This is the story of the Barbary corsairs, operating in the Mediterranean in the C16th and C17th, and especially of Sultan Moulay Ismail, the tyrannical ruler of Morocco. Thomas Pellow is 11 when he goes to sea and is captured by the corsairs, and the book is largely his tale of captivity, slavery, degradation and finally escape. What is shocking is the inability of English - and other European - governments to prevent the capture and enslaving of thousands of their subjects, or even to protect their coastline from raids by the corsairs. The book is a great read on a fascinating topic, that opens up an area about which I knew nothing. Worth watching out for in your local bookshop.