Black Sam

Prince of Pirates

By: James Lewis

Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White, Roy Dotrice, Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki, William Dufris, Jayne Entwistle, Simon Vance, R.C. Bray

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

The War of Spanish Succession is over, many sailors are out of work, and the thriving American colonies are quickly becoming the place of opportunity. For Sam Bellamy it is the opportunity to become the captain of his own ship.

When he falls in love with a rebellious New England debutante, he finds out very quickly that he needs more than a dream to win over her socialite parents. After a failed treasure salvaging expedition, Sam makes one last desperate attempt to change his economic standing and unwittingly becomes the captain of the pirate ship Mary Anne.

As a self-proclaimed "Free Prince", Sam wages war on greedy merchantmen, slave traders, and Mother Nature in a bid not only for the love of his life but for life itself.

The full list of additional narrators includes:

Susan Hanfield, Ian Hart, Dave Fennoy, George Del Hoyo, Chuma Gault, Mae Sally Rouge Pax, Douglas Urbansk, Cleandra Martin-Waldron, Freddy Douglas, Gerry O'Brian, Peter Woodward, Jim Meskimen, Tamra Meskimen, Taylor Meskimen, Zachary Webber, Suzanne Heathcote, JP Gaumont, John Ortiz, Jackson Hyde-White, Elizabeth Swain, John Taylor, Jackson Conor, Brian Monk, Nate Aldrich, Paul Barry, Kevin Haas, Mauro Ron Butler, Austin Ford, Marc Solomon, Nicole Faires, Shelly Bovert, Garrick William, James Wood, James Lewis, Kelly Huddleston, Whitney Webster, Raul Dourado, and Shelby Lewis.

©2013 James Lewis (P)2015 James Lewis

A mediocre tween/teen pirate story

I am upset that not one of the reviews shown by Audible mentioned this being a young reader story. Very shallow pirate story with very mixed performances by the ensemble. Absolutely poor production. Just very mediocre all the way around. I can't recommend even for the target audience

An adventure on the High Seas!

Where does Black Sam rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As stated on the cover, this is a great story to listen to as a family. Adventures, pirates and a little sweet romance.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This book is jam packed full of big name narrators including Alex Hyde-White, Scott Brick, Simon Vance, R.C. Bray and William Dufris just to name a few. By using the 'full cast' approach to this book, each narrator is able to give their character their all. There was a little 'humming' or 'background white noise' detected at times but over all it didn't distract from the performances.

Any additional comments?

Black Sam: Prince of Pirates is the story of Sam Bellamy who falls in love with the lovely upper class Maria. As Sam isn't in her 'league' as they say, her family objects to their courtship. Because of this, Sam goes off to sea to go to Florida in hopes of being able to recover some of the gold that has gone down with the Spanish fleet. His first attempt at a recovery mission doesn't go as planned and before you know it, Sam is a pirate.

This story is told in two different story lines, which at first was confusing but as the story played out it made more sense. I would recommend this book to my adventure loving friends and as a book that could be listened and shared by the family. Ages 10+

Fantastic Listen

What did you love best about Black Sam?

The juxtaposition of characters Sam and Maria. He the reluctant hero trying to make sense of the brutal politics of the time, while she is dealing with family and community pressures.
A macro to micro dual storyline.

What did you like best about this story?

How it is told in two timelines: the career of Sam Bellamy, much of it fact based, and the romance of the sea and of his love back on Cape Cod. His dilemma - how can he be part of the community once he's been a pirate. His solution is greatly entertaining.

Which scene was your favorite?

Gosh, when Blackbeard gets "dressed to kill', and when the boy John King joins the crew - running away from his mean mother and scaring the crew.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Some nice comic touches made me laugh. Sincere romance at beginning and end.

Any additional comments?

This is a fun book. Easy to listen to and I could share it with my grandma.

Good but not life changing.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Many of the characters were likable. Hearing the book narrated by a group of actors did add to the listening experience. However, I think the cutting between various voices could have been better. There were many points where that production quality distracted from the story. I enjoyed this book. I'm glad I spent my time on the seas with Black Sam. This writing lacks the quality and depth that earn books a prominent place on my bookshelf; though, as I said, it's enjoyable and not -in my opinion- a waste of time.

Fun listen

I listened to the audiobook. The group cast did a phenomenal job of bringing the characters to life. I've long been a fan of Horatio Hornblower and Sharpe's Rifles as well as Master and Commander. I have enjoyed the Napoleon era sea tales. I had to keep reminding myself that Black Sam took place nearly a hundred years earlier.

The story begins with a big storm at sea and then flashes back to show how Sam got into that situation. Because I was listening, one challenge I had was keeping track of the timing of everything. It only really became a problem toward the end. I'm not going to spoil anything but it made the ending a little disjointed. Someday, I would like to go back and read section in the book where I got confused. Nonetheless, it was a satisfactory ending. I would listen to it again. This is why I'd give it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

The story touches on some of the terrible things that people have done to each other in our history, and continue to do today. it does so in a way that makes it readable for people of all ages.

I received a copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, It's the pirate life for me!

Any additional comments?

"Captain Samuel Bellamy, "Black Sam" Bellamy the English pirate of the high seas in the 18th century, and known as the wealthiest pirate in recorded history- Wikipedia/ Forbes." The Robin Hood of the seven seas, we know the history, but listen to this incredible multi-character cast to hear it as it was meant to be told. You are introduced to the heart of a man who fell in love and lost his life in a tragic event that would separate two ill fated lovers; a story beyond legend that is still told in folklore, song and storytelling today. Each character is brought to life as we are transported back to a day of piracy, duels, adventure, and a fight for honor and glory. This story is so much more than mere literature; it is the history and legacy of the Robin Hood of the seas, Captain Samuel Bellamy. It is the story of the people that surrounded him and the struggle for life and independence. This is an audiobook that I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to experience the treacherous high seas on a journey for honor and glory. You will feel as if you have become part of the crew on the "Whydah" as you experience true pirate history in the adventure of a lifetime. This is true story telling at its best.The entire narration cast was exceptional, and the author's work flowed smoothly for superior narrative storytelling. A pleasure to listen to.

Fun Pirate Romp

Note: GoodReads has this book written by two authors: James Lewis and Mat McLeod. However, McLeod’s name doesn’t appear on any of the cover art and he is not listed as an author of the book Audible.com. So, not too sure what is going on there.

It’s the early 1700s, the War of the Spanish Succession has ended, and Sam Bellamy, like so many others, is out of a job. The American colonies is where work and opportunity lay. He falls in love with Maria, a New England debutante who comes from a family of some wealth and repute. Sam must make a name (and a wealthy bank account) for himself before Maria’s parents will even consider him a candidate for her hand. Sam takes on a ship and crew to go treasure hunting off the coast of the Florida. Along the way he meets several other entrepreneurs (aka pirates), earns a few enemies, suffers loss, and gains a wealth of knowledge.

Sam is a good guy, like the boy next door. He can be depended on to do the honorable thing. So while his character was pretty predictable, he was still fun and easy to connect with. He runs around saving women, rescuing his men, and standing up to bullies and other disreputables. In fact, his inclinations towards the good true often leave him in a fight.

This is the time of privateers. It seems every major European country has their privateers. The rules these privateers live by seems largely up to the captain. Needless to say if you privateer on an opposing countries ships and get caught, you can be hung as a pirate. The line between pirate and privateer is often thin. I bet you can guess how our hero Black Sam Bellamy ends up in so much trouble!

There’s plenty of historical characters, like Black Beard the pirate, walking in and giving cameos in this book. That was quite fun and I am sure there are more than I recognized. Sometimes they were giving Sam a hand, sometimes obstructing him, and definitely showing him the seedier side to pirating.

There are very few women in this story and often they are focused on the men and/or need rescuing. Maria was the main female and even so she had a small role. If she wasn’t thinking about men she was talking to or about them. Hence, the ladies were entirely predictable and rather boring.

I did enjoy the book. The plot was a bit predictable because the main characters were predictable. Even so, it was a fun romp through the American colonies and on the high seas. The good guys win, the sticklers for protocol get snubbed and perhaps learn something, and the bad guys either die or go on to wreak havoc for a sequel. If you are looking for a pirate adventure that doesn’t require close attention, then this is perfect brain candy.

The Narration: As you can see above, there was quite the cast for this book! Alex Hyde-White was our main narrator and he did a really good job as Sam Bellamy’s voice. I had a fun time picking out familiar narrators as they popped in and out. My only criticism is that sometimes the background white noise changed as we switched narrators, making it clear that not everyone was in the same studio during recording, and also some studios had a better quality of recording than others.

Black Sam Prince of Pirates review

What other book might you compare Black Sam to and why?

None, since this is the first pirate book I've read.

Which scene was your favorite?

The beginning when the wave hit the ship.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A pirates life.

Any additional comments?

I really liked this.

A fun adventure on the high seas and love awaits

Any additional comments?

Plenty of action and adventure in this quick-paced listen. The author drops us into the moments of a terrible sea storm Sam Bellamy thinks are his last. He quickly pens a note to Maria, puts it into a bottle. Virtually, he is saying goodbye. A few of the crew wash ashore alive, he is among them. Most were dead. But the crew has a plan and they stick to it. The reader/listener is not privy to it however.

The story shifts to how Sam meets Maria and his decision to go to sea, selecting his crew, etc. We learn early on in the story that Sam is special. He tries to save a man and wife, slaves to a nasty man whom we’ll meet again in the story. The woman gets shot. He helps the run-away slave, giving him coin.

One would think a man, known as a pirate, would be only interested in his self-worth, but Black Sam was a pirate of much honor. He in his own way, fought for the less fortunate while his conscience prodded him forward and his courage saw him through.

Maria Hallet came from a family who was very respectable-- a family who made their money as merchants. They were well esteemed within the community. Her family wanted her to marry well, and Sam Bellamy was not the man for their daughter. Maria was quite beautiful, but didn’t want to be a conventional woman. She had a very adventurous spirit, very much a kindred soul to the man she was soon to fall in love with.

Sam met her one afternoon. She was sitting under a tree reading. He was entranced at first sight, spoke a few words with her in a semi-flirtatious tone. Sam was eager to know who this girl was and had not long to wait. It appears Maria felt much the same way. He met her in one of her father’s many shops. Knowing their relationship could not continue since he knew he needed money to show her parents his worth, he left Cape Cod, promising to come back after six months. He was on a mission.

At the time that Sam was getting to know Maria, she had a suitor, Captain Swiney, most favored by Maria’s parents. Captain Swiney did not have any scruples whatsoever to rid himself of Sam because he saw Maria was interested. While Sam endeavors to mass a fortune for his lady love, Captain Swiney crosses his path several times, always during some mischief or other.

Sam not only has to fight Swiney, he makes enemies of pirates along the way, who seem to appear at the worst times. By association, he becomes a pirate, although he was always generous with the crews of the ships he captured. Sam’s love to Maria is tested, he gains respect and love from his crew, but he is much too long away from Maria, more than six months as he promised her. Will she wait for him?

I truly enjoyed this tale of the high seas. The narration was interesting for there were many people who played various characters. All in all the narration was fine. Only one remark, however. If each individual’s voice volume and proximity to the mike had been more consistently the same, it would have been a smoother listen. As it was, I noticed the change and lost some of my focus on the actual words spoken.

The author took a known figure in history, Sam Bellamy, known as Black Sam, and around certain events created quite an adventure for readers/listeners to enjoy. I hope once you read or listen to this story, you’ll do a little research of your own about this historical figure.

I always enjoy stories at sea, particularly those sea voyages that nature itself is your foe. During this period of history, early 1700’s, life on the high seas was dangerous, not only because of the weather, but the ships that might appear beyond your bow or stern. Are they friend or foe? With so many ships which raise and lower different flags, there is no guarantee that the ship approaching is really what they say they are.

I'm hopeful there is a sequel to this great story!

Enjoyed listening.

Fast paced, entertaining and probably realistic in the pirate era. Well produced and I enjoyed the different actors.

Where Was Roy Dotrice? Deceptive! & Amateur

So let down with this! Says Roy Dotrice is one of the readers & this was the reason I bought this audiobook, but where is he? All I heard was one continuous narrator and a few amateurs talking not acting nor adding any feeling or character to their reading. This is one of the worst audio readings I have heard in my collection of 1000 audiobooks. I have a passion for this type of genre, but not this one. Because of the amateur reading, this book simply did not happen for me. Just continuous prattle. Bad prattle at that.

Great story with high adventure

Would you listen to Black Sam again? Why?

Yes, I found the audio book to be very enjoyable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Black Sam?

If I told I would be giving away one of the main story plots. I refuse to ruin a good story for anyone who has not had a chance to listen. It's definitely worth the listen!

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favourite?

I believe the full cast done a marvelous job with all of the characters.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh, yes, cry, no.

Any additional comments?

The full cast did a marvelous job to make all of the characters come to life. There was just enough music added in that it did not overpower or take away from the narration. The author also did a wonderful job with the story. Hope to listen to book two soon.

Deception

u say it is narrated by + Roy Dotrice. Infact Roy say few sentences in the beginning 😡😡😡😡.
:(