Bilge Rat - Pirate Adventurer: Black Tarantula
Kevin Charles Smith, Ali Bothwell-Mancini, Rocio Amovadar
Perfect Paperback
(Journey Publications, LLP, June 19, 2017)
Harken back to the Golden Age of Piracy, an exceedingly brief but highly memorable epoch. Launched at the beginning of the 1700's, this unforgettable twinkling in time spawned such notorious and celebrated reprobates as Blackbeard, Calico Jack and Black Bart to name but a few. Glamorized and sensationalized by novels and the silver screen to an unrealistic and surreal level, these nautical hooligans have been cast in the roles of noble, gallant, misguided or misunderstood daredevils and protagonists. These erroneous portrayals could not be any further from the truth. In reality, pirates were notorious criminals and despicable cowards responsible for wonton acts of savagery, barbarity and bloodthirstiness. Bilge Rat Pirate Adventurer paints a vastly different and much more realistic picture of the harsh and brutal world of pirates. Expunged are the orchestrated swashbuckling duels amongst rivals, the storied histrionics of saving damsels from unspeakable defilement, the Hollywood-created fantasy of innocents walking the plank to their eternal doom and the ridiculous folly of these fiends actually burying hard-fought booty on some deserted atoll. Rather, this unique and action-packed series depicts a realistic and genuine account of life amongst these sea vultures, while providing a highly powerful and entertaining reading experience. The series centers on a young lad and his lifelong trials and tribulations. Orphaned as a youth, our hero is forced to flee his beloved homeland due to the evil machinations of a despicable bully. Highly educated by a cleric uncle and fluent in a slew of foreign languages, the youth is forced to quickly adapt to the rigorous and unmerciful life as a sailor. By fate's grace, the burgeoning tar has been gifted with a special ability to duplicate all manner of sounds and voices, which enables him to outwit contemptible adversaries and avoid mortal dangers throughout his travels. This raw recruit is sea-seasoned by a host of highly memorable, charismatic and fascinating rascals and rogues. At the same time, our hero is tormented and bedeviled by an abundance of malignant, malicious and lethal enemies. Only his well-honed quick thinking and cunning can keep him out of harms way. The star-crossed adventurer is eventually captured and forced into a life of piracy by a mangy and noxious band of sea wolves. Caught up in a world of nautical psychopaths, miscreants and scalawags, the series paints a realistic account of everyday life aboard a pirate ship, along with documenting a myriad of insidious and malevolent depredations wrought by these sea devils. This refreshing and novel series also introduces an appalling pirate scourge--The Black Tarantula. This pirate demon is nothing more than evil personified. He is a lethal threat to all humanity as he treats his numerous victims with utmost malice, torment and hideous annihilation. This diabolical archfiend takes a particular interest in our young hero and spends considerable effort persecuting and vexing his well being and livelihood. Chocked full of rollicking and captivating sea tales and sailor's yarns, this novel and exciting series is a must read for every pirate aficionado! Cleverly described as, Mutiny on the Bounty meets Pirates of the Caribbean with an Oliver Twist. - Hollywood Reporter (Top Five Deals of the Week)