Book Review: Operation Darksail

Let me say first, that I enjoyed this book from beginning to end! The story is built on the premise of how things might go down if Blackbeard made a pact with the Devil to be allowed to come back to life in the modern world to recover his treasure and seek revenge against the descendants of Lt. Maynard, who is credited with having killed him back in November of 1718.

Blackbeard’s time travel is achieved through the mechanism of a storm, similar to that which sent the USS Nimitz back in time in the 1980 movie The Final Countdown. In the book, Commander Maynard, the last descendant of Lt. Maynard is serving aboard the USS Spruance when Blackbeard and the Queen Anne’s Revenge first appears in modern times. But instead of being obliterated by modern weapons, the QAR survives unscathed. 

The story revolves around Blackbeard’s quest to recover his treasure and achieve revenge against Maynard. Maynard (and the US Navy) must figure out how to destroy him when none of their modern weapons have any effect on him. There are interesting sub-stories of Jeremy Ratliff, a sailor on the QAR who didn’t die with the others in 1718 but has come forward in time with them, and also around Angela Killian, a passenger on a yacht they capture who develops a love interest in Blackbeard. 

It also involves bringing the USS Constitution back into service, which for me was a fun part of the story, as I got to tour that ship when I was in Boston in 2012. 

Mr. Hayden served in the Navy in the Spruance, so the naval procedures and tactics are authentic and believable. His experience also makes the tactics utilized on the QAR believable.

All in all, this is an enjoyable tale that despite getting a little technical at times should appeal to a wide range of readers.