''Captain Blood: His Odyssey'' is an

adventure novel Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the introduction to the ''Encycloped ...

Rafael Sabatini Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian people, Italian-born British writer of novels, writer of romance novel, romance and adventure novel, adventure novels. He is best known for his worldwide bestsellers: ''The Sea ...

, originally published in 1922.

Development

Sabatini was a proponent of basing

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

as closely as possible on history. Although Blood is a fictional character, much of the historical background of the novel is loosely based on fact. A group of Monmouth rebels was indeed condemned to ten years' hard labor in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, very similar to

chattel slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

; and the shifting political alliances of the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

of 1688 are used in the novel as a plot device to allow Blood's return to respectability. Sabatini based the first part of the story of Blood on Henry Pitman, a surgeon who tended the wounded Monmouth rebels and was sentenced to death by Judge Jeffreys, but whose sentence was commuted to

penal transportation Penal transportation (or simply transportation) was the relocation of convicted criminals, or other persons regarded as undesirable, to a distant place, often a colony, for a specified term; later, specifically established penal colonies bec ...

where he escaped and was captured by pirates. Unlike the fictional Blood, Pitman did not join them, and eventually made his way back to England where he wrote a popular account of his ordeal. For Blood's life as a

buccaneer Buccaneers were a kind of privateer or free sailors, and pirates particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 u ...

, Sabatini used several models, including

Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping ports o ...

and the work of

Alexandre Exquemelin Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin (also spelled ''Esquemeling'', ''Exquemeling'', or ''Oexmelin'') (c. 1645–1707) was a French, Dutch, or Flemish writer best known as the author of one of the most important sourcebooks of 17th-century piracy, first p ...

, for historical details. Sabatini first introduced the character Captain Blood in a series of eight short stories in ''Premier Magazine'' as ''Tales of the Brethren of the Main'', published from December 1920 to March 1921, and reprinted in '' Adventure Magazine'' from January to May 1921, with a novella "Captain Blood's Dilemma", published in ''Premier Magazine'' in April 1921 (and ''Adventure Magazine'' in October 1921). The ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

''-like

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...

of these tales was then woven by Sabatini into a continuous narrative in novel form, published as ''Captain Blood: His Odyssey'' in 1922.

Synopsis

The protagonist is the sharp-witted Dr. Peter Blood, a fictional Irish physician who had had a wide-ranging career as a soldier and sailor (including a commission as a captain under the Dutch admiral De Ruyter) before settling down to practice medicine in the town of

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

in Somerset. The story is told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator, who enables the reader to see the thoughts and views of many different characters. The narrator—perhaps meant to be Sabatini himself—claims to have acquired the story from the ship's logs of Blood's longtime companion Jeremy Pitt. The book opens with Blood attending to his geraniums while the town prepares to fight for

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, (9 April 1649 – 15 July 1685) was an English nobleman and military officer. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest ill ...

. He wants no part in the

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

, but while attending to some of the rebels wounded at the

Battle of Sedgemoor The Battle of Sedgemoor was the last and decisive engagement between forces loyal to James II and rebels led by the Duke of Monmouth during the Monmouth rebellion, fought on 6 July 1685, and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in S ...

, Peter is arrested. During the Bloody Assizes, he is convicted by the infamous Judge Jeffreys of treason on the grounds that "if any person be in actual rebellion against the King, and another person—who really and actually was not in rebellion—does knowingly receive, harbour, comfort, or succour him, such a person is as much a traitor as he who indeed bore arms." The sentence for treason is death by hanging, but

King James II James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...

, for purely financial reasons, has the sentence for Blood and other convicted rebels commuted to transportation to penal servitude in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. Upon arrival on the island of

, Blood is bought by Colonel William Bishop, initially for forced work in the Colonel's prison farms but later hired out by Bishop when Blood's skills as a physician prove superior to those of the local doctors. During his period of slavery, Blood wins the pity and sympathy of Arabella, Colonel Bishop's niece. When a Spanish force attacks and raids

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

, Blood escapes with a number of other convicts (including former shipmaster Jeremy Pitt, the one-eyed giant Edward Wolverstone, former gentleman Nathaniel Hagthorpe, former

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

petty officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...

Nicholas Dyke and former

master gunner Ned Ogle). The escapees capture the Spaniards' ship and sail away to become some of the most successful pirates in the

, hated and feared by the Spanish but always sparing English ships. Colonel Bishop, humiliated by Blood's superior abilities and daring escape, devotes himself to capturing and executing Blood. After the

, Blood is pardoned. As a reward for saving the colony of Jamaica from a French assault, he is appointed its governor in place of Colonel Bishop, who had abandoned his post to hunt for Blood, and the novel ends with the implication that Blood will not only marry Arabella but will also generously forgive Bishop.

Influence

Continuation

''Captain Blood'' won enormous popularity, but instead of continuing Blood's adventures in sequels, Sabatini wrote fifteen more short stories set during Captain Blood's pirate career. Two of these tales ("The War Indemnity" and "Blood Money") may be viewed as continuations of events of the original novel, but all the stories are contained within the timeframe of ''Captain Blood'' (a sidequel). Eight of these new stories were published in 1931 as '' Captain Blood Returns'' (retitled ''The Chronicles of Captain Blood'' in the British publication) along with two of the ''Tales of the Brethren of the Main'' that had not been incorporated into ''Captain Blood''. A second collection, '' The Fortunes of Captain Blood'' was published in 1936, consisting of six new stories, and one final story, "The Remedy", which takes place almost immediately after Blood's trial before Judge Jeffreys and in which Peter Blood is not the primary character but is prominently figured. It was also included in Sabatini's collection of short stories ''Turbulent Tales'', published in 1946. The book was especially popular in Russia. Several Russian authors wrote moderately popular sequels, such as ''Children of Captain Blood'' by Tatyana Vinogradova, and ''Captain Blood: His Iliad'' by Mikhail Popov.

Literary references

The bitter aftermath of the Monmouth Rebellion also features prominently in

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

's novel '' Micah Clarke'' (1889). In the opening chapter of Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novel '' The Club Dumas'' (1993), two characters discuss their favourite novel by Sabatini; book dealer Lucas Corso declares his preference for ''Captain Blood''.

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series ''

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a multi-genre, cross-over comic book series co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The comic book spans four volumes, an original graphic novel, and ...

'' incorporates many characters from

classic book A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cl ...

s, including Peter Blood as a member of the Pirates' Conference in '' The New Traveller's Almanac'' (2002–2003).

Adaptations

Film

* '' Captain Blood'' (1924), starring J. Warren Kerrigan * '' Captain Blood'' (1935), starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

* '' Fortunes of Captain Blood'' (1950), starring Louis Hayward * '' Captain Pirate'' (1952), aka ''Captain Blood, Fugitive'' (UK), starring Louis Hayward * '' The Son of Captain Blood'' (1962), starring Sean Flynn (Errol Flynn's son) * ''L'odyssée du capitaine Blood'' (1991), starring Yves Lambrecht: a Franco-Russian co-production which had a 1991 theatrical release in the USSR (as Одиссея капитана Блада) and was a March 1992 two-episode broadcast by

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air Public broadcasting, public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming. France 3 is structured as a Region ...

Audio

*''Captain Blood''. Full Cast Audio production (2006) The ''Colonial Radio Theatre'' on the Air. Released by Blackstone Audio.

Comics

* ''Captain Blood'', adapted in ''Fast Fiction'' #2, 1949, reprinted in ''Stories by Famous Authors Illustrated'' #2, 1950. *''Captain Blood: The Legacy'', a five-issue sepia-toned comic adaptation of the novel by Matt Shepherd and Mike Shoyket (2009, SLG Comics)

Video games

*'' Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships'' (2009) *'' Captain Blood'' (2025)

Notes

References

External links

* *
Locations of "Captain Blood: His Odyssey" on Google Maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Captain Blood (Novel) 1922 British novels British historical novels British adventure novels Novels set in Somerset Fiction about the Monmouth Rebellion Fiction set in 1685 Novels set in the 1680s Novels about pirates Novels about rebels Cultural depictions of Henry Morgan Cultural depictions of James II of England British novels adapted into films Adventure novels adapted into films Captain Blood Novels by Rafael Sabatini Cultural depictions of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth