THE SCARLET QUEEN by Eric Leif Davin
Review by Larry Ivkovich
Avast, me hearties! Eric Leif Davin’s follow-up to his pirate/zombie novel, The Desperate and the Dead, is here. The Scarlet Queen follows the further adventures of pirate captain Anne Bonny, the Scarlet Queen of the title (because of her red hair). She sails in a quest for revenge against King George and his British forces who are out to end piracy once and for all.
Having survived the final battle against the zombies and the demons from Hell in the first book, Anne, now captains the ship of the evil, demon-worshipping Blackbeard, “Queen Anne’s Revenge.” She returns to her pirating, marauding ways in a very big, bloody way.
Gathering a number of crews and a small armada of ships, Ann burns and pillages her way throughout the Caribbean. With her is Catalina Sierra, or Cat, also back from the first book, who has embraced the pirate life, or “sweet trade.” She admires Anne greatly and has become fiercely loyal to the Scarlet Queen.
Though no zombies or demons are present in this book, there is a vampire, who also becomes an important member of Anne’s crew on the Revenge. Appearing in the first book also, this character’s vampire aspect had never been revealed. It was thought by all she had died in the devastating zombie attack. But, she returns from certain death, as vampires do, and sets out to get her own revenge. And much more.
As in the first book, there’s plenty of action, killing, gore, cursing, and blood, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s hard to put the book down, being a real page-turner. Pirates are depicted here as unwashed, foul-breathed, foul-mouthed drunkards, and very fierce fighters. Though the characters all seem reckless and unforgiving with no redeeming qualities, Anne is anti-slavery and frees slaves wherever she sails. She urges to them to attack and overthrow their masters to regain their freedom. She also allows many to serve on her ships, which gives her personality a positive aspect.
As before, Davin intersperses the narrative with interesting bits of historical and geographic passages that never slow the story down but only enhance it. The sea battle scenes are well described and exciting. The three main characters, Anne, Cat, and the vampire, are all nicely drawn with their own distinct personalities.
Plus, there are pirate drinks, like “rumbo,” which are described and would really put hair on your chests! Consume at your own risk.
A fun read and great follow-up to the first novel.
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