Daniel Markham loved his father’s mysterious friends, visiting in the dead of night but always gone by morning. He never imagined they could be pirates. But when the Markhams’ merchant vessel is plundered by the pirate ship Tempest Galley and his father shot dead in an act of revenge, Daniel can’t deny the truth. And now, orphaned and alone, Daniel is trapped and faced with a choice: Join the crew or die. Unprepared for the temptations of pirate life and for the captain’s inexplicable kindness toward him, Daniel knows only one thing for certain: One false step on a pirate ship could be deadly, and he’ll do anything to stay alive.

Fourteen-year-old Daniel's life is turned upside down when his father's merchant ship is plundered by pirates in 1696 and Daniel is forced to stay aboard the pirate ship as a hostage.

In the early nineteenth century, when his sea-captain uncle invites him to assist the ship's surgeon on his next voyage, orphaned, fourteen-and-a-half-year-old Phillip, eager to be with family, accepts only to find out that his uncle is a slave trader.

An English sea-captain sailing to plunder a Spanish treasure fleet faces the elements, internal discord and a squadron of war galleons lurking in his path. If he prevails, rewards and retribution await in the wilds of the New World. Voyage of Reprisal draws on the author’s extensive research and presents a careful reconstruction of life at sea aboard an Elizabethan war galleon. Charismatic characters come alive, from crude sailors to arrogant lords. The pains, joys, sorrows, and hopes of the age are explored aboard a 16th century privateer.

High adventure, dastardly deeds, and newly uncovered lore.

Twelve fascinating tales about the adventurers who travelled all over the globe, finding new plants and the amazing things they produce. Join Joseph Banks as he gets stranded on the Australian Great Barrier Reef whilst searching for new botanical specimens. Battle with the Mexican Emperor Montezuma against the invading Hernando Cortes - and watch as Cortes introduces chocolate to the rest of the world! Struggle with other travellers as they fight starvation, bears, strange diseases and tropical storms. Exciting, witty and wacky, these true-life tales span centuries and the globe, feature famous historical figures such as Captain Bligh, Darwin and Columbus and put the origins of 'everyday' plants into perspective.