SILVER
My
Own Tale As Written by Me with a Goodly
Amount
of
Murder
by
Edward Chupack
Held
captive in a cabin on his own ship, the
notorious pirate Long John Silver,
fever-ridden and almost blind, is on his
way towards England and the hangman’s
noose. But before he hangs, Silver
wants to record the incredible story
of his life—not only for history’s sake,
but also to taunt his captors, and
perhaps tempt one of them to release him
in exchange for the whereabouts of his
fabled treasure. As the Linda Maria
carries him towards his fate, he writes,
with peacock feather plume in hand, his
journal. SILVER is that journal.
Author Edward
Chupack was struck with this idea for
SILVER, his first novel and a
parallel of Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Treasure Island from the villain’s
point of view, while reading the classic
to his son. He found himself drawn to
Long John Silver, who says very little
in the original Treasure Island,
and began to formulate a story that was
at once a rousing adventure yarn and a
riveting mystery. His story includes new
characters like Edward Peach, Silver’s
first mate, and Solomon, a Jewish man
fleeing Spanish oppression, and gives us
the “true story” of Silver’s life—from
his childhood as an orphaned street
urchin in Bristol’s back alleys, to his
apprenticeship on the ship of “the sea
rat” Black John, to his ascent, via
murder, to pirate captain. The journal
follows his global quest to unravel a
string of ciphers and clues hidden
within Edward Peach’s family bible that
point to the location of the world’s
greatest treasure. But that’s not all;
for Silver’s legacy is his treasure, and
within his pages he hides a code that
locates it—if the reader dares look.
A rollicking,
heart-pounding novel “by” one of
literature’s greatest villains,
SILVER is full, as Silver himself
says “of treasure, as there is such
pleasure in the telling of it, like
nipping from a glass of brandy in the
eventide, a long eventide made of odds
and chances with a red dawn in the
reckoning. And, he should be sure not
to leave out the blood.” Chupack’s
meticulous research on pirates and their
place in history, as well as the
addition of unique and compelling new
characters, give SILVER an
authenticity and flair that transcend
genre lines.
Reviews:
“[A] witty romp…
This isn't Treasure Island
revisited, nor is it a sequel. Like the
pirate he celebrates, Chupack has taken
a bit here and a bit there … to create
something glitteringly original.”
--The New York Times
“Invigorating… What
fills the novel's sails is not so much
the mystery as its richly imagined
protagonist. … The old salt's tale
gleams like a sharpened cutlass.”
--Entertainment Weekly
“Murder, a map,
ciphers and codes, and even a bit of
romance figure in Silver’s riveting
narrative…Chupack is particularly good
at pirate dialogue….settle back, me
hearties, it’s one hell of a tale.”
--starred Publishers Weekly
“Makes the pirate world come alive…
--Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Edward Chupack
is an attorney for a Chicago based law
firm and currently lives in the Chicago
area. He wanted to be an author, or a
doctor, ever since he could remember.
He gave up his pursuit of medicine when
he discovered that he had no singular
aptitude for math, science, or people
that sneezed. He had better success at
writing. He was published while in his
teens, having contributed short stories
and poetry to a number of literary
magazines, and was the recipient of an
award by the Illinois Arts Council for
creative writing while in college. His
family sent him to the University of
Chicago’s famous “Lab School” for a
time, where his teacher wrote a direct
note to his parents, telling them that
Edward was destined to be a writer.
Silver is his first novel. He has great
nostalgia for his family’s first home in
Chicago, which was purported to be the
former home of a brothel owner, and
where Edward spent many happy afternoons
sleeping on the empty shelves of the
long wooden bar in the basement. He is,
in his other life, a well-respected
attorney. He is a much-requested
lecturer and has spoken before many
legal, business and trade
organizations. He is also on the board
of a number of charitable organizations.
Visit Ed's Website
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