A Pirate’s Life for Me: Review of James Matlack Raney’s Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves

Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves by James Matlack Raney, Independently Published Sept. 28, 2012

Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves, James Matlack Raney’s debut novel is a great read. It has everything a reader could want in a book: mystery, adventure, comedy, pirates, treasure, etc. The story begins with an 11 -year -old boy named James Morgan. James is from a wealthy family and is being raised by his aunt Margarita, while his father, Lord Lindsay Morgan is away sailing the seas on a mysterious voyage. Aunt Margarita, who insists on being called Dame Margarita Morgan, is a spoiled brat who trains James to be a spoiled brat too. When James’s father comes home, James wants to be seen by him. James unfortunately causes much chaos, which leads his father to call him a disappointment.

Throughout the novel, James is told that he is worthless, that he is a disappointment to his parents, and that he is unloved.  James is not the son his father wished he had. James’ father wants him to be a better person who is kind, brave, and does not cry so much.

Quote before Chapter 1 of Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves

Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves reminds me of other books I’ve read. However, this is not a bad thing because Raney has his own voice. Parts of the novel reminded me of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist because both of those novels dealt with wild boys and orphans. In Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves, Jim meets multiple orphans who live on the streets and work for the King of Thieves. These young, homeless children steal for a living. Jim becomes a member of the Ratt Brothers’ group. George, Peter, and Paul teach Jim the art of stealing. Also, like Peter Pan’s Wendy, Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves has a female character, Lacey, who acts as the voice of reason. The book also reminded me of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island because the main character in that book was also named Jim and Treasure Island also had pirates in it. The end of the book reminded me of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Cornelius Darkfeather was one of my favorite characters because he was conflicted: he wanted to help Jim Morgan even though his master Captain Dread Steele was Lord Lindsay Morgan’s adversary. Cornelius goes into the Amulet of Portunes with Jim so that he can be his guide. He helps Jim with the clues but lets Jim think of the answers himself. My favorite part of the book was when Jim bought Christmas presents for the Ratt brothers and Lacey because it brought them closer together. George had become distant from Peter, Paul, Lacey, and Jim. He had wanted to quit thieving. George had yelled at Lacey and complained about her acting like their mother. When Jim thinks of leaving the Ratt clan after his first thieving attempt goes horribly wrong, Lacey states, “You should be ashamed of yourself, just running out on us like this!”  Jim had thought that he would be kicked out of their group because of his poor performance of stealing.

I loved the characters in the novel because they were so well developed.  The names of the characters are  really interesting. I liked the conversational tone that Raney used, “Now, when he was very young, James was a wild sort of boy who used to run down to the beach with his little wooden boat and a little wooden sword and wage imaginary battles with pirates and scalawags so epic that they could only exist in a young boy’s mind.” The language Raney uses in this book presents images in the readers’ minds of what the characters are like. Instead of just saying that Bartholomew Cromier is a good swordsman, Raney writes, “Bartholomew Cromier was faster than Jim believed a man could be. He made Jim’s old fencing instructor look like an actor playing with toy swords.”  

I highly recommend reading Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves. I loved this book! It teaches readers lessons about life. When Jim accuses Dread Steele of having a hand in his father’s death, Dread Steele states, “Never accuse a man of crime for which you have no proof, young Morgan,” Steele said matter-of-factly. […]. “Even amongst pirates it’s unforgivable form.”  Later, Dread Steele tells Jim, “Even a pirate knows a good man when he sees one, Jim Morgan. Even when that good man is his adversary. And you’re well on your way to becoming just such a good man yourself, like your father.”  I can’t wait for the sequel to Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves!

Carly Krewitsky