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Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson

I like Terry Brooks and his Shannara series. And Mr. Brooks says you should be guillotined in public if you haven’t read Treasure Island. Actually that’s the stature of Robert Louis Stevenson — he is your favorite author’s favorite author. It’s rather funny that Treasure Island was branded juvenile at the time of its publication and Stevenson was considered too flippant to be taken seriously. But with scurvy pirates, honest sailors, marooned souls, and buried treasure on a faraway island, this book has fascinated readers for more than a century (and still going good).

It’s pointless if you are looking for Huxley’s subtlety or Conrad’s characterization in Treasure Island (though the Machiavellian Long John Silver is as cool as Jack Sparrow). Stevenson’s work may even lack the twist and turns of The Three Musketeers. But somehow you get deeply involved with the story and the characters. You feel you are on the scene and start losing the sense of reality. Escapism reaches new heights as you get transported to another world.

Treasure Island is simplistic but to the point pirate stuff. It is best read on rainy evenings. Grab a bottle of rum, say Ahoy, and start your voyage. May your sword stay sharp. Continue reading →