Wake of the Perdido Star: A Novel
About this ebook
In 1805, seventeen-year-old Jack O’Reilly sets sail with his parents from America to Cuba aboard the Perdido Star. But when tragedy strikes shortly after their arrival, Jack makes a desperate escape, rejoining the departing Star as a member of the crew. On his yearslong journey around the globe, he only grows more obsessed with avenging the murder of his parents.
By the time he returns to Cuba, Jack has faced storms, shipwreck, and deadly battles. He leads a renegade band who call themselves the Right Honourable Brotherhood of the Shipwrecked Men of the Star. But having seen and suffered so much, what is Jack now willing to sacrifice for revenge?
Hackman and Lenihan infuse this swashbuckling tale with authentic details of 19th century seafaring and deep sea diving. The hero Jack is joined by a colorful cast of characters, including Paul Le Maire, the aristocratic intellectual who earns Jack’s friendship; Quince, the first mate, Jack’s mentor and defender; Quen-Li, the mysterious Chinese cook whose skills extend beyond the galley; Hansumbob, the ship’s poet, whose simplicity belies a wisdom born of the heart; and the greedy Count de Silva, whose charm masks a murderous soul.
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About the author
Gene Hackman has always had a yearning to write. Growing up in Danville, Illinois, he spent time at his grandfather’s small newspaper office and accompanied his uncle, a reporter, on assignments. After service in the Marines, Gene began his acting career in the theater, then went on to star in such movies as Bonnie and Clyde, The French Connection, The Conversation, and Unforgiven. He is the winner of two Academy Awards®.
DANIEL LENIHAN, winner of the George Melendez Wright Award for Excellence in Submerged Resources Research, has been diving as a park ranger and archeologist for the National Park Service since 1972, and founded the Submerged Cultural Resources Unit (SCRU) in 1976 before being appointed the first chief in 1980.
Over the last 25 years, Lenihan and the SCRU team have been the subject of national media stories and many TV documentaries on CBS, ABC, BBC, CNN, PBS, The Discovery and History Channels, and National Geographic. He has written frequently for Natural History and American History, and co-authored, with Gene Hackman, the well-received sea adventure novel Wake of the Perdido Star. A native New Yorker and former schoolteacher, he lives with his family in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
