Treasure Island
By Robert Louis Stevenson
Published by Barnes and Noble Books, 2005
Print Price: $7.95
It's the latter half of the 1700s in England and Jim Hawkins, the son of an innkeeper, has acquired a treasure map that will lead him to a fortune in gold and coins. He took it off the dead body of the pirate Billy Bones, who once served under the legendary buccaneer Captain Flint. Before he died, Flint told Billy where his booty was buried on Treasure Island. Now Jim is the only one that knows where it's at. His life is quickly put in danger because Flint's old crew, led by the peg legged Long John Silver wants the map and the treasure too!
Jim enlists the aid of the local physician, Dr. Livesey, and also Squire Trelawney, a wealthy landowner and magistrate. Trelawney is already loaded with money but also wants more, so he buys a ship and hires an honest captain to guide them to the island. Where he messes up is hiring Long John Silver as the cook! Of course, none of the good guys know Silver's true identity. The Squire lets Silver pick most of the crew for the expedition, so he loads it with his own men. Soon the ship is sailing off to Treasure Island.
The reason I picked up this book was that I had recently finished watching all four seasons of the tv series Black Sails, which serves as a prequel to this novel. From what I can tell, the book takes place about 25-30 years after the events of season 4. I was very curious to read Treasure Island and find out how the characters from the show ended up. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed, except for Long John Silver.
In Black Sails, Captain Flint's crew were brave, clever, tough, and resourceful. They were hard as nails. The pirates in Treasure Island are, for the most part, buffoons who get picked off like the bad guys in the A-Team. Even Silver, who was one of the smartest fictional characters I've ever encountered in the tv show, gets outsmarted constantly by a young boy in this book. In the show, the pirates had very strict codes of honor but in this book, they are constantly on the verge of mutiny and very undisciplined.
Because Jim Hawkins is so brave and smart compared to the pirates, this book almost plays out like an 1880s version of Home Alone. He's always a step ahead of them and always takes more initiative than the adults. I don't think it ever mentions his age but I felt like he was around 14 or 15. Don't get me wrong. I liked Jim. I can see why this book became an instant classic back in the day for young boys. Finally, an adventure where the main protagonist was someone their age.
Silver was the closest in feel to his character from Black Sails. In Treasure Island he was at turns polite, friendly, murderous, loyal and disloyal, liar and truth-teller, friend and enemy at the same time. He was the most interesting personality in the book. He was always looking for the best angle in any situation where he would come out at the most advantage. You couldn't help liking him even though you knew at the right time, he would stab you in the back...LITERALLY.
Treasure Island was a good adventure even though its latter half wasn't as interesting and atmospheric as its first half. If you come to the book like I did fresh from Black Sails, you need to lower your expectations and judge the book on its own merits, not those of the tv show.
My Grade: B
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