Customer Reviews

The Requiem Shark

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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_.

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!

This book took me to a world of piracy on the high seas that I probably had never thought I'd revisit after Treasure Island. While not exactly a page burner, it is worth the read. Nicholas Griffin gives a enough sense of day to day reality to the characters that makes you connect with what it must have been like to lead these lives. The historical detail and research give a great air of authenticity to the story.

The great challenge is how do you make a reader identify with a group of people who steal and murder for a living? The most interesting character for me was Innocent, the Yoruban black convert to an African brand of Christianity, who comes across as half savage, half mystic. Even the Captain Bartholomew Roberts' fear of the Almighty lent a spice of philosophic reality to what otherwise could have been a very two-dimensional character. Griffin lets us in enough on these inner lives to engage us with the characters.

The reversal at the end was for me an unexpected though intriguing finish with the motives of Phineas Bunch, the cabin boy, who is introduced by the second page, seems a minor character, and yet plays a key role. I won't spoil that surprise! It's a good pirate puzzle piece.

I recommend this book as a good read. It is satisfying as an adventure, as a historical snapshot of the period, written with enough twists and turns to make you enjoy the voyage.

Very much enjoyed. Despite nitpicking from some readers/reviewers about the historical and technical accuracy of the novel, I found it to be grimly realistic and engaging. The novel jibed well with the harsh realities of a pirate's life as described by such acclaimed non-fiction as UNDER THE BLACK FLAG, THE SACK OF PANAMA, and FUNNEL OF GOLD. The characters were interesting and believable (if not always well-developed); the crew's adventures credible and entertaining; the plot line was absorbing and flowed nicely; and the last third of the novel, particularly the ending, was wonderfully unpredictable. Not a five-star classic by any means, but certainly one for the library shelf. Recommended for those readers looking for a non-formulaic, historically apt, and stimulating read.

This was quite a surprise for me. I avoid Pirate novels because they don't do justice to the legends. I find that this first novel by Griffin was more than I could ask for. The Island, the battle, the sex - was so vivid I was there. I could smell the pitch, hear the waves, feel the rain. What more could a writer, or reader ask for.

This is an adventure story formed around the goals of the pirate Bartholomew Roberts, or Black Bart as he has been known.

Nicholas Griffin writes very well, and this is his first published book. I will read his next book also. The glossary in the back is very helpful, but I wish it had been more extensive. Also, in the paperback, the printing on the map is too small to read.

It did seem odd to me that an educated person like William Williams found himself among such cutthroats. Why was he there, and why did he stay in the face of the horrors they committed?

If you like boats, adventure, pirates, this is a good book to read.

And, it's a good time to read this book and contrast it with the summer's movie from Disney, Pirates of the Caribbean.

The tone is right. Forget 'Treasure Island', because here comes the real thing. Looters, pillagers, murderers and yet all oddly human and familiar. It's quite a task and Griffin achieves it by delivering the story into the hands of one of the more sympathetic of the crew. The book contains enough (very dry) humor to balance the doses of violence. The violence may at times be graphic, but never unnecessary, all adding up towards a powerful, ALMOST redemptive conclusion. True redemption, we feel, is beyond those who've chosen such a life.

This story of the scribe that is shanghied into the service of a crew of pirates zips right along. The historical detail adds just the right realistic touch without romantizing the life of the pirates. The pirates are many times desperately ill and constantly without the fabled riches. The burning of the captured slave ship was an especially disturbing event. This is a keeper.

This is an excellent book! It's a little hard to get into at first due to the fact that the author uses authentic language of the times, but once the reader becomes used to the language, it is dark, yet moving. The character of Bartholomew Roberts is richly drawn - his brutality, his struggles as captain, his personal struggles, his loneliness, his motives - he is like a hero of mythology - tragically flawed, yet great and above most men. It was a book I read several times. The brutality of the slave trade and the times, and the startling lapses into kindness, are well drawn, and keep the reader alert. The author explores rich emotions in response to circumstances. He has also very carefully researched the history, adding authenticity. I would highly recommend this book. My only complaint is that there is way too much spitting in the story!