The Drake Trilogy

by William Havelock 2 books in this series

The Drake Trilogy follows Francis Drake’s emergence as an Elizabethan seafarer and privateer through the eyes of Tom Rouse, a fictional English-Spanish interpreter whose divided identity places him between Drake’s crews and the people they encounter. Beginning with the Hawkins expedition of 1567–1569 and continuing through Drake’s circumnavigation, the series depicts Atlantic navigation, commerce, raiding and imperial rivalry from the working deck rather than from the later legend. It examines loyalty, ambition and survival as England challenges Spanish power in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Reading order

Books in this series (2 books)

1. The Dragon’s Forge

William Havelock

3.5(9)

Plymouth, 1567. Tom Rouse, the son of an English father and a Spanish mother, is recruited as an interpreter for the Atlantic expedition led by John Hawkins and accompanied by the young Francis Drake. His command of Spanish makes him useful in negotiations, interrogations and encounters…

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2. The Edge of the Map

William Havelock

2.5(5)

In 1577 Francis Drake prepares a five-ship expedition whose true objective is concealed behind the claim that it will trade in the Mediterranean. Tom Rouse leaves his family to serve as gunner and interpreter aboard the vessel that becomes the Golden Hind, following Drake through the…

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