Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign

Quite possibly the finest book on piracy this reviewer has had the privilege to enjoy. Stephan Talty has not only provided an exhaustively in-depth look at the "Golden Age of Piracy," but has thoroughly explained the WHYS it came about--from the greed of countries down to the hopelessness of the individual. The sub-plot of Spain's role in the pillage/rape of the "new world" was intensely interesting. Ultimately though, what nature gives nature takes away, oftentimes with a brutality that exceeds humanity's laughable attempts.

I like to cruise around the Caribbean and wanted to learn more about the history of the area and what better way than to learn about pirates. This is my third pirate book to read to date. I enjoyed learning about Capt. Morgan and his exploits. I had no idea that pirateering could involve long, tedious journeys across inhospitable land and mountains. Prior to reading this book, I had thought pirates were all about the boat and the ocean. Well researched book about pirates, their history and the legendary Capt. Morgan. After reading about his exploits, I want to go see Panama. Highly recommend.

If you like stories about pirates and the age of piracy you'll love this book. Packed with action, adventure, treasure, and of course, Captain Morgan, you'll not be able to put it down. If you're expecting Jack Sparrow you'll be disappointed. Morgan was as bloodthirsty, viscous and as unhero like as you can expect, yet his story sucks you in. It's a great book about a life we've all daydreamed about living

I'll be in the Caribbean for 3 weeks in March and always love to read the history of where I travel ... I have enjoyed reading about Captain Morgan and the barbaric tortures and the exploits of pirates. I keep looking up my Google Maps of the Caribbean to find out where Captain Morgan sailed. Unbelievable how brave and daring he was and how many pirates he led at one time. He ordered 500 head of cattle to be slaughtered and put on his ships for one mission. Wow - lot of food for a lot of pirates.

Despite some grammatical errors in the first few chapters, I still have to give this book 5 stars. For anyone who is a history buff, the author has no problem sucking you in making this book extremely difficult to put down. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys history, particularly pirate history and 17th century Caribbean history. All in all, a great read.

Tracing the career of Captain Morgan, the author provides sufficient context to understand how pirates came into prominence in establishing Jamaica. The role of the pirate is best understood in light of the social, political, and religious norms of the time. This is not a light read but is a treatise that filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of the 16th century.

Captain Morgan (working as a privateer for the English) and his band of brothers ravish the Spainish main. Every attack grows more daring and bold. When the Spainish colonists and soldiers hear his name they tremble in fright usually abandoning their cities and forts when Morgan and his men approach. All this ended as a result of treaties between England and Spain forbidding piracy. Captain Morgan retired to his farm on one of the islands.

I really enjoyed this story about Captain Morgan's life and pirates in general. Stephan Talty details Morgan's career as a pirate, which held my attention into the wee hours. It's interesting to see how Morgan went from prominent Welsh family to Admiral of a pirate fleet in the Caribbean and how politics played a role in his rise and fall. An excellent read

This is a really good read and kept me very interested with the life and death of Henry Morgan. I was amaazed to read how much money was involved in their daring raids and how ships were financed.I would definatley recommend this as a read, although i am no historian and cannot confirm how close to the truth this is, I have found it interesting enough to buy more books in this subject area.

This is a great book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Not only the best book on the subject of piracy - and more specifically on the buject of Sir Henry Morgan - but also one of THE BEST books I have ever read! Everyone should read this book

Superb read !!! Excellent to find out about this interesting era !!

Excellent and very well researched.

Very good.

Don't be fooled by the accademic credentials, this is fast and loose history indeed! Stephen Talty obviously engages thorougly with the material and the result is vivid, fresh, fast-paced- a perfect canter through a very en-vogue period right now. As history its a little sloppy: occasional cringey anachronisations and slang, the bending of time to suit the trajectory of the plot, and so on...but it is perfect story telling!

Pirates get all the spotlight, but buccaneers deserve a lot more attention for the incredible feats they pulled. This book illustrates the amazing career of Captain Henry Morgan - the most infamous buccaneer of them all - in a rich, vivid way.I never had an interest in Morgan, but in broadening my horizons I gave this a read and was fully engulfed. The writing is superb. It paints the time, as well as the environment - topographical and political - Captain Morgan found himself in. Wonderful details about the buccaneering missions, about the cities and the way of life then, about the empires vying for control of the New World. The maps at the beginning of the book are of great help, too; and the timeline is a great marker.This book is well worth the read! It does what video games do - transports you to another world.

Ich bin großer Fan der Piratenzeit und doch ist meine anfängliche Begeisterung, dieses Buch in die Hände zu bekommen, leider schnell verflogen! Viele Rezensierende lobten das Buch über alle Maßen... Ich schleppe mich jedoch mittlerweile durch den Text, da mir einfach der Zusammenhang fehlt. Der Autor springt permanent von A nach B und versucht, viele Aspekte und Nebengeschichten zu erzählen, doch meiner Meinung nach geklingt es ihm nicht oder nur schwer, einen roten Faden, einen Handlungsstrang gescheit abzuhandeln. Da hatte ich mir wesentlich mehr erhofft, echt schade!Die Aufmachung des Buches an sich, also die Optik, das Cover etc ist übrigens echt toll! :)

This is an amazing book. It recounts the role of Henry Morgan as the British attempt to wrest control of the Caribbean, and the New World, from the Spanish. Morgan was not a person who would have been well respected in England of the day (god forbid, we was Welsh!). In spite of this he managed to attack a number of major Spanish-held ports and fortresses in Granada, Portobelo, Maracaibo, and finally Panama. Talty does a great job of revealing the conflicted role of a privateer versus a pirate and how Morgan walks this line, as well as leading his men to many victories, even if at great cost. Port Royal comes alive. For enjoyment, this book is on a par with any of the fictional books by Patrick O'Brian (and would we not all enjoy another great movie with Captain Jack Aubrey), except it is not fiction. If you like pirates, sailing ships, and history, you'll enjoy this book.

This book was highly recommended but when I opened the paperback, it has the smallest print I've ever seen in a book. Very difficult to read even with my reading glasses, So I returned it but the hardback is $30.00. Still searching for a cheaper hardback.

A well written and poignant potrayal of the good, the bad, and the ugly that made up Captain Morgan's lifetime.

Interesting read.....great vacation book to read on a beach!

Wonderful story - especially because it is not fiction. Not necessarily wonderful people (pirates), though!

Very informative.