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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mixing the old and the new, April 25, 2000
I was one of those, a few months ago, mourning the passing of Patrick O'Brian. A friend who had read both O'Brian's books and the Requiem Shark, bought this book for me and while the style is very different from the old master's, it is every bit as good. Griffin takes as his subject a young man, around 19, who makes one mistake (stepping aboard the wrong vessel) and then follows him closely during the next three years as his character is transformed by those about him. I know it sounds a bit like Lord Jim but Griffin is crueller than most, pushing his heroes and antiheroes through a miserable life on the seas that had me transfixed. There is also a character aboard called Innocent, who has concocted his own religion out of Greek myths and the bible that seems to emphasise the power of stories themselves. The book also ends in a series of twists that were about as bitter and enjoyable as they come.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pirates Cruise the High Seas, June 5, 2000
I started reading Griffin's novel under the shadow of Patrick O'Brian, which probably isn't quite fair, but I did anyway- it would be hard not to. Amazingly, this book stands on its own. While there are no Jack Aubrey or Stephen Maturin characters, Griffin manages to create his own memorable cast that do not even try and replace our swashbuckling favorites. William Williams, Captain Roberts and Innocent are all worth remembering. If it were not for the 60 year time difference (Aubrey not yet born), it would be easy to imagine the HMS Surprise chasing these pirates across the atlantic. They are really that well written. The story itself is not overtly complicated: the basic pirate story with a few twists, and well written. Williams, the ship's fiddler and makeshift crew member, is the novel's main protagonist and view piont. He is pressed into service aboard Captain Roberts' ship from one of His Majesty's Ships. I have been used to the British Navy triumphant in literature and this served to give some flesh to an unnoticed historical period, when the high seas were not so lawful. With Williams slowly becoming more and more involved in the pirate's lives, they have a series of adventures in search of the galleon treasure ship Julliete. There is some good adventure; however, the dark nature of the violence in this novel can be disturbing. I do not believe that this is a weak point, for Griffin does it tastefully and it works with the story / characters. Just beware and don't give the book to a Middle Schooler for their birthday (yet, wait a few years). Apparently Captain Roberts was a real pirate, and according to Griffin perhaps the most successful of all time, capturing over 400 ships in under four years. Knowing that makes the book much better. The simplicity of the plot makes more sense if Griffin was following the example of historical texts. Everything considered, I think this is a very good book. I really enjoyed reading it once, but unlike O'Brian's masterpieces I will probably not read it again. I will look forward to future novels by this new author. Once you are finished reading this, and if you enjoyed it, I highly recommend the novel _Master_and_Commander_.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"...a gentle pendulum through which time might be kept", May 9, 2000
Mr. Griffin is a talented new Author who is likely to produce many more fine tales, be they historically based or pure fiction. "Requiem Shark" is an unvarnished description of the profession of Pirates and their experiences and actions that will challenge your constitution. This is probably not a book to read just before or after a meal, and if you tend to recreate in your dreams that which you read while falling to sleep, keep this book for the daylight hours. The partial sentence that is the title of this review is clear evidence that Mr. Griffin is a gifted writer, a future master-craftsman. But the fragment is pure misdirection that when placed in context, is rather dark, like tar? The story is graphic, at times brutally so, but as uneasy/queasy as I sometimes felt, the violence was never gratuitous. The first definition in the glossary is for "Bloody Flux", its placement is appropriate. The primary character Mr. Williams memorializes the exploits of Captain Robert's and his crew as they hunt for the ultimate trophy, the ship Juliette. Their race to catch their prize takes them across vast distances, and tests how far they will go, either through personal hardship, or in the infliction of same on others. Mr. Williams also finds what he can maintain of his original self and what end it will lead him to. Sheri Holman wrote "The Dress Lodger". In her book she made the London of Charles Dickens a theme park in comparison. Mr. Griffin too likes the dark side of the human, and it's condition. His next book is to be about "anatomists and body snatchers in 18th century London". I just completed reading "In The Heart Of The Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick. I mention this as his research of the medical effects of the sea on people was impeccable, and where these two stories experienced a similar event, Mr. Griffin was on the mark with his facts. A great tale, a brutal tale, a tale for older readers. You have not seen Pirates like those that Mr. Griffin will haunt you with. If re-opening a wound to remove the worms that are growing within does not make your squirm too much, "The Requiem Shark" will delight!
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