Pirata: The Pirate Chief

by Simon Scarrow Book 5 in the Pirata series.

First published 2019

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The Adriatic, AD 25. Telemachus reaches the centre of the struggle for leadership among the pirate crews as Roman forces prepare to destroy them. Rival claimants use betrayal and violence to secure command, leaving him to unite people who have little reason to trust one another. The final confrontation tests whether he can become a leader without repeating the cruelty of the men whose power he challenges.

Leadership forces Telemachus to confront the habits that once made pirate life attractive. A chief can no longer judge success only by personal escape or prize money; scattered crews must be supplied, reconciled and protected against Rome. The final struggle asks whether a community built around independence can accept enough discipline to survive without creating another tyrant at its head.