Queen's Pirate: Elizabeth I & Sir Drake

When you think of great stories, chances are the adventures of Queen Elizabeth and Sir Francis Drake don't leap immediately to mind, but after listening to storyteller Jim Weiss relate their stories, you just might.

That's what's so remarkable about Weiss: he seems to be able to take any subject and spin it into a story as wondrous and magical as any children's classic.

Weiss' latest offering, ""The Queen's Pirate: Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake"", is no exception. In the first half of the recording, the aged monarch lies on her deathbed, recalling the highlights of her lengthly reign. In less that half an hour, Weiss strings together an informative account of England's Golden Age, never losing sight of the fact that he is telling a tremendous story. William Shakespeare, King Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots all make cameo appearances in this wonderfully accessible history lesson.

In the second half of the recording, Weiss moves from Queen Elizabeth's biography to the story of Sir Frances Drake, a rogue who, in Weiss' telling, is just as gallant and witty as any buccaneer to hit the silver screen. Weiss focuses more on Drake's plundering than on his famous journey around the world, introducing a bit of Spanish history and offering a glimpse of North America as it was in the 16th century. The account is so colourful and exciting, it's easy to forget it's all true.""

-audiobookcafe.com (2003)