The Pirates of Aden

“Suddenly, he heard footsteps and grunting above him and felt the blood return to his brain.  He kept his eyes up the hole.  A dark limp body was dropped through the hole just missing Sami.  He looked at the body, the dark fatigues and the dark skin.  It was Ali.  Sami held Ali’s body in his lap, wanting to comfort him but he immediately felt his soaked clothing.  Blood.  Oozing – no pouring- from somewhere in his chest.  The momentary relief Sami had felt was now replaced with fear and guilt.  Why had he agreed to bring Ali with him?  He was too young, too inexperienced.”  (p. 31)

This excerpt comes from the opening scenes of the book when Sami, his nephew Ali, and others are in the process of hijacking the Stebelsky, a cargo ship passing close to the coast of Puntland, Somalia.  This incident onboard the ship links the pirates and Dr. Paul Alban together as they seek treatment at his clinic.  Dr. Alban has a past, which while he has attempted to forget, may just be brought back out and threaten his future.

In “The Pirates of Aden,” Rasic has a fast moving, gripping work.  I was drawn into the story right away and while the subjects involved in the book were not ones that I usually choose to read about, I found that I enjoyed the novel.  I enjoyed the relationships among the characters and the plot twists and turns throughout the book.  This is Rasic’s first novel and overall for a debut novel he did a great job.  I look forward to watching his writing progress in future works.

The Pirates of Aden
Daniel Rasic
Wings Press, Inc (2011)
ISBN 9781613099926
Reviewed by Kam Aures for Rebecca’s Reads (10/11)