"Terror on the Seas - True Tales of Modern- Day Pirates"

"Pirates never go away"

That's from Daniel Sekulich's new book, Terror on the Seas - True Tales of Modern-Day Pirates.

Sekulich skillfully weaves together some "Modern Day Tales", true tales from, mariners, fisherman, officials and others from pirate hot-spots, the Gulf of Aden and Straits of Malacca as well as shipping centers such as London and Singapore.

The book also provides some historical background that puts the modern tales in context, not only the familiar Blackbeard and Captain Kidd but surprising (to me) stories such as the Red Flag Fleet, which was comprised of fifty thousand men and commanded by Cheng I Sao, a women and former prostitute.

Sekulich, has spend some time aboard ships at sea writes this with regards to using mariners to crew pirate vessels:

"They needed mariners to crew their vessels, not only for their knowledge of the sea and seamanship but also because they understood how to work as a team. Aboard a vessel there is a cohesiveness, a unity of individuals that is barely understood outside the seafaring community"

Terror on the Seas is recommended, it is a good read, insightful, well-researched, well written and manages to provide both a comprehensive and in-depth look at modern day piracy.

K.C.