Tim Severin was a British explorer, historian, and writer celebrated for retracing the legendary journeys of historical figures. His adventurous narratives blend historical accuracy with compelling storytelling, drawing readers into the past through meticulously researched expeditions. Severin's work captures the spirit of exploration and discovery, offering unique perspectives on pivotal moments in history.
Using a replica of a Bronze Age galley, Tim Severin and his crew set off on the voyage of Odysseus to discover if Homer's Odyssey could possibly be true...Did Ulysses make a real voyage home from the siege of Troy to Ithaca? Did Scylla and Charybdis and the Cyclops really exist in any form? and what about the Sirens and Circe the witch? In this gripping modern detective story the clues lead to a most startling solution.
Described as the greatest epic voyage in modern Irish history, Tim Severin and his companions constructed a boat using only sixth-century A.D. techniques and materials, mirroring the time when St. Brendan was believed to have sailed to America. The vessel was made from forty-nine ox hides stitched together and stretched over a wooden frame, with the leather skin measuring just a quarter of an inch thick. Severin and his crew embarked on their journey from Brandon Creek in Dingle to Newfoundland, enduring storms and even a puncture from pack ice. This dramatic account of their adventure captures the essence of being in a small, open boat amidst the vast North Atlantic, encountering curious whales, misty landfalls, and the warm hospitality of seafaring communities along the way. The narrative is both brilliantly written and meticulously researched, making it a classic of modern exploration, translated into 27 languages. Tim Severin, an explorer, filmmaker, and lecturer, has undertaken numerous expeditions, including crossing the Atlantic in a medieval leather boat and searching for Moby Dick. He has authored several books and received multiple literary awards, including the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Book of the Sea Award.
Ambushed by a gang of hardened sea robbers headed for the South Sea, Hector Lynch, pirate and fugitive, is obliged to navigate their vessel on a nightmarish journey through the stormy seas off Cape Horn and when his ruthless shipmates abandon him in Peru, he learns that Maria, the young Spanish woman who stole his heart and whose false testimony saved him from the gallows, is now living on the remote Ladrones, the Thief Islands, on the far side of the Pacific Ocean. His epic voyage to reach her will bring him face to face with a Japanese warlord who submits trespassers to his island to a deadly duel and with a naked Stone Age tribe who file their teeth to sharp points and sail boats that outpace the fastest galleon. In "Pirate: Sea Robbers" Tim Severin takes the reader on an enthralling adventure through the seventeenth-century world of the seafarers who risked scurvy, shipwreck and drowning in hopes of reaping fortunes in spice and treasure.
King's Man by Tim Severin is the thrilling third volume in the captivating Viking trilogy - an epic adventure in a world full of Norse mythology and bloodthirsty battles. Constantinople, 1035: Thorgils has become a member of the Varangian lifeguard and witnesses the glories of the richest city on earth but also the murderous ways of the imperial family. Under the leadership of warrior chief Harald Sigurdsson he is set up as the unwitting bait in a deadly ambush to destroy Arab pirates harassing the Byzantine shipping lanes in the Mediterranean. When Harald eventually ascends the throne of Norway, his liegeman Thorgils is despatched on a secret mission to Duke William of Normandy with a plan to coordinate the twin invasions of England. On 20 September 1066 Harald's fleet of three hundred ships sails up the Ouse, confident of success, but a prophetic dream warns Thorgils that Duke William has duped his allies and the Norsemen are heading for disaster at Stamford Bridge. Thorgils embarks upon a race against time to reach and warn his liege lord before the battle begins. But will Odinn's devout follower really be able to anticipate what fate has decreed and save the heritage of his Viking ancestors?
Sigwulf, a Saxon prince who has found himself at the court of King Carolus in France, is summoned by the royal advisor. A rare white elephant has been sent as a gift from the Caliph of Baghdad - and Carolus is determined to send an embassy to the Caliph bearing presents of equal prize to encourage good political relations. Sigwulf and his companions Osric and Walo are sent on a deadly mission to search the wild northlands of Europe for the rarest of creatures for the Caliph, including a giant, lethal wild ox, elusive hunting falcons and polar bears. Every animal they capture must be white, the royal colour of Baghdad. But it seems that someone is trying to prevent the embassy from succeeding. As they set out with their menagerie of creatures across the hot, dusty roads to the Middle East, Sigwulf finds them ambushed at every corner