Geoffrey Malone

This book is very similar in its subject matter to another that I read 10 years ago. It tells the terrible semi-true story of boy soldiers in Africa who are recruited by war lords after their families have been massacred to serve the drug/mining underworld kings with AK47s and high on drugs or palm wine. This book tells the story of Sam ( who is about 12) who is one such boy. What makes his story slightly different, is that his father is not killed but is serving in the army at the time of the massacre and this gives him a kernel of hope in a terrible world. He believes one day he will be rescued, he does not give into despair or drugs like the others, but bides his time with a fake smile and by ingratiating himself on the crazy warlord's deputy.
The reader is given hope with Sam's story but at the same time, the background of corruption in the Ministry and the United Nations that is no better than the warlord's own evil ways, paints a very sad picture for the future of many African countries. There was recently a documentary on Livingstone the explorer on television and the presenter showed a map of Africa as it was divided after colonialism. "Look at all the straight lines" he commented; the division of Africa into countries in no way covered tribal boundaries - only geographic ones and then straight lines!! This is why Africa is in such a bag way today.
Sam's story is gripping from start to finish and the chase at the end is hair-raising - the author has created great suspense, believable characters and has obviously done their research. A great book for boys who want something a little more real than Matthew Reilly and Jack Heath.… (mer)

This book sadly lacks one of the most essential ingredients of any tale intended for young people - humour. It also lacks imagination, excitement and coherency but those are elements that pale into insignificance compared to the need for the occassional belly laugh in any work calling itself Young Adult.

Apart from the above flaws however Pirates is fairly interesting: Tom joins his dad in the Serota Star for the journey from Singapore to Penang through the Malacca Straits, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and the ship is captured by pirates.

Until fairly recently most of us have thought of Pirates as buccanneers, those Freebooters who haunted the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries, preying initially on the Spanish treasure ships but soon becoming the general terror of the seas.

We forget that piracy is a priblem dating back to Roman times when they had a stranglehold on the Medietrranean until famously defeated by Julius Caesar [ as any fan of Asterix books knows] and still very prevalent.

In the last year or so Somalian pirates have had amazing success around the horn of Africa, proving that piracy is still very much alive and well. Tom and his dad manage to escape not only with their lives but with the ship and cargo as well but the writer makes the point that theirs was just a scuffle in a war in which the battlefield is basically possesed by the pirates.… (mer)