Treasure: Raised by Wolves Volume III by W. A. Hoffman
This is a romance on the high seas; a tale of lovers who are pirates, but unlike Calico Jack Rackam, and Anne Bonnie, the only heterosexual pirate couple in history, this romance is about two men.
In Volume One, Brethren, and Volume Two, Matelots, we met John Williams, Viscount of Marsdale, heir of the Earl of Dorshire, known commonly as Will, and Gaston the Ghoul. Gaston is the son of a Marquis, but also quite mad. He is scarred, physically and emotionally, but still a striking man, and oddly, a skilled physician. But when madness grips him, he is lethal, and in its aftermath, he poses the bodies of the slain in a sort of childlike homage. Hence, his name ‘the ghoul'.
Will is gay, and estranged from his family, his cousin Shane, who ridiculed him when sober, and raped him when drunk, and his father, who allowed this to happen. His sister is now part of his family of buccaneers; Sarah has married both Stryker, the captain of the boys' vessel, and his Matelot, Pete, a martial god with the soul of a child. Both men have spent their lives being shaped, and twisted, by their families. Now, they build their own, and try to heal the wounds of the past.
Though their lives are full of peril, life chasing down heavily armed ships and jumping through the cannon fire to engage the enemy is not conducive to health. But the boys have discovered that their lives on shore are little better, and in some ways worse; Vivian, the Damned Wife, chosen by Will's father, has proven to be a drunk and a slattern. Agents of either Will's father, or perhaps his cousin, are spying on them, and Gaston is almost shanghaied...by agents of his father, who is actually present in Port Royal. It seems the Marquis is desirous of retrieving his son, thinking him a wandering madman. Little did he realize that his son was part of a family of lethal buccaneers, loyal, brave, deadly, and not without political connections of their own. More shocking to the man is the fact that Gaston is not only accepted, but adored. And while Gaston is not gay, he is utterly devoted to Will. He is the ships physician, a fact that confounds his father. And confounding the son is the fact that his father accepts this, and Will, as positive things in his life.
While the private mythology of the lovers, the comparison to their relationship as a cart, Gaston's madness as a horse, etc, is laid on a bit thick and becomes a bit repetitive, still, the saga combines unusual depths of character development, woven through a tale of action and adventure, and historical detail to please any history buff.
The Brethren of the Coast were the last True Democracy in America, and the last great homosexual culture. Due to the fact that there were no women, and that jealousy among lethally trained, armed men was detrimental to ships moral and long term survivability, the custom of Matelotage came into common practice. A man's matelot was his fighting partner, his look out, his best friend, and his legal heir. He could speak in his Matelot's name. In all practical considerations, they were married. And most matelots had a physical side to the relationship. And while it is foolish to think every pirate was gay, remember, the penalty for Sodomy in the "civilized" world was death. Many homosexuals chose the life of a pirate for the freedom from persecution (or Prosecution) it afforded.
And while our heroes might be a little more psychologically advanced than really fits inside the realm of credibility, still, this tale is an engaging read; you care about the characters, and really get to know them, so that their trials and tribulations matter to you.
While the first two thirds might be a little slower, the trip hammer pace of the last third and the raids on the Spanish strongholds should satiate even the most jaded action junkie. Combined with the complex study of the effects of our fathers, and the warmth of the healing between Gaston and the Marquis, and the depth of the love between Gaston and Will, the book satisfies on many levels.
All in all, this is a superlative book, and a fine addition to the ongoing saga of Will and Gaston. Now I am just waiting for the final Volume, Wolves, due out later this year.
Written in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19.
Will, a disenchanted English lord, and his beloved matelot/partner, Gaston, an exiled Frenchman, ponder the true definition of sanity and the necessit...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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