THE CURSE OF TREASURE ISLAND by Frank Delaney

I'm delighted to announce that a thrilling, fun (and historically and linguistically accurate) sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island" is available for the first time in e-book form. "The Curse of Treasure Island," by Frank Delaney is a wonderful pick if you enjoyed the adventure and psychological depth of Stevenson's work or the language and story-telling abilities of Frank Delaney. 

Stevenson's original left us with a boat full treasure returned from Treasure Island, the deliberate marooning of 3 three pirates, and the escape of the redoubtable Long John Silver. In Delaney's sequel, "The Curse of Treasure Island," these threads and the strange curse of Treasure Island return with full force into the life of Jim Hawkins, now twenty-one, "a man's majority," and faced with a new set of challenges in the form of a mysterious Grace Richardson. It's a book that is, if possible, even more bloody and dark than Stevenson's work. But like the original, the violence and suspense is always tempered with the good-heartedness and steady intent of narrator Jim Hawkins. 

"The Curse of Treasure Island" is also a fascinating experiment in language. Delaney undertook the project while working on his BBC series "Word of Mouth" as an exercise for himself to see whether the English language had changed significantly, between Stevenson's writing and his own. To his surprise and delight, and as he tells us in his "Author's Note," Delaney found very little difference in form or vocabulary, noting that Treasure Island was written to recall a time a century before its publication in 1883. 

QUOTES FROM "THE CURSE OF TREASURE ISLAND" by FRANK DELANEY:

"Why would any sensible man, especially having known such fearful experiences as I had, ever leave our haven? Yet I did. Again I travelled to that island where I killed Israel Hands. Again I climbed those slopes where my friends once thought I had deserted them in favour of cutthroat mutineers. Indeed, were it not for the great bravery and loyalty of my comrades in those adventures, Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney and the redoubtable Captain Smollett, I might have died on Treasure Island - yet I revisited those frightful shores. It seems to go against the credible: why did I return to a place I hated and which haunted my worst dreams?"

"What makes men so fierce? Is it given to us all, if we have lived in the fires of the sun, to fight like wild things? These questions often drift through my mind - and some mornings I think I have encountered such savage men because I have asked such questions. No matter: I have seen too many of them. I do not want to see any such men again. I know why they puzzle me. It is because I glimpse beneath the savagery, the wildness and the rage, a kind of innocence, a simplicity, as though this were a soul that has found only one, violent way of calling attention to itself, of making its way through an uneven world."

PRAISE "THE CURSE OF TREASURE ISLAND" FROM "LIBRARY JOURNAL:"

One of the greatest adventure stories in all literature is Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Now, here is a sequel, and a grand book it is. As in the original, the main character is Jim Hawkins; ten years have passed, and Jim is helping his mother run the Admiral Benbow Inn. A mysterious young woman named Grace arrives at the inn with her son and begs for Jim's help without disclosing the motivation. Suffice it to say, he must return to Treasure Island, a place he has come to dread. Complicating things is Jim's attraction to Grace. Various characters Long John Silver, Ben Gunn, and Squire Trelawney, to name a few reappear. There are two separate villains, both of whom chase Jim at various times, providing some very exciting moments. Jim escapes one villain by jumping on a raft into the sea and is rescued days later by the other villain, who (plausibly) does not recognize him. As in the original, there is never a dull moment. (article by Tara Strahl)

www.frankdelaney.com

Writing career

In 1981, Frank Delaney's first book, "James Joyce's Odyssey", was published to critical acclaim and became a best-seller in the UK and Ireland. In 1986, he wrote and presented the six-part documentary series "The Celts" for the BBC and its best-selling companion book^. Delaney has subsequently written five books of non-fiction (including "Simple Courage"), ten novels (including the bestselling "Ireland," "Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show" and "Tipperary"), one novella, and a number of short stories. He has also edited many compilations of essays and poetry.

Delaney wrote the screenplay for the newest adaptation of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," which starred Martin Clunes and was shown on ITV in Britain, and Masterpiece Theater in the United States in 2004.^[7] He has been published in many of the leading newspapers in the United States, the UK and Ireland, including on the Op-ed pages of The New York Times. He is a frequent public speaker, and has been a contributor and guest on a variety of National Public Radio programs.

On Bloomsday 2010, Delaney launched "Re:Joyce," a series of short weekly podcasts that go page by page through James Joyce's "Ulysses" discussing its allusions, historical context and references. These are housed on www.frankdelaney.com. Delaney offers daily writing tips and hosts writing contests on Twitter @FDbytheword. (from Wikipedia)