The Pirates! In an Adventure with Romantics by Gideon Defoe (2012)

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Romantics is Gideon Defoe’s fifth novel in his hilarious series and follows previous adventures with scientists, whaling, communism and Napoleon but, luckily for you all, it doesn’t require you to have read those books.

Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and Mary Godwin (pre Mary Shelley) are whiling away the hours on Lake Geneva, desperate for something to break their boredom.  Cue the Pirate Captain and his motley crew… and Jennifer; surely they must have an adventure for the three novelists.  Being charged with the task of “adventure-on-demand” proves quite taxing for the pirate captain, who resorts to some hair brained schemes to satisfy the adventure-thirst of his new found companions.   However, after some scratching around and general tomfoolery, the Pirate Captain finds a bizarre code to decipher, tattooed to his belly no less.  

While this series is very silly, and even a bit of “a one trick pony” as described in the “About the Author” at the back of the book, but you’ll be surprised at how well realized the Pirate Captain is, as well as his unnamed crew. This fifth novel is perhaps the most complex, introducing Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and Mary Godwin (before marrying Percy) and surpasses the last book with page-turning silliness and brilliant wit. 

Note: Up until this fifth book, the American publisher's issued the books in hardcover. For this fifth one, they decided to publish it only in trade paperback (I'm sure it was an economic issue, but still). I obtained this from Britain, because I like keeping the set.