The Barbary Pirates audiobook

I always love a good swashbuckling adventure story and the ongoing exploits of Ethan Gage definitely fits that bill. These stories take place in the Napoleonic era and remind me, at times, of George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman series. Both characters interact with authentic and important historical events while contributing behind-the-scenes in accidental and often humorous ways.As author William Dietrich describes on his web site, Ethan Gage is: “Explorer. Gambler. Diplomat. Sharpshooter. Electrician. Savant. Treasure hunter. Romantic. Womanizer. Idealist. Opportunist. "American by birth, French by lifestyle, British by alliance, and soldier by happenstance, Ethan Gage at times seems a chameleon in the jumble of personal papers that comprise his haphazard autobiography. Yet Gage would argue he is a model of loyalty and character – except when circumstances require him to spy, steal, flee, or shoot particularly unpleasant people.”This entry in the series finds Ethan back in the European theater, fresh off his adventures in frontier America (The Dakota Cipher). His mission as dictated by Thomas Jefferson is to convince Napoleon to accept Jefferson’s offer in what will become known as The Louisiana Purchase but it is not long before Napoleon asks a favor in return. Napoleon has heard the tale about the legendary mirror of Archimedes that allegedly burned the Roman fleet during ancient battles and is supposedly hidden on the isle of Thira. That ties in with some cryptic puzzles from Ethan’s previous adventures.Ethan embarks on this quest in the company of some great co-characters and famous historical savants: Frenchman Georges Cuvier, a prominent zoologist and paleontologist; Englishman William Smith, the father of English geology; and fellow American Robert Fulton, who we remember today as the father of the steamship but was the tireless inventor of several items, most notably the submarine (or “plunging boat”) known as the Nautilus that is put to use during the novel’s climax. Given the title of this volume, you know that the Barbary Pirates play a major role as well.This group traverses many a hair raising adventure along the way, really putting the “swash” in swashbuckling. Ethan’s life is complicated including many past romances and dalliances, all of which tend to pop up when least expected and when they can cause the most havoc. I’ve seen descriptions of Ethan Gage as a cross between Indiana Jones and Captain Jack Sparrow and I wholeheartedly agree.This is terrific historical fiction and as far from “dry” as can be. Since these novels are told from Ethan’s first person point-of-view, it is easy to fall into their charm and really feel for poor Ethan as he loses his trusty long rifle once again and is forced to borrow his friend’s blunderbuss to escape his latest challenge. Next up: The Emerald Storm wherein Ethan Gage is reportedly seeking the lost treasure of Montezuma...

Plenty of swash is buckled here, once the yarn gets ripping. After a rather rousing start, the story bogs for a while in order for the pieces to get positioned on the board. Then the dice are rolled and Ethan Gage starts shredding the scenery with all of the enthusiasm and grit, but not quite as much suave, of James Bond. Yes, there are pirates. Plus more Napoleon, now with added Archimedes, Robert Fulton and plenty of old friends and enemies.

I found “The Barbary Pirates” by William Dietrich to be an attention grabbing tale. This book is the author’s most recent work and features Ethan Gage in yet another adventure. I enjoyed the read so much I will be making a point to read more of Dietrich’s books in the future. Honestly, I had difficulty setting the book down. When I was sitting in court waiting to find out if I was going to be selected for jury duty I was very thankful to have brought it with me.Ethan Gage, the book’s dashing hero, seems to be part ladies man extraordinaire and part unwitting spy. He is forever winding up in the wrong place at the wrong time and in the company of the wrong people. His character reminds me of a humorous mix of an 18th century James Bond meets Mr. Bean meets MacGyver and let’s just throw in Captain Jack Sparrow for good measure since some of his adventures happen on the high seas.Gage’s usually innocent escapades have a way of landing both himself and his companions in hot water, wherever they travel, and more often than not they barely escape by the seat of their pants. Of course it is never Gage’s fault; trouble just seems to follow him around as intently as Wile E. Coyote followed the roadrunner.Like all good heroes Gage must battle countless bad guys. These heinous villains are only concerned with world domination and he must attempt to stay one step ahead of them. This challenge is made even more difficult once he discovers he must also rescue his former lover Astiza and a three-year-old son he never knew he had.“The Barbary Pirates” is an extremely well written book. The story is entertaining and believable since Dietrich seems to recount the historical aspects in it with the same ease and familiarity of someone who had lived and experienced it several hundred years ago. It is a definite “must read” for anyone who enjoys action and adventure stories. I would even go so far as to say I feel Dietrich’s work belongs on the shelf right next to Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels. Sit down; prop your feet up and enjoy the read!(Reviewed in association with Rebecca's Reads).

This is the fourth in the continuing series about Ethan Gage, adventurer, explorer, and ladies'man. Gage reminds me of the Briton "Flashman"--both are not heroes, but anti-heroes, trying unsuccessfully to keep out of trouble...Gage's adventures take place during the era of the Napoleonic conflicts, while Flashman came along later, during the Victorian Age. The biggest difference is that Gage gets involved in historical mysteries, such as in this one. Napoleon sends Gage to the tiny island of Thira in the Aegean Sea to discover a rumored lost "superweapon" possibly invented by the ancient Atlanteans! The mission puts Gage right into grave danger--from the Barbary pirates. It's a thrilling ride and we know it won't be the end. Gage will turn up somewhere in the world again.

Another good Ethan Gage taleThe wild ride continues. A word of warning. This series requires a healthy dose of “willing suspension of disbelief’’. Toward the end of this book you have to overlook some impossible escapes from doom. Overall, though, worth the effort.

The Ethan Gage series makes it really easy to zone out and enjoy some laughs and adventure.

The author, William Dietrich, has revolutionized his character, Ethan Gage, in this fourth tale of the series. The preceding books in the series became a bit formulaic, centering around the adventures of Gage, which included womanizing, gambling, and poor judgment.In this adventure, Gage has turned a page (sort of) and is trying to reform his ways-no women, a little gambling, and improved judgment.Unfortunately, he re-entangles himself and three savants (Robert Fulton, Georges Cuvier, and William Smith-all actual historical figures from around the 1800s) with Napolean. The self-appointed French Emperor tasks them to track down a missing mirror, perhaps located on the Greek isle of Thira. This is not simply any mirror, rather Archimedes mirror of legend-the one able to burn ships by reflecting the sun's rays.As it happens, Gage's old nemesis, the Egyptian Rite, are on his trail. This time they are led by the one and only Aurora Somerset, the wicked and demented Englishwoman from Gage's last adventure in America (The Dakota Cipher). She and the Egyptian Rite are out for revenge...and the mirror for world domination.This time Gage does not have his famous long rifle nor his tomahawk. But he is reacquainted with a former love-Astiza. And she has a surprise for him. Quite a few twists and turns, which pit Gage and his savants against Barbary Pirates, the Egyptian Rite, and Aurora.Quite a good tale with the usual historical facts as the backdrop, and glad it broke from the formula-mostly.

That Ethan Gage! I've read about him once before. If there were no such thing as luck, he'd be dead many times over. In Barbary Pirates he gets mixed up with the wrong bunch of hoodlums while trying to be a good tour guide to inventor Robert Fulton and his friends. Enter the bad guys and two of his former love partners, and his innocent son. There's a bit of humor, a bit of history and a bit of suspense in Barbary Pirates.

A Real Adventure This was a very enjoyable read which is now well into the series. I have read them in order and it does help to read them that way since there are many mentions of previous events in the dialog between the characters. I had thought that the series had been sputtering but this book brought new life back to Ethan Gage and I am wondering where will he go from here.

My regular go-to escape read for when I have down-time--the Ethan Gage series. They're a combination of adventure, humor, and historical fiction that are wildly engaging, improvisational in plot (what could possibly happen next?) and full of lively characters. This was more of the same pleasure reading for me and I'll be ready for the #5 soon.

Not what I had anticipated for my yearly Barbary read. Nevertheless an entertaining adventure with an early American adventurer that mixes Jason Bourne and Indiana Jones, although without always the same redeemable irascibility of those two. The audio performance has some confusion amongst the characters that creates one or two jarring moments.

Four in a series (have not read the preceding books). Fun historical adventure with an antihero very similar to the protagonist in the Flashman series. A lot of historically accurate information interwoven with clear fiction.

A Ripping Jolly Adventure!A fast paced adventure that takes you from France to Greece to Northern Africa! Fight Barbary pirates, face heaving waves, and the oceans depths. This novel has it all!

Satisfyingly swashbuckling, historically intriguing, doesn't take itself too seriously.

Ethan Gage, an American rogue in the Napoleanic era.Part Indiana Jones, part McGyver all fun and you learn a little history too.

Ethan Gage keeps going strong! This fourth installment isn’t any less enjoyable than the first three in the series, with Gage as fun as ever, and on as crazy an adventure as ever. After surviving the wilds of the American frontier in The Dakota Cipher, Gage is back in Paris in this chapter, escorting three fellow savants – noted zoologist Georges Cuvier, geologist William Smith, and inventor Robert Fulton – through the wilds of the Paris underworld when he is attacked by a mysterious Egyptian who claims to have knowledge of Gage’s lost love, Astiza. Escaping right into the waiting arms of the French police (after setting a brothel on fire, of course), the quartet find themselves in front of Napoleon, who charges them with following up on a mystery recently uncovered on the island of Thira (modern-day Santorini).And thus begins yet another race against the odds for Gage, this time striving to find the ancient Mirror of Archimedes – a super-weapon developed by the mathematician capable of setting whole navies on fire – before it falls into the hands of his old nemeses: Aurora Somerset, her band of Barbary pirates, and the never-ceasing Egyptian Rite. From the long-buried city of Akrotiri on Santorini, to the dungeons of Tripoli, and the domed churches of Sicily, Gage and his trio of savants race across the Mediterranean basin not just to find the mirror but also to save Astiza, and the two-year-old son Gage did not know existed.As with the preceding installments, The Barbary Pirates is a frisky, fun, entertaining romp through the annals of history and buried treasure with not just Gage providing the laughs, but his trio of accompanying savants throwing in chuckles here and there too. In fact, the first half of the book, where the four embark on the mirror adventure together, is one laugh after another as they lob insults and wisecracks at each other, and bring their own unique talents to their quest. Leave it to Robert Fulton – a true historic figure remembered for his work in developing early submarines – to buy an old set of bagpipes and turn them into a rudimentary flamethrower, which comes in handy when the quartet find themselves trapped inside a church on Santorini.I also particularly enjoy Dietrich’s villains. First there was the slimy Alessandro Silano and now there is the maniacal Aurora Somerset, whose vicious insanity provides for some truly terrifying moments in The Barbary Pirates. She’s the type of villain that makes you want to take a shower – she’s so wickedly evil – and there is that whole incestuous relationship thing she had going on with her late cousin / brother, Cecil. You can just hear the dark thrumming music that comes on screen at a villain’s appearance every time Somerset pops up on the page.What’s next? Gage visits the Caribbean in the fifth installment, and next on my reading list: The Emerald Storm.

"The Barbary Pirates" is an Ethan Gage adventure, and if you enjoy mystery, historical fiction, swashbuckling adventure, humor, and nonstop action grab a hold of this series. It is one of the most delightful romps through history you will read. The books should be read in order and the order is""Napoleaon's Pyramids""The Rosetta Key""The Dakota Cipher"Ethan Gage is an American adventurer, who finds himself in France during the time of Napoleaon's reign. He finds himself in possession of a medallion that sets him off on the adventure of a lifetime.He is being pursued by a group that grew out of the Freemasons called the Egyptian Rite. This group is totally ruthless and has sights on ruling the world. They are trying to rediscover the mysteries of the ancients.In "The Barbary Pirates" Ethan finds himself being sent off on an errand by Napoleon, some say that Napoleon is just trying to get rid of hem. Ethan is to search for a weapon "to end all wars". The weapon is a giant mirror invented by Archimedes. This mirror is a giant magnifying glass that would be capable of harnessing the sun's energy and destroying navies by burning the ships before they can engage in battle.Many of the characters from the first three novels are brought back and are as engaging as ever. The action never stops and it is impossible not to like not only the good guys, but also the bad guys. These are fun books that can be read for total enjoyment. A lot of the history is based in fact and interesting. There is also a good laugh on just about every page. Bet you can't read just one!!!