Captain BloodCaptain Blood
Score Classic
What it's about
Peter Blood, an Irish doctor and soldier in 1680s England, is wrongly convicted of treason and sent to the Caribbean as an indentured servant. He escapes to become the most feared pirate captain on the Spanish Main.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's a classic pirate adventure and romance.
You'll love it if you liked
Scaramouche
The Count of Monte Cristo
Treasure IslandGood to know
It's a fast, old-fashioned swashbuckler.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller11 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #265 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #563 of the 924 classics we rank
- #1797 of the 3,057 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Epic
More by Rafael Sabatini
If you like this, read next
The Lord of the Rings
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Godfather
The Hobbit
The Pillars of the Earth
FoundationExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Captain Blood worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #1,797 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 66.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Captain Blood about?
Peter Blood, an Irish doctor and soldier in 1680s England, is wrongly convicted of treason and sent to the Caribbean as an indentured servant. He escapes to become the most feared pirate captain on the Spanish Main.
How long does it take to read Captain Blood?
About 10 hours (392 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Captain Blood?
If you liked it, try Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas or Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.