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Under the Black Ensign (Stories from the Golden Age) (1935)

by L. Ron Hubbard

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
19031144,429 (3.68)4
Long before Captain Jack Sparrow raised hell with the Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom Bristol sailed to hell and back Under the Black Ensign. That's where the real adventure begins. Bristol's had plenty of bad luck in his life. Press-ganged into serving aboard a British vessel, he's felt the cruel captain's lash on his back. Then, freed from his servitude by pirates, his good fortune immediately takes a bad turn . . . as the pirates accuse him of murder--and leave him to die on a deserted island. Now all he has left are a few drops of water, a gun, and just enough bullets to put himself out of his misery. But Bristol's luck is about to change. Finding himself in the unexpected company of a fiery woman and a crafty crew, he unsheathes his sword, raises a pirate flag of his own, and sets off to make love and war on the open seas. In his early twenties, Hubbard led the two-and-a-half-month, five-thousand-mile Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition. He followed that with the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition near San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he completed the island's first mineralogical survey as an American territory. It was during these two journeys that Hubbard became an expert on the Caribbean's colorful history--an expertise he drew on to write stories like Under the Black Ensign.  "A riveting tale of sailing ships, piracy and the high seas." --Midwest Book Review * A National Indie Excellence Award Winner… (more)
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» See also 4 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 33 (next | show all)
This is one of a number of books that appear in the Golden Age series. For those of you who may be worried that the book may contain references to scientology or dianetics, for which this Author appears to be well-known, you need not worry. At no point in my reading of this did I find any references to either of these.

If you are a reader that is looking for a no frills, straight to the action kind of book, this one will be right up your alley. Like most books written in this era and classified as pulp fiction, there is no thought at all given to any character development, and when every page is packed with action and adventure, why waste time with all the frills and fancy that developing a back story brings with it. As with most of this Authors Golden Age books, the characters portrayed within its pages are not the usual stereotypical fodder one would except from this kind of book; instead they are more archetypical which makes the book more palatable for the reader.

At only 121 pages, this little novella is full of pirates, adventure, mishap, exploits and did I mention pirates? Every kind of piratical adventure imaginable is packed into these pages, and the reader can find themselves turning the last page before they realise it. It’s a high-octane and great uncomplicated read for all ages, especially children who are caught up in the pirate craze, and adults looking for some good old-fashioned escapism. I also feel this book would be suitable as bedtime reading to your children and grandchildren, and would definitely read it to mine.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will definitely be hunting down some more of the Golden Age books for those nasty winter afternoons that lay ahead. I highly recommend you do the same.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/11/19/review-under-the-black-ensign-l-ron-hubbar...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
( )
  Melline | Aug 13, 2022 |
This is one of a number of books that appear in the Golden Age series. For those of you who may be worried that the book may contain references to scientology or dianetics, for which this Author appears to be well-known, you need not worry. At no point in my reading of this did I find any references to either of these.

If you are a reader that is looking for a no frills, straight to the action kind of book, this one will be right up your alley. Like most books written in this era and classified as pulp fiction, there is no thought at all given to any character development, and when every page is packed with action and adventure, why waste time with all the frills and fancy that developing a back story brings with it. As with most of this Authors Golden Age books, the characters portrayed within its pages are not the usual stereotypical fodder one would except from this kind of book; instead they are more archetypical which makes the book more palatable for the reader.

At only 121 pages, this little novella is full of pirates, adventure, mishap, exploits and did I mention pirates? Every kind of piratical adventure imaginable is packed into these pages, and the reader can find themselves turning the last page before they realise it. It’s a high-octane and great uncomplicated read for all ages, especially children who are caught up in the pirate craze, and adults looking for some good old-fashioned escapism. I also feel this book would be suitable as bedtime reading to your children and grandchildren, and would definitely read it to mine.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will definitely be hunting down some more of the Golden Age books for those nasty winter afternoons that lay ahead. I highly recommend you do the same.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/11/19/review-under-the-black-ensign-l-ron-hubbar...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
( )
  TheAcorn | Nov 8, 2019 |
I had heard the name L Ron Hubbard but never read any of his works, thinking he only wrote Science Fiction. So when I saw this pirate tale I thought why not. I am now a fan and will be looking for more of his works regardless of the genre. ( )
  Bettesbooks | Jul 6, 2016 |
An excellent and colorful adventure story.Tom Bristol gets himself in a tight spot and works and wits his way out. Excellent characters as always with Mr Hubbard. Bristol isn't fond of slavery. ( )
  Bruce_Deming | Feb 5, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Rousing adventure on the high seas. A fun tale in a simpler pulp style. Refreshing brisk and well dramatized. A rewarding audio experience. Brought back memories of daydreaming while reading Classics Illustrated. A great way to spend two hours. ( )
  dremel | Sep 9, 2015 |
Showing 1-5 of 33 (next | show all)
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L. Ron Hubbardprimary authorall editionscalculated
Anderson, Kevin J.Forewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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The marlinespike was inoffensive enough.
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Long before Captain Jack Sparrow raised hell with the Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom Bristol sailed to hell and back Under the Black Ensign. That's where the real adventure begins. Bristol's had plenty of bad luck in his life. Press-ganged into serving aboard a British vessel, he's felt the cruel captain's lash on his back. Then, freed from his servitude by pirates, his good fortune immediately takes a bad turn . . . as the pirates accuse him of murder--and leave him to die on a deserted island. Now all he has left are a few drops of water, a gun, and just enough bullets to put himself out of his misery. But Bristol's luck is about to change. Finding himself in the unexpected company of a fiery woman and a crafty crew, he unsheathes his sword, raises a pirate flag of his own, and sets off to make love and war on the open seas. In his early twenties, Hubbard led the two-and-a-half-month, five-thousand-mile Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition. He followed that with the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition near San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he completed the island's first mineralogical survey as an American territory. It was during these two journeys that Hubbard became an expert on the Caribbean's colorful history--an expertise he drew on to write stories like Under the Black Ensign.  "A riveting tale of sailing ships, piracy and the high seas." --Midwest Book Review * A National Indie Excellence Award Winner

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Tom Bristol's career as first mate of the Maryland bark Randolph abruptly ends during shore leave when he is press-ganged into serving aboard the British HMS Terror.

Toil under the cruel whip of England is merciless: Crew members are treated as little more than chattel barely fed, made to work past the brink of exhaustion and kept in line with a cat-o'-nine-tails. Fate finally smiles on young Bristol when the vessel is overtaken by pirates and he gladly turns coat and joins them.

Yet Tom's new pirate mates desert him quickly after he's found guilty of killing a mutinous pirate and unwittingly harboring a woman on board. Marooned on a deserted island, Tom has nothing but a small supply of water, a gun and just enough bullets to kill himself. But Tom dreams up a devious plan that will return him to the high seas and make his past adventures pale compared to what he has in store for his many enemies. . . .
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