Rafael Sabatini Books

A great read for two reasons. One, the fine story and two, a clear understanding of how much contents can be trimmed from the original text and still produce a successful screen play and film.

This is another of Sabatini's historical romances. It is not quite up to Scaramouche or several others but, if you like Sabatini, you will enjoy this. Like many of his stories, the romantic relationship is complicated but all turns out right in the end. It is set in Italiy in the same era as his Bellarion, a better novel. If you like Sabatini, you will enjoy this.

Although not the best, Fortune's Fool (1922) might be ranked among the author's better novels (of which, fortunately, there are many). A real page-turner, the plot is tight and engrossing, swiftly pulling the reader through Sabatini's typical labyrinthine twists and turns. The characters are human and believable-- the author was especially adept at bringing historical figures and events to life. Fortune's Fool lacks much of the swashbuckling action that made Sabatini a household name over 80 years ago (there are no sea battles and little swordplay), but it is surely among his most romantic novels. Set in plague-stricken Restoration London (1665), the novel traces the story of a down-at-heels soldier of fortune Col. Holles and the beautiful actress Sylvia Farquharson, who find themselves inexorably caught in a web of aristocratic intrigue. In every way the author shows himself to be a master of the genre, with sparkling dialogue, realistic description and period settings. The highly romantic denouement might be a bit over the top, even for some Sabatini fans, but the rest of the book still crackles with wit and excitement.

A swashbuckling economist? Only Sabatini could get away with such a hero. But truth is often stranger than fiction. In his previous works the author invents fictional protagonists and sets them against a backdrop of historical characters and events. His last novel The Gamester (1949), however, is a fictionalized account of the life of John Law, the Scottish financier, professional gambler and father of economic theory.

Upon the death of Louis XIV, France's economy lies in ruins. In an aristocratic world where nobility, rather than merit, serves to elevate officials to a level beyond their competence, Law, a foreigner of low birth, steps in as a fiscal genius. Yet, like most gamblers, he is satisfied by neither success nor failure-- all is in the game. And it is a dangerous game indeed, as he attempts to institute financial reforms and restructure France's economy, bringing it to dizzying new heights, where the potential for disaster grows with each new throw of the dice.

There is little swordplay but plenty of history and romance. Much of the novel's action of necessity deals with economic policies and stratagems that may befuddle the reader. Nevertheless, Law led a fascinating and romantic life, and he is a worthy subject of fiction. Although well written, it is not a book I would recommend to first-time Sabatini readers, but one that should surely be of interest to fans of the author.

In contrast to Sabatini's most famous works, such as Scaramouche, The Lost King is no swashbuckler, but rather a novel of political intrigue and machinations that take decades to play out. I almost gave up early on, as the plot developed rather slowly and episodically. However, my patience was rewarded when Sabatini turned this novel on its head several times on its way to a very satisfying conclusion. Nearly every detail in the first half proved critical to understanding what transpired in the second, and I found myself referring back frequently and smiling at how neatly the author had set things up.

One word of caution: Sabatini was a bestseller in the nineteen teens and twenties, and his style seems a bit convoluted and dated, today. Stick with it, and the story and fascinating characters will repay you, and you may even add to your vocabulary along the way.

What a pleasure to read a book written in 1902, and find a fast moving, pulse pounding adventure story written for adults. If your taste runs to adventurous tales of old like 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' or the entertaining historical romances of Georgette Heyer you will be pleased by the pen of Rafael Sabintini. Mr. Sabintini wrote dozens of historical novels including 'Captain Blood' and 'The Sea Hawk', so this is just the first offering of many from a master storyteller.

Although certainly not on a par with the author's more famous works, Captain Blood, Scaramouche or The Sea Hawk, Mistress Wilding (first published in 1910 under the title Arms and the Maid or Anthony Wilding) can be ranked among the best of Sabatini's early novels. In it are all the seeds of his later genius: a tight and twisting plot, historical accuracy, sparkling dialogue and plenty of lively humor. As with Cpt. Blood, the story takes place during the ill-fated Protestant rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth against James II. The characters are carefully drawn, though the protagonists are not quite as appealing as in other novels. What makes the story unique is that we really do not know who will be the hero and who the villain until the latter third of the book. Perhaps that is why Sabatini changed the title for the American edition. Not the best the author has to offer, but Sabatini fans will love it, as will lovers of historical romance.

This is not one of Sabatini's better known novels nor is it quite as excellent as Captain Blood, Scaramouche, or Master at Arms. But if, like me, you love Sabatini, or if you are simply a fan of the historical swashbuckler, you will enjoy The Sword of Islam (1939). It has the same careful attention to historical detail, sparkling dialogue, humor, action, and surprising plot twists that once made the author a household name. The protagonist Prospero Adorno, a 16th-century Genovese naval condottiere serving under the great Admiral Andrea Doria, is not the typical cardboard hero rescuing a maiden in distress. In facing complex ethical crises that cause his name to be vilified and almost ruin his career, he grows morally and spiritually as a human being. Like Bellarion, another of Sabatini's heroes, Prospero wins by stratagem, rather than sheer guts and brawn alone. Even the villains are portrayed almost sympathetically as real human beings with real motivations. Throughout the novel Sabatini demonstrates his thorough mastery of the genre as well as his expert knowledge of Italian history. And leave it to an Italian to write so well in English! Sabatini had his potboilers, but this is not one of them. While not his best, it is still among his better novels.

Poor. Doesn't hold a candle to the original. Characters seem wooden and puposeless. Especially Aline. In the original she had personality and an edge. In this one she seems bland and banal.

Bill Oakey

Scaramouche an overlooked classic. The story is better than The Three Musketeers! Get a copy and read it to your kids.

This book was worth the two-decade-long search it took me to find it, but more for completeness's sake than for the book itself. The story picks up where Scaramouche left off: Andre-Louis Moreau and Aline de Kercadiou have escaped from the Terror, and Moreau has renounced his revolutionary ways. Even more, his love for Aline has made him espouse the royalist cause, and he goes back into danger and adventure to help it. But will he be betrayed by the less-than-worthy nobles he seeks to help? The story is pure Sabatini, but doesn't come near the brilliance of the original _Scaramouche_. But you find out what happens.

Scaramouche the Kingmaker was written a decade after Scaramouche, and is a sequel that never quite reaches its predecessor's brilliance, but is quite satisfying to the Sabatini completist. The story continues where the original novel left off, with Andre-Louis Moreau now embracing the royalist cause to hasten his marriage to Aline. It's a good, rousing, adventure story, but it's no Scaramouche.

Great novel if only I could get it delivered. I have ordered this and other Sabatini books from Amazon and have yet to ever receive one. The last one was perpetually backordered. For months and months I received messages asking if I still wanted the book. Then it was cancelled. Then mpnths latter I ordered another again and that was backordered as well.

This is another collection of Sabatini's short stories featuring Peter Blood presented in serial order so the book can be read cover to cover or one story at a time. The plots center around Captain Blood's clever outwitting of his many opponents and incidents brought about by his fame in the Caribbean, including an imposter besmirching his reputation and a clever adversary who sees through one of the Captain's many alternate personas. Highly readable and very enjoyable.

Raphael Sabatini apparently knew a good thing when he wrote it. The original Captain Blood was a runaway best seller. So Sabatini began cranking out further adventures of Captain Blood that were essentially collections of unrelated stories. Each chapter of "Fortunes" relates a complete stand-alone vignette, not related to the other chapters of the book.

You won't find a continuous narrative, and not much in the way of Blood's pining for the unreachable Arabella Bishop. But if you are interested in a rock-em, sock-em collection of great, salty short stories starring Sabatini's sympathetic hero Peter Blood, then "Fortunes" is for you.

Be sure that you first read the original "Captain Blood, His Odyssey", also sometimes sold simply as "Captain Blood". Then, once you are hooked on the main story, get a copy of "Fortunes" and enjoy even more piratical high-seas hijinks from everyone's favorite soldier of fortune.

As a delightful little "bonus", see if you are a careful enough reader to pick out the error in Sabatini's time-line. You'll have to remember the original Captain Blood story, and then in "Fortunes", read the story of The Eloping Hidalga. Something between the two doesn't add up. See if you can spot the mistake.