The Smugglers (High Seas Trilogy Series #2)

by Iain Lawrence Narrated by Ron Keith

Overview

It's been two years since John Spencer and his father were shipwrecked and nearly murdered by unscrupulous scavengers. Now the Spencers have a new ship, the Dragon, and 16-year-old John is elated to be making the new schooner's maiden voyage to London. Not long out to sea, John realizes that the captain and crew of the Dragon are not who they pretended to be. Instead they are smugglers, steering their own course, and prepared to kill anyone who tries to stop them. Leaving a trail of bloodshed and violence, these ruthless pirates have no intention of leaving any witnesses to their crimes. If John is to survive, it will be by his own steady wit and a stroke of good luck. This sequel to The Wreckers stands on its own as a historical tale of piracy and adventure on the high seas. The action is nonstop, and Ron Keith's narration enlivens a sparkling array of memorable characters.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-In Iain Lawrences's The Smugglers (Delacorte, 1999), set in Cornwell, England at the beginning of the 19th century, 16-year-old John Spencer and his father continue their adventures that began in The Wreckers (Delacorte, 1998). This time they are buying a new trading vessel, the Dragon, and hiring a crew who lead them into danger. Reminiscent of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, the main characters are caught in deception and intrigue. Encountering piracy aboard their ship, they use both wit and muscle to outmaneuver the deadly attempts on their lives. British actor Ron Keith uses differing tones of inflection to create suspense. His pronunciation is clear, and the reading is well-paced. Listeners will enjoy this dramatic tale of the high seas.-Tina Hudak, Takoma Park Maryland Library, MD Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Mary M. Burns

What places The Smugglers in the first rank of pirate-adventure yarns is the author's ability to create memorable characters...Avast, ye lubbers, for a great read!
— The Horn Book Magazine

Kirkus Reviews

In this companion to The Wreckers (1998), Lawrence provides more adventures on the high seas. When John Spencer's father buys the mysterious black schooner, the Dragon, the 16-year-old boy is excited until he learns that he must make the ship's maiden voyage without his father. Among the bad omens: Mr. Spencer survives a shooting, and later, the captain they've hired is killed. Mr. Spencer is convinced that their affairs are looking better when he hires the colorful Captain Crowe to assume command of the vessel. No sooner does the schooner sail out of harbor than Crowe changes course unexpectedly, claiming that he has new orders. Crowe, of course, is a pirate, as are the scalawags he's hired, and in no time, John is trapped with the scurrilous crew. When it seems that John will be fed to the fish by Crowe, he escapes and lives to see the cur hanged on his beloved Dragon. The storytelling is broad but the details are fine: Lawrence has packed his tale full of vivid descriptions that are swarming with historical detail, painting as honest a picture of piracy as readers are likely to encounter. (Fiction. 9-14)

From the Publisher

"Readers who devoured The Wreckers will be eager to dig into this seafaring sequel."—Booklist, Starred

"A corking good nautical adventure."—The Horn Book Magazine

"[To] be devoured in a single sitting."—The Bulletin

"Full of vivid descriptions that are swarming with historical detail."—Kirkus Reviews

FEB/MAR 01 - AudioFile

Narrator Ron Keith is the consummate match for Lawrence's spectacular sequel to The Wreckers. His versatile repertoire of accents supports the array of characters involved with an intricate plot. The intrigue builds as the unsuspecting young John Spencer sails forth on his father's new ship, The Dragon, from Kent to London with a load of wool, accompanied by a band of smugglers. John's life appears to be threatened at every turn by the captain and his crew of scalawags; Keith brings all the memorable characters to life--from the menacing Captain Crowe; to the fool-hardy highwayman and faint-hearted sailor, Dasher, in his coat of corks; to the blind innkeeper, Mrs. Pye, who cares only for the return of her beloved, the quirky Fleming. Rousing adventure for middle-grade and young adult listeners. T.B. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171284824
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/11/2008
Series:	High Seas Trilogy Series , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

Read an Excerpt

I fetched a lantern and went right to the depths of the ship, where water, brown and fetid, slurped among the timbers. I went through the darkness in a circle of light, frightening cockroaches into shelter, hearing the groans and creaks of the hull as it worked. The places where I had to go were small and cramped, and I slithered through them as the lantern made the shadows zoom and tilt.

And someone came behind me.

When I stopped, he was silent. When I moved, so did he. I heard a faint creaking of wood as he crept up, closing the distance. He was quiet as a cat. And suddenly I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I cried out, startled, as he pushed me down against the hull.

"You're in danger, boy," said he.

I tried to lift myself, to turn and see him, but the sailor held me down.

"Watch yourself," he said. "There's one aboard who'll kill you."

"Who?"

For a moment I only heard him breathing. He said, "The one who seems least likely."

"But who?" I asked again.

He pressed harder on my shoulder. "He'll want the dead man's secrets. See you keep them safe."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"A man you never saw." And then the hand was gone.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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