Customer Reviews
La Dragontea - By: , 31 Oct 2004 
This is a reasonably written character assassination. Kelsey's case theory is simple - Drake was a thief with a ruthless streak, who bungled his way to riches & a 'round the world trip, & who manipulated the religious & political differences of the time for his own ends. Kelsey never wavers from this. His objective is to kill the hero. Which is where Kelsey loses his balance & lets the book down.
Obviously well researched, the narrative is coloured throughout by prejudice. And whilst fairly easy to read, the need to denounce Drake becomes stylistically palpable. For instance Kelsey has the habit of repetition, even within the same paragraph; & the rhetorical closing section is clumsy - like an A Level student trying to wrap up an exam questionin the last five minutes. All this is based on the fact that throughout a five hundred-page book Kelsey has no sympathy with his subject. He is a barrister for the prosecution & getting a conviction is all that matters.
Drake himself remains an enigma, perhaps even more so after Kelsey's attack. Not once does he make a proper appearancein the narrative. Hostile witnesses give their evidence, Kelsey puts his own biased interpretation of events, & all the while El Drago looks placidly back from his portrait. The Shillingley narrative isn't referred to at all.
While there's certainly evidence that Drake's story is not simply 'Kelly's Heroes'in a galleon, this biography is too biased & with too little understanding of the man to make a proper, rounded study.
Bring on the Dogs of War! - By: , 07 Jan 1999 
For afficionados of Drake, Elizabethan England, or nautical history, this is a first rate read! The scholarship is thorough & well documented without leaving the prose too dry. Author Kelsey exegetically strips the gloss which has been after-added to most accounts of Drake's life (my brother, who is a nautical archaeologist, found it professionally worthwhile). Unfortunately, Kelsey's apparent bias against Drake's commercial focus prevents a discussion of Drake's larger role as an economic multiplierin the Elizabethan fiscus. The cash broughtin by Drake's expeditions & similar ilk were probably criticalin enabling the crown to finance the struggle against the Spaniards. Still, allin all, highly recommended.
Drake is the greatest pirate of all times! - By: , 16 Oct 1998 I love the story of Sir Francis Drake & his adventuresin the Spanish Main & was eager at this chance at such a thourouh telling of his story.
the captains and the kings depart! - By: , 20 Sep 1998 
Hee - anybody who reads biography as a genre has a barely-suppressed sweet tooth for Soviet-style icon-destruction, & this big book satisfies that cravingin spades! Drake was looooong overdue for his de-Errol Flynnification, but it's a rare & wonderful thing when the vitriol is under tight control & matched with fine research & writing. This book will draw youin & keep youin - it's worth the price & the time involved.
