Starz’s new series, Black Sails, debuted last tonight. This is not a Disney version but a genuine pirate movie on the high seas.  Captain Flint of the notorious ship, Walrus, is desperate to find the missing page of a captain’s manifest which would reveal the launch of a Spanish Galleon’s most prized treasure. Someone aboard his crew has already stolen it. Flint is losing the faith of his crew and rebellion is brimming to the surface unless he can restore their allegiance, he’s liable to find himself at the bottom of the ocean.

Flint is not above murder and lies to achieve his gains which is unlike my hero, Captain Kane O’Brien, in A Pirate’s Curse. O’Brien has the loyalty of his crew, but has lost faith in himself. He blames himself for the curse and like Flint, he’s desperate to find a cure and will do anything to get it, including to whip the truth out of a captured cabin boy.

Ruthlessness and determination are what makes a great captain and both Flint and O’Brien possess these qualities. At the end of Black Sails, Flint takes a gamble to prove to his crew that he’s the bloody captain and I found myself hoping he’d win. In this series, there are villains galore, but I found myself asking, who are the villains and who are the heroes?

Of course, I write dark paranormal and I like the twisted characters-Captain Flint, Anne Bonny, John Silver and Captain Vane. I look forward to the next episode of Black Sails.

I’d love to hear what you thought of the series. Who were your favorite characters?