This is the first in a series of prequel novels to Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. As its title suggests, it is about the earlier lives of Long John Silver and his feared Captain, (Joe in this novel) Flint. Other characters from Treasure Island also make appearances here, including Billy Bones, the old pirate who first appears in Jim Hawkins's inn, Blind Pew, the beggar who gives Bones the infamous Black Spot, Flint's gunner Israel Hands and (very briefly) future castaway Ben Gunn. And Silver's famous parrot, originally belonging to Flint and indeed called Cap'n Flint, is a character in its own right here. Silver and Flint are initially friends, but quickly become rivals and then deadly enemies, with their originally joint crews split into two bitterly fighting factions. Silver comes across well in this novel - while clearly a rogue, he is a good leader of men, trusting his crew and enforcing discipline largely through a generally fair and consistently applied set of rules, the ship's "articles", while Flint rules through terror and brute force. He is here little more than a brutal and greedy sadist, whom his crew fear, but also believe when he tries to deceive them. There is one female character here, Selena, an escaped slave from a South Carolina plantation, who is initially treated well and deceived by Flint's superficial charm, but then turns to Silver. While I generally quite enjoyed this novel, it does not in spirit feel like a prequel to Treasure Island, as (unlike the sequel Flint's Island I read before this) it is not written in Stevenson's style, but like a modern historical novel from the pen of Bernard Cornwell, or Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes, i.e. with fairly graphic descriptions of violence and torture, though there is plenty of good old fashioned adventure as well. Finally, the early part of the novel was a little confusing as the action kept flitting backwards and forwards in the lives of the main protagonists within a three year period, before the main narrative emerged. Overall, a decent read and I will probably read the other prequels. ( )

This was a very entertaining historical novel about 18th Century piracy. I especially liked the fact that the author really developed the character of Captain Flint. The book was also very well researched. ( )

I'm dubious about whether or not I will actually finish this. The story is not very congruent, lacks a consistently interesting narrative, and is crude and ribald....which i guess fits a description of pirates, or a piratical description. However, other than an exciting opening scene, the author seems to rely on description instead of narrative, a constant information dump. What narrative does happen seems laden with ribald and paper thin characters and language. I doubt I will finish this book. ( )

John Drake the author of Flint and Silver says that he wrote this book in order to answer some of the questions left unanswered by Robert Louis Stevenson in his great work. Treasure Island. So for the curious, we find out how Long John Silver lost his leg, how he got his parrot and why the pirates buried their treasure in the first place. We are also introduced to some great characters, principle among them being the utterly wicked Captain Joe Flint. Long John Silver is an absolute gentleman compared to this ruthless pirate.

Flint and Silver was a great book about pirates and their peculiarities. The author puts in a good deal of realistic historical information, adventure, and even romance. We can see the shaping of Long John from a merchant marine sailor into the pirate he was to become. I believe this author loved Treasure Island and his prequel rings true in fact and characterization. Kudos for basing his book on such a well-known and well-loved classic. I enjoyed this book, and I definitely plan on reading the sequel Pieces of Eight, as we are left hanging at the end of Flint and Silver, and I would like to eventually have the full story revealed.

A fun read and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to fans of the pirate genre. ( )

A fun read, certainly much racier than Treasure Island! I might have enjoyed more something either closer to the original or distinctively different. This is the backstory of Captains Flint and Silver, pirates whose skills complemented one another and who became close friends only to diverge as pirates will. Timely considering the piracy currently in the news; to be followed by Pieces of Eight. ( )