island  [3.5]
★★★☆☆  Olalla

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LA Aventura de Piratas por Excelencia.

Siglo XVIII, Canal de Bristol. Jim Hawkins es el joven hijo del dueño de la Posada Almirante Benbow. Un día un viejo y sospechoso marinero hace su entrada y se hospeda por un tiempo. Luego de una infortunada muerte a causa de un derrame, revisando sus pertenencias, Jim encuentra un mapa revelando lo que podría ser la posible ubicación de un tesoro escondido por el infame pirata Capitán Flint y su banda. Con la ayuda del Dr. Livesey, John Trelawney, Capitán Smollett y el cocinero Long John Silver, arman la goleta Hispaniola con suficientes tripulantes y recursos para hacer una expedición a la isla en búsqueda del tesoro.

Esta es a todas cuentas la más famosa historia de piratas jamás escrita, generando un sinfín de adaptaciones y recreaciones en libros, filmes, teatro y que no.

Hace demasiado que leí esto, y en su tiempo para mí sólo fue otro libro clásico como cualquier otro. Recuerdo disfrutarlo lo suficiente, la trama todo lo que uno puede esperar de una historia de piratas, los personajes no geniales pero sí muy memorables, como el icónico pirata cojo con parche de ojo y loro en el hombro. ¡Tan clásico! El ritmo algo lento pero no lo suficiente para ser molesto. Decentemente fácil de leer, considerando, aunque tal vez eso se deba a que lo leí en español. No me molestaría releerlo algún día para admirarlo en todo su esplendor una segunda vez, saboreando ahora todo con pleno conocimiento de su importancia literaria, y en su lenguaje original.

Un verdadero clásico inmortal como pocos otros. 3.5 redondeado para arriba por status legendario. Una lectura obligada, aunque sea sólo para conocer la obra original que inspiró a tantas otras después. Recomendable.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar  ACA.

Queda pendiente, la película (1950) y (1990)



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n  NOTA PERSONALn:
[1882] [311p] [Clásicos] [3.5] [Recomendable Condicional] [“X nunca, jamás marca el lugar.”]
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Treasure Island is a treasure for the young… If it is read in one’s childhood, it is irresistible and with age its magic doesn’t wear out for me but now it shines differently…

Now, if I can’t get away nohow, and they tip me the black spot, mind you, it’s my old sea-chest they’re after; you get on a horse – you can, can’t you? Well, then, you get on a horse, and go to – well, yes, I will! – to that eternal doctor swab, and tell him to pipe all hands – magistrates and sich – and he’ll lay ‘em aboard at the Admiral Benbow – all old Flint’s crew, man and boy, all on ‘em that’s left. I was first mate, I was, old Flint’s first mate, and I’m the on’y one as knows the place. He gave it me at Savannah, when he lay a-dying, like as if I was to now, you see. But you won’t peach unless they get the black spot on me, or unless you see that Black Dog again or a seafaring man with one leg, Jim – him above all.”

It’s awesome! The great adventure lies ahead… Goose bumps are guaranteed…
Now I see a lot of irony in the tale and even a bit of mockery – a funny quirk with cheese belongs rather to a subtle ridicule than to the romantic treasure hunting…

At the foot of a pretty big pine and involved in a green creeper, which had even partly lifted some of the smaller bones, a human skeleton lay, with a few shreds of clothing, on the ground. I believe a chill struck for a moment to every heart.
“He was a seaman,” said George Merry, who, bolder than the rest, had gone up close and was examining the rags of clothing. “Leastways, this is good sea-cloth.”
“Aye, aye,” said Silver; “like enough; you wouldn’t look to find a bishop here, I reckon. But what sort of a way is that for bones to lie? ‘Tain’t in natur’.”
Indeed, on a second glance, it seemed impossible to fancy that the body was in a natural position. But for some disarray (the work, perhaps, of the birds that had fed upon him or of the slow-growing creeper that had gradually enveloped his remains) the man lay perfectly straight—his feet pointing in one direction, his hands, raised above his head like a diver’s, pointing directly in the opposite.
“I’ve taken a notion into my old numbskull,” observed Silver. “Here’s the compass; there’s the tip-top p’int o’ Skeleton Island, stickin’ out like a tooth. Just take a bearing, will you, along the line of them bones.”

At different ages we believe in different treasures and they keep luring us.

Първата ми книга за пирати!

So much is said about "Treasure Island". That this was the book that established all the now-familiar elements of the well-worn genre of swashbuckling adventures with pirates and also laid down the groundwork for countless and equally rehashed tales of hunting buried treasure on an isolated island in an uncharted sea. And there are also so many who call it dotty, predictable (it seems "predictable" only because because we have done the same story to death) and even overrated. Well, what then makes me give it the highest rating possible?

The answer to that is not merely that "Treasure Island" still holds up as an exhilarating, exciting and "swashbuckling" adventure even today and that is no small achievement. While most of our classic adventures might seem quaint and only merely pleasing and passably entertaining to a modern reading mindset, for instance "Around The World In Eighty Days" which can be savoured more as an enjoyable colonial-era travelogue and less of a thrilling race against time to win a high-stakes wager, here's a rip-roaring, rousing adventure that grips the reader right from the first page, introducing him or her to a fascinating, intriguing cast of slimy buccaneers, dignified scoundrels and dainty heroes and then tugging us all along to a ride riotous with sights, sounds, thrills and spills that never, for once, lets one up.

What further makes the book such a delirious delight to read, however, is an unexpected shade of darkness and menace that marks many a page in the narrative. This is due to the man at the helm of this tale - Robert Louis Stevenson, that perceptive, dexterously skilled storyteller with a penchant not only for exciting, suspenseful plotting but, most crucially, a flair at portraying moral complexity which was still a rare sight in most popular adventures of his time. And so, even as we seem to be clear about who are the heroes and who are the villains in this adventure, Stevenson's brilliant staging of the mayhem on the titular island reveals his deception and after that, as the book approaches a startling climax, we are no longer sure as to where our loyalties lie. And whether that lovably malicious Long John Silver can be trusted too.

This much, however, one is sure: "Treasure Island", packed with action, excitement, dangerous suspense, moments of triumph and also of defeat and also a chocolate-rich flavour of darkness, is truly unforgettable.

Quick summary:

Jim Hawkins lives at the Admiral Benbow Inn, with his parents, in an English seaside town. A man named Billy Bones comes to the inn to rent a room and begins conversing with young Jim. During their discussion, Billy warns Jim to be wary of a one-legged man. Billy is confronted by buccaneers who threaten his life, and then Jim discovers a treasure map. Others know about the map too and want to locate it, but Jim is able to hide with it for the time being. Young Jim, along with a crew, head out on a seafaring adventure to find Captain Flint’s treasure before anyone else does.

My thoughts:

Treasure island is an exciting adventure novel published in 1883 by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story is about buried treasure, pirates, and mutiny. It’s a coming of age story with iconic characters and an intriguing plot.

This story is driven heavily by the plot, but the characters are all interesting. My personal favorite was Jim Hawkins, the primary narrator of the story. Jim is an honest character—far from perfect, and he doesn’t hide it. He accepts his mistakes and learns from them. It is young Jim’s perspective that makes this a coming-of-age story and leads to many plot twists. There is substantial character development with Jim and how he begins to better understand himself and the world around him.

My son’s favorite character was Long John Silver and for good reason. He is the antagonist in the story. Intelligent, courageous and charming—he’s the villain you find yourself siding with throughout the story. Witnessing the skill of these characters and knowing their capabilities was one of my favorite aspects of this story. This book brought us to the controversial question: who is the hero?

This story was amusing for all my kids because they haven’t read many pirate stories. It was a nice change and never boring. They were excited to read it and enjoyed discovering all the parts in the book that Disney took and adapted into Pirates of the Caribbean.

I remember reading this book as a child in our school library. It was likely the first pirate story I’d ever read. As an adult reader, this book still held my interest today. It’s full of action and adventure, and it’s written well. While I didn’t love it, it was still an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good escape read or one who enjoys immersing themselves in adventures—especially seafaring, pirate stories. This illustrated edition along with the audio by Neil Hunt brought this book to life.

La isla del tesoro

La novela de aventuras sobre piratas de toda la vida de la que siempre hemos oído hablar. Además, es para todos los públicos, aunque siempre ha gustado mucho al juvenil al ser el protagonista el chico Jim Hawkins.

Quizás en estos tiempos de hoy en día este tipo de aventuras está desplazada por otra literatura más decantada hacia la fantasía donde se puede unir aventura con seres fantásticos, acción y violencia.

Antes las grandes aventuras estaban influenciadas por gente de carne y hueso que había existido de verdad.

Con una isla y su tesoro era suficiente para imaginar una historia como esta. Solo había que añadir el pirata con pata de palo y su mapa del tesoro (y el loro).

Esta es otra novela en la que los recuerdos están influenciados por series o películas sobre ella. Cuando la vuelves a leer, el desarrollo te sorprende porque no lo recuerdas bien.

Magnífica e inmortal obra de Robert Louis Stevenson, qué más se puede decir.

It's been decades since I last read this treasured classic (see what I did there? :P ) and thought it would be perfect summer reading. I devoured it in 2 sittings. Stevenson pulls you into the journey and for those few hours magically transports you back in time to the swashbuckling decks of the Hispaniola. But thats not all. By telling the adventure through the eyes of young Jim, you also get that wonderful feeling that usually escapes us adults, that life is an adventure and anything is possible.

If you haven't ever read this do yourself a favour and pick it up, and for those like me who had forgotten that wonderful feeling and wish to recapture it, this won't disappoint.

جزيرة الكنز

كان بورخيس يعد ستيفنسون أحد كتابه المفضلين، وروبرت لويس ستيفنسون هو صاحب الروايتين المشهورتين جدا ً (جزيرة الكنز) و(الحالة الغريبة للدكتور جيكل والمستر هايد)، الرواية الأولى مشهورة جدا ً عربيا ً، ويعود ذلك إلى أن الرواية حولت على يد المخرج الياباني (أوسامو ديزاكي) إلى مسلسل رسومي مبهر بعنوان (Takarajima)، دبلج هذا المسلسل إلى اللغة العربية وعرض في الثمانينات، وكان أحد أجمل المسلسلات التي تابعتها في طفولتي، وأظن أنه أثر وأمتع جيل كامل قبل أن تفقد الأفلام الرسومية القصة والإنسان، وتصبح مجرد صراعات بين كائنات خارقة ذات تكوينات غريبة، المسلسل أبرز الرواية بقوة، وخاصة شخصية (جون سيلفر) المحورية، كما منح شخصيات أخرى دورا ً أوسع من دورها الحقيقي في الرواية مثل شخصية (جراي) التي كانت شخصيتي المفضلة مع سيلفر.

الرواية اعتمدت أحد الموضوعات المحببة، وهو موضوع القراصنة والكنز المفقود، ولكني أقدر أن ما أثرى الرواية ومنحها جمالها، شخصية جون سيلفر المتقلب، والتي أبدع اليابانيون في تصويرها.

أتمنى لو كنت أمتلك براءة تكفي، أعود بها لأشاهد ذلكم المسلسل الجميل.

TO THE HESITATING PURCHASER

If sailor tales to sailor tunes,
Storm and adventure, heat and cold,
If schooners, islands, and maroons,
And buccaneers, and buried gold,
And all the old romance, retold
Exactly in the ancient way,
Can please, as me they pleased of old,
The wiser youngsters of today:

—So be it, and fall on! If not,
If studious youth no longer crave,
His ancient appetites forgot,
Kingston, or Ballantyne the brave,
Or Cooper of the wood and wave:
So be it, also! And may I
And all my pirates share the grave
Where these and their creations lie!

I honestly don’t remember if I ever actually read Treasure Island as a kid. Between various movies (Muppet and otherwise), it’s a story that’s just part of popular culture. Practically every pirate stereotype comes from this novel. Buried treasure, and a map to that treasure where X literally marks the spot. Mutiny. Drunk pirates. Peg legs. A talking parrot on the shoulder. “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

Robert Louis Stevenson reportedly wrote this book for his 12-year-old son, and I don’t consider it an insult to say that it reads that way. The protagonist, Jim Hawkins, is a young man caught between the mutinous pirates, led by the charismatic Long John Silver, and the smaller band of honest men, led by honest Captain Smollet. The book is full of action sequences, narrow escapes, crosses and double-crosses. It’s not subtle, and outside of Long John Silver—whose complexity is the only real wrinkle to the story—the characters are exactly who they seem to be.

As an adult, I preferred reading  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which is a much more serious story exploring the duality of human nature and the struggle within each of us between good and evil. But Treasure Island is every bit as timeless and influential; it’s simply written for a younger audience. The fact that one person created both of these classics is remarkable. If you’ve never read it before, or are looking for a classic action-adventure tale, it’s recommended.