Helen Hollick's World of Books
The Caribbean, a Pirate,
and a White Witch. Sea Witch will probably be the best pirate story
you have read since
"Frenchman's Creek".
Pirates will be the number one genre interest for the next few years with
"Dead Man's Chest",
the sequel to the hugely successful movie
"Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the
Black Pearl"
. It has an expected release date of July 2006. With a third film scheduled
for 2007, Johnny Depp's exciting creation of Captain Jack Sparrow puts the
subject of pirates firmly back into everyone's imagination.
But if Jack Sparrow is the Captain of that particular ship, then my creation of
Jesamiah Acorne, with his humour, cheek, sheer heroism, and his trademark
fluttering blue ribbons, is most assuredly the First Mate.
The Time: The Golden Age of Piracy - 1716.
The Place: The Pirate Round - from the South African Coast to the sun drenched Islands of the Caribbean.
Escaping the bullying of his elder half brother, from the age of fifteen Jesamiah Acorne has been a pirate with only two loves - his ship and his freedom. But his life is to change when he and his crewmates unsuccessfully attack a merchant ship off the coast of South Africa.
He is to meet Tiola Oldstagh an insignificant girl, or so he assumes - until she rescues him from a vicious attack, and almost certain death, by pirate hunters. And then he discovers what she really is; a healer, a midwife - and a white witch. Her name, an anagram of "all that is good."
Tiola and Jesamiah become lovers, but the wealthy Stefan van Overstratten, a Cape Town Dutchman, also wants Tiola as his wife and Jesamiah's jealous brother, Phillipe Mereno, is determined to seek revenge for resentments of the past, a stolen ship and the insult of being cuckolded in his own home.
When the call of the sea and an opportunity to commandeer a beautiful ship - the Sea Witch - is put in Jesamiah's path he must make a choice between his life as a pirate or his love for Tiola. He wants both, but Mereno and van Overstratten want him dead.
In trouble, imprisoned in the darkness and stench that is the lowest part of his brother's ship, can Tiola with her gift of Craft, and the aid of his loyal crew, save him?
Using all her skills Tiola must conjure up a wind to rescue her lover, but first she must brave the darkness of the ocean depths and confront the supernatural being, Tethys, the Spirit of the Sea, an elemental who will stop at nothing to claim Jesamiah Acorne's soul and bones as a trophy.
Praise for Sea Witch
"In the sexiest pirate
contest Jesamiah Acorne gives Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow a run for his money."
Sharon Penman
"Sea Witch gives us everything we want in a grand pirate
adventure - swashbuckling action, great villains, lovely women in distress, sea
fights and adventures on land, all grounded in solid research that gives the
book a real feel of authenticity. This is a terrific read for lovers of pirate
tales, lovers of historical fiction, and lovers of great adventure stories."
James L. Nelson
"A wonderful swash-buckler of a novel. Fans of Pirates of the
Caribbean will love this to pieces of eight! A fabulous splash of piratical
adventure on the high seas. Prepare to be abducted by a devil-may-care pirate
and enchanted by a white witch. Mayhem and magic, splendour and squalor,
beautiful ships, dangerous pirates and wild women, Helen Hollick has written a
fabulous historical adventure that will have you reading into the small hours!"
Elizabeth Chadwick
All material concerning Sea Witch is property of Hellen Hollick, used by permission. for more info on Helen and her other books, visit her website:
Helen Hollick's World of Books
Also, come visit us in the Pirates of the Caribbean Interactive Project forum!