After finishing the TV show Black Sails I was on a pretty solid pirate kick, read a couple of novels, Pirates of the Caribbean movies, some Wikipedia reading. It was like I was a kid again wanting to be Jim Hawkins but without all the goody two shoes stuff but a pirate with a sense of morality.
In Treasure Island there is no such pirate. The pirates are scoundrels and the good guys are good guys to the bone. But it’s a great read for a grown up kid who is into adventure novels. From the first appearance of Billy Bones to the specter of Captain Flint driving the story to the half-hearted surrender of Long John Silver, the exploits of Jim Hawkins are fun and often exciting.
Stevenson’s book spawned a number of sequels and prequels since it’s publication, a couple by Stevenson himself. One prequel I mentioned above is Black Sails. Set 20 years before the events in Treasure Island we get to see a number of characters in their prime and we get to see a fleshed out Captain Flint. It’s still a relatively new show, though no longer airing new episode, so I won’t go into any details but adult who is a fan of Treasure Island should watch it, if you haven’t. It’s not meant for kids though, a lot of adult content, think Game of Thrones with pirates.
