NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Talty’s vigorous history of seventeenth-century pirates of the Caribbean [is] a pleasure to read from bow to stern.”— Entertainment Weekly   “In Stephan Talty’s hands, the brilliant Captain Morgan, wicked and cutthroat though he was, proves an irresistible hero. . . . A thrilling and fascinating adventure.”—Caroline Alexander, author of The Endurance and The Bounty   The passion and violence of the age of exploration and empire come to vivid life in this story of the legendary pirate who took on the greatest military power on earth with a ragtag bunch of renegades. Awash with bloody battles, political intrigues, natural disaster, and a cast of characters more compelling, bizarre, and memorable than any found in a Hollywood swashbuckler, Empire of Blue Water brilliantly re-creates the life and times of Henry Morgan and the real pirates of the Caribbean. “A swashbuckling adventure . . . [the] characters leap to life.” — New York Times Book Review “A ripping yarn, worthy of its gaudy subject.” — Dallas Morning News “A sparkling and engrossing adventure narrative.” — Boston Phoenix “Fresh insight into pirates’ dens of old . . . Well-researched nonfiction that reads like a novel.” — Washington Times “Rollicking . . . with style and energy Talty tells a tale of boundless wickedness.” —William M. Fowler, author of Empires at War “Stephan Talty’s new book serves up swashbuckling history at its briny, blood-soaked best, with enough violence and passion to keep the pages flying by. But it’s not only blood and swash: Empire of Blue Water is also a mirror to our own times, showing that attempting globalization against a backdrop of the clash of civilizations is nothing new,and that religious violence is often a thinly veiled cover for greed and personal ambition. Talty's portrait of the legendary privateer Henry Morgan is a marvelous study in contradictions—a man of astounding heroism, brilliance, compassion, and charm, who was also capable of the greatest betrayal.” —Tom Reiss, author of The Orientalist “A wickedly entertaining tale of pirates and the Caribbean seas they once ruled like kings. Epic sea battles, daring adventures, rich history, great villains and heroes alike—it’s a treasure.” —Neal Bascomb, author of The Perfect Mile and Higher “In a riveting history that reads like the best novels, Stephan Talty stylishly extricates the pirates of the Caribbean from the imprecise caricature that so often consumes them. Layer by fascinating layer, Talty peels away the eye patch and theshiver-me-timbers brogue to reveal the raucous, complex and authentic buccaneers of the ‘Brethren of the Coast.’ . . . Storytelling and history to be savored.” —Buddy Levy, author of American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett “Engrossing . . . a swashbuckling tale of how the history of the Americas was shaped by a small group of daring brigands.” —Matthew Brzezinski, author of Casino Moscow “A fascinating look inside [a] glamorous and gritty world.” —Les Standiford, author of Last Train to Paradise “Exceptionally well-told . . . an exhilarating adventure in reading.” —Kerry A. Trask, author of Black Hawk Stephen Talty is the award-winning author of Agent Garbo, Empire of Blue Water, and other bestselling works of narrative nonfiction. His books have been made into two films, the Oscar-winning Captain Phillips and Only the Brave . He is also the author of two psychological thrillers, including the New York Times bestseller Black Irish, set in his hometown of Buffalo. He has written for The New York Times Magazine, GQ, and many other publications. Talty now lives outside New York City with his family. EMPIRE OF BLUE WATER 1 “I Offer a New World” In the winter of 1654, a newly commissioned frigate named the Fagons was dispatched from the ancient city of Portsmouth on a secret mission. Its journey was short; it sailed around the southeast corner of England into the quiet harbor of Deal. There at the dock waited the ship’s only cargo: a forty-four-year-old Anglican rector named Thomas Gage. It was rare in the Royal Navy of the time that a warship would be sent to pick up a single man, and a mere country pastor at that. But Gage was a unique figure in English life: A long-dreamt-of empire was about to be launched in part because of a book he’d written fifteen years before; the nation was preparing to send thousands of men to attack its archnemesis inspired by things that Thomas Gage, and he alone, claimed to have seen across the ocean. This mysterious man—no portrait survives to this day—was, as befits his role in this story, surrounded in life by controversy and black dread. He had ready access to the most powerful man in the country, Oliver Cromwell; indeed, the Fagons had been hastened around the corner of England “by order of the Protector” himself, and the Venetian ambassador wrote in a letter that Gage “had many secre