Pirates & Privateers: Anthony R. Fanning's Books

After the death of her mother, Natalie Satterfield sails to South Carolina to live with her father, a wealthy merchant who hasn’t seen his daughter in years. When pirates attack her ship, Natalie barely escapes with her life. Three of the rogues chase her to a deserted island. Unable to land there, one of them believes he shoots her dead. Once they row back to their ship, Natalie regains consciousness. The pampered, soon-to-be sixteen-year-old hasn’t a clue how to survive. After several days of solitude, she smells a fire and thinking some of her shipmates have survived, she heads toward them. Instead of finding friends, she stumbles upon cannibals and runs for her life.

Black John Hayes, marooned on the island sometime before, can’t allow the newcomer to be someone’s meal. A pirate he may have been, but he does have a code of honor. He dashes into the midst of the cannibals and quickly slays them all. Then he takes Natalie under his wing and teaches her how to survive.

A former shipwright, John enlists Natalie to help him build a boat to take them from the island. After each hard day’s work, he teaches her to fight so that if the pirates return, she won’t be defenseless. In return for her assistance on the project, he promises to take her to her father. That meeting is a long time off, and in between, she encounters numerous exploits. Once she reunites with her father, things don’t go exactly as planned.

Stuffed full of adventure, this coming-of-age tale is a fast-paced roller-coaster ride. Nat slowly matures from a spoiled, rich kid into a young woman who can stand on her two feet and use her head rather than sit around being waited on. The author’s knowledge of wooden sailing ships and 18th-century pirate lore are deftly woven into a thrilling journey that doesn’t disappoint. Readers who take the plunge with Nat in Natalie’s Good Fortune will look forward with eager anticipation to her next quest.