Fire Sword and Sea
Vanessa Riley explores the storied history beneath the Caribbean sands, bringing to brimming life the chaotic nature of the 17th-century Golden Age of Piracy. Her novel spans 20+ years of Jacquotte Delahaye’s life (1675 to 1698) and is part land-based coming-of-age, part nautical adventure.
Born and raised in Basse-Terre, Tortuga, Jacquotte knows well what a rough and violent place the town is: a temporary stop-over for slave-traders, buccaneers, privateers and filibusters. Daughter of a Guinea slave, she finds slavery abhorrent, so when her life turns sour, she ships out to Petit-Goâve, Hispaniola, where she comes to the rescue of Lizzôa Erville, her future lover.
Various sources say Jacquotte exists only in legend, most likely an amalgam of characters, but plenty has been written about Robin Hood’s escapades! Historical figures and significant events (the 1692 tidal wave) ground the story firmly in this wild and dangerous time. Naturally, there is a feminist slant, most female characters flying under the radar by reinventing themselves as men. If they labour with equal diligence and strength, no one takes much notice, and the author succeeds in making this feel like a time of greater acceptance of anomalies.
A number of gender-bending ideas are tossed into the mix, as well as racial issues still prevalent centuries later. In this cracking adventure full of thrills and chills, Riley’s diverse, multi-faceted cast fulfils the task of building the compelling narrative. By 1681, Jacquotte and friends, including Lizzôa, are aboard a stolen British ship, dug deep into the adrenaline boosts they seek, but the day-to-day dangers of life aboard ship take their toll. After years at sea, Captain Delahaye’s past returns to haunt her, but her leadership skills (primarily navigation and killing) turn events to a very credible conclusion. Kudos to the author for this first-class adventure, which could happily have been longer.
