The Wallace Boys series by Duncan Watt
beginning with a review of
THE SULTAN OF THE SULU SEA
a book often compared to the Rick Brant
THE PIRATES OF SHAN.
THE
WALLACE BOYS:
THE
SULTAN OF THE SULU SEA
This book is the 18th
volume in The Wallace Boys mystery and adventure series by Duncan
Watt, a resident of Singapore who is a television newsreader. This
series, possibly the best post-golden age boys’ series of its type,
has enjoyed great success around the globe, especially in
British-influenced countries, but it is little known here in the
United States.
Published in 1997, this exciting story finds the Wallace brothers Nigel and Bruce, British boys from Zimbabwe, Africa, sailing back to Singapore on the South China Sea in the yacht the Silver Spray which they had recently renovated for their uncle in Scotland. With them are their friends Zainal, a Malay, and Kheng Peng, a Chinese, both citizens of Singapore. The boys had just had the thrilling adventure The Treasure of the Tiger, in which they had discovered a sunken World War 2 Japanese warship that contained a billion dollar fortune in wartime looted gold. They are now returning the gold to Singapore.
Nigel is the older of the Wallace boys, tall and dark, and Bruce is the younger, stockier and fair. They compare well with the famous Hardy Boys and their adventures are every bit as exciting. The books are loaded with dozens of illustrations, maps, charts, photographs, footnotes, and indexes in back , crammed with information that helps to make the stories all the more interesting and realistic.
Well on its way through the treacherous waters, the Silver Spray is spotted by pirates and chase is given throughout the day and the following night. The boys try several devious methods to escape, including attacking the pirate ship themselves and trying to disable it, but they are ultimately captured. These are Moro pirates from the Southern Philippines, ruthless cutthroats who live on the island of Mindanao and nearby islands of the Sulu Sea. We met up with some of these vicious characters in the Rick Brant book The Pirates of Shan, so we know just how dastardly they can be. In fact, this book has a lot in common with The Pirates of Shan and should be mandatory reading for any fan of that classic tale.
The pirates search the boat but luckily do not find the well-hidden gold. The boys are kept as prisoners but allowed to stay on the yacht along with a guard as the pirates tow the Silver Spray up to the Sulu Sea. This takes a couple days. The boys, who have escaped many times in the past from situations of dire danger, wrack their brains trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. In sheer desperation, they do the unthinkable when the pirates stop on the beach of an idyllic little island to get a supply of water for the boats. While the pirates are busy working, the boys scuttle the Silver Spray, sink it, making it look like an accident. They don’t want the pirates to have the yacht and the gold and they secretly hope that someday, somehow, they will be able to come back and raise it.
Published in 1997, this exciting story finds the Wallace brothers Nigel and Bruce, British boys from Zimbabwe, Africa, sailing back to Singapore on the South China Sea in the yacht the Silver Spray which they had recently renovated for their uncle in Scotland. With them are their friends Zainal, a Malay, and Kheng Peng, a Chinese, both citizens of Singapore. The boys had just had the thrilling adventure The Treasure of the Tiger, in which they had discovered a sunken World War 2 Japanese warship that contained a billion dollar fortune in wartime looted gold. They are now returning the gold to Singapore.
Nigel is the older of the Wallace boys, tall and dark, and Bruce is the younger, stockier and fair. They compare well with the famous Hardy Boys and their adventures are every bit as exciting. The books are loaded with dozens of illustrations, maps, charts, photographs, footnotes, and indexes in back , crammed with information that helps to make the stories all the more interesting and realistic.
Well on its way through the treacherous waters, the Silver Spray is spotted by pirates and chase is given throughout the day and the following night. The boys try several devious methods to escape, including attacking the pirate ship themselves and trying to disable it, but they are ultimately captured. These are Moro pirates from the Southern Philippines, ruthless cutthroats who live on the island of Mindanao and nearby islands of the Sulu Sea. We met up with some of these vicious characters in the Rick Brant book The Pirates of Shan, so we know just how dastardly they can be. In fact, this book has a lot in common with The Pirates of Shan and should be mandatory reading for any fan of that classic tale.
The pirates search the boat but luckily do not find the well-hidden gold. The boys are kept as prisoners but allowed to stay on the yacht along with a guard as the pirates tow the Silver Spray up to the Sulu Sea. This takes a couple days. The boys, who have escaped many times in the past from situations of dire danger, wrack their brains trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. In sheer desperation, they do the unthinkable when the pirates stop on the beach of an idyllic little island to get a supply of water for the boats. While the pirates are busy working, the boys scuttle the Silver Spray, sink it, making it look like an accident. They don’t want the pirates to have the yacht and the gold and they secretly hope that someday, somehow, they will be able to come back and raise it.
But this hasty plan of
theirs backfires in a most extraordinary way. The pirates are angry
enough to kill and to the great shock of Nigel and Bruce, and the
reader, the boys are forced to stand at attention and watch the
execution of their friends on the beach! Zainal and Kheng Peng are
mowed down by AK-47s as the Wallace Boys watch in horror. The pirates
don’t want them; they are ordinary Asian boys and not worth
anything to them. But they know they can get big money for the white
British Wallace Boys or perhaps even use them for political purposes.
They throw them shackled on the deck of the pirate ship. Here they
spend the day in the hot sun as headway is made northeast to the Sulu
Sea.
The brothers both experience a sense of desperation and impending doom when they arrive at the pirate hide-out on an island the Moros call Bugsuk Sulu. They had watched their friends die on the sandy shore of the other island, and now they are themselves to be imprisoned at a far away remote stronghold. There seems to be no way out of this dire trap they find themselves in. At the headquarters in the island’s center, surrounded by high mountains, Nigel and Bruce are presented to the pirate leader, Sarangani, who lays a claim to royalty as the Sultan of the Sulu Sea. The boys are told they will be used for ransom or possibly prisoner-exchange for pirate members currently in Philippine jails, and they are quickly incarcerated in a shack on the compound guarded by two of the pirates wielding the AK-47s.
What happens next cannot be told in a book review; it’s too incredible. You have to get a copy of this book and read it for yourself. Duncan Watt uses some serious writing magic and his vast knowledge of ships and seafaring to come up with the most unexpected ‘unexpected twists and turns’ that you’ll probably ever run into in a boys’ mystery-adventure book. How the Wallace Boys escape from Bugsuk Sulu and the Moro pirates is as tense and thrilling and original as anything I’ve ever read, and I’ve read them all – at least sometimes I think so. This is one of the best books in the genre, able to stand alongside all your old favorites, but with a refreshing twist that makes it markedly different and a real joy to read. Even though Rick Brant had a pretty similar adventure with these same pirates, he’d go bonkers reading this book, knowing he’d been there too and just how darn hard it was to get out of there and back to the world where you can take a boat ride and not have to worry about pirates who kidnap for ransom and carry AK-47 machine guns!
The brothers both experience a sense of desperation and impending doom when they arrive at the pirate hide-out on an island the Moros call Bugsuk Sulu. They had watched their friends die on the sandy shore of the other island, and now they are themselves to be imprisoned at a far away remote stronghold. There seems to be no way out of this dire trap they find themselves in. At the headquarters in the island’s center, surrounded by high mountains, Nigel and Bruce are presented to the pirate leader, Sarangani, who lays a claim to royalty as the Sultan of the Sulu Sea. The boys are told they will be used for ransom or possibly prisoner-exchange for pirate members currently in Philippine jails, and they are quickly incarcerated in a shack on the compound guarded by two of the pirates wielding the AK-47s.
What happens next cannot be told in a book review; it’s too incredible. You have to get a copy of this book and read it for yourself. Duncan Watt uses some serious writing magic and his vast knowledge of ships and seafaring to come up with the most unexpected ‘unexpected twists and turns’ that you’ll probably ever run into in a boys’ mystery-adventure book. How the Wallace Boys escape from Bugsuk Sulu and the Moro pirates is as tense and thrilling and original as anything I’ve ever read, and I’ve read them all – at least sometimes I think so. This is one of the best books in the genre, able to stand alongside all your old favorites, but with a refreshing twist that makes it markedly different and a real joy to read. Even though Rick Brant had a pretty similar adventure with these same pirates, he’d go bonkers reading this book, knowing he’d been there too and just how darn hard it was to get out of there and back to the world where you can take a boat ride and not have to worry about pirates who kidnap for ransom and carry AK-47 machine guns!
DUNCAN
WATT
and
THE WALLACE BOYS SERIES
and
THE WALLACE BOYS SERIES
Duncan Watt was born in
Africa and lived in Zambia and Zimbabwe where growing up was far more
exciting than most other boys can even hope to experience. He later
lived in London, England, and now resides in Singapore where he is a
well-known television newsreader.
His characters Nigel and Bruce Wallace live in Zimbabwe, Africa, and have thrilling adventures there and around the world, based on life experiences of their author. The books are well-written and exciting, fully illustrated with drawings, maps, charts, photographs, and include indexes, copious footnotes, and even related reading lists. They are similar in writing style and quality to the Ken Holt and Rick Brant vintage series books and have a diverse cast of characters.
His characters Nigel and Bruce Wallace live in Zimbabwe, Africa, and have thrilling adventures there and around the world, based on life experiences of their author. The books are well-written and exciting, fully illustrated with drawings, maps, charts, photographs, and include indexes, copious footnotes, and even related reading lists. They are similar in writing style and quality to the Ken Holt and Rick Brant vintage series books and have a diverse cast of characters.
Published by Tynron Press
U.K. in trade-size paperbacks, they are available on the Internet
book sites with some diligent searching, and a number of titles have
been added in recent years that are available only as Kindle E-books
from Amazon. Here they are presented in chronological reading
order:
1 – SKULDUGGERY IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC 1995
Nigel and Bruce and their friend Jimmy Fowler get involved in an attempted coup to take over the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa.
1 – SKULDUGGERY IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC 1995
Nigel and Bruce and their friend Jimmy Fowler get involved in an attempted coup to take over the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa.
2 – THE SANDS OF THE
SKELETON COAST 1993
The Wallace Boys and Jimmy hitch a ride on a yacht and search for a cache of diamonds along Nambia’s dangerous Skeleton Coast.
The Wallace Boys and Jimmy hitch a ride on a yacht and search for a cache of diamonds along Nambia’s dangerous Skeleton Coast.
3 – TROUBLE IN TRISTAN
1991
The boys are hijacked on the yacht by a German who is searching for a treasure in art that was stolen by the Nazis in WW2 on a p;ace called Inaccessible Island.
The boys are hijacked on the yacht by a German who is searching for a treasure in art that was stolen by the Nazis in WW2 on a p;ace called Inaccessible Island.
4 – THE LEGACY OF
LOBENGULA 1996
Back home in Zimbabwe, the boys follow clues on their friend Moyunda’s pendant on a treasure hunt in the mysterious gorge downriver from the magnificent Victoria Falls on the Zambezi Rim.
5 – KILLERS AGAINST KARIBA 1992
The Wallace Boys and Moyunda take a holiday on Lake Kariba where they fall into the
clutches of terrorists who are out to overthrow the Zimbabwe government and blow up the
mighty Kariba Dam.
Back home in Zimbabwe, the boys follow clues on their friend Moyunda’s pendant on a treasure hunt in the mysterious gorge downriver from the magnificent Victoria Falls on the Zambezi Rim.
5 – KILLERS AGAINST KARIBA 1992
The Wallace Boys and Moyunda take a holiday on Lake Kariba where they fall into the
clutches of terrorists who are out to overthrow the Zimbabwe government and blow up the
mighty Kariba Dam.
6 – KIDNAPPED IN THE
KAFUE 1991
A sequel to Killers Against Kariba, the boys once again fight the Zipra Terrorists, this time in the Kafue National Park in Zambia.
A sequel to Killers Against Kariba, the boys once again fight the Zipra Terrorists, this time in the Kafue National Park in Zambia.
7 – CRASH IN THE CAPRIVI
1993
After a hijacked flight in Zambia crashes, the Wallace boys and Moyunda meet up with a
bushman of their own age who leads them to safety out of the dangerous Kalahari Desert.
After a hijacked flight in Zambia crashes, the Wallace boys and Moyunda meet up with a
bushman of their own age who leads them to safety out of the dangerous Kalahari Desert.
8 – MISCHIEF IN THE
MOUSETRAP 2010 *Kindle Ebook only
In London, the Wallace Boys help Scotland Yard track down a missing boy from the West
End Theater District in a case eerily connected to the long-running Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap.
In London, the Wallace Boys help Scotland Yard track down a missing boy from the West
End Theater District in a case eerily connected to the long-running Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap.
9 – HOSTAGE IN THE
HIGHLANDS 1995
The boys go to Scotland to get their uncle’s yacht the Silver Spray and meet up with strange events that link a cursed island of death, a royal kidnapping, and IRA terrorists.
The boys go to Scotland to get their uncle’s yacht the Silver Spray and meet up with strange events that link a cursed island of death, a royal kidnapping, and IRA terrorists.
10- ASSIGNMENT IN THE ALPS
2010 *Kindle Ebook only
Aiding the Prince of Ruritania, the boys join in a desperate search against time for treasure looted during WW2 high in the Alps. Ice climbing and paragliding are featured in this story based on the classic The Prisoner of Zenda.
11- TRAITORS IN THE TYROL 2010 *Kindle Ebook Only
A sequel to Assignment in the Alps, this one finds the boys and the Prince on a holiday in
the Tyrol where they get in trouble with a secret American CIA group.
Aiding the Prince of Ruritania, the boys join in a desperate search against time for treasure looted during WW2 high in the Alps. Ice climbing and paragliding are featured in this story based on the classic The Prisoner of Zenda.
11- TRAITORS IN THE TYROL 2010 *Kindle Ebook Only
A sequel to Assignment in the Alps, this one finds the boys and the Prince on a holiday in
the Tyrol where they get in trouble with a secret American CIA group.
Another story with the Crown Prince, this time he's been abducted and the boys' investigation leads to the Montafon Mountains on the Austrian border where an order of monks hold a terrible secret in their monastery dating back to World War 2.
13- REBELS ACROSS THE RED SEA 2000 *Kindle Ebook Only
At Luxor in Egypt, Nigel is mistaken for a Saudi Prince and taken captive into the Arabian desert. Bruce and new-found friend Hanafi, the real prince, follow the trail on camels to the rescue.
14- REBELS ACROSS THE RED SEA ll 2000 *Kindle Ebook Only
“Nemesis of the Nefud” Prince Hanafi and the Wallace Boys again in combat with terrorists who turn out to be Iraquis hiding out in the dreadful Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia.
15- REBELS ACROSS THE RED SEA lll 2001 *Kindle Ebook Only
“The Terrorists of Tibesti” The boys and Prince Hanafi are finally able to nail the terrorists who have fled to hide out into the arid volcanic Tibesti Mountains in Northern Chad.
16- SOUTH FROM THE SEYCHELLES 2010 *Kindle Ebook Only
Adventure in the South Indian Ocean aboard the yacht the Silver Spray to come to the aid of a friend bound on a trip to the Islands of Desolation, one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.
17- THE TREASURE OF THE TIGER 1994
The Wallace Boys arrive in Singapore on the yacht the Silver Spray. Here they meet up with buds Zainal and Kheng Peng and take off to the South China Sea in search of a Japanese warship believed to have been sunk there during World War 2 containing a billion dollar treasure in lotted gold.
18- THE SULTAN OF THE SULU SEA 1997
The Silver Spray is captured by a band of vicious Moro pirates led by a fanatical leader who intends to use the Wallace Boys in his bid to claim part of the southern Philippines as his Sultanate. Of special interest to fans of the Rick Brant book The Pirates of Shan.
19- MISSING IN THE MEKONG 2000 *Kindle Ebook Only
Returning from their captivity in the Sulu Sea, the boys chance upon a drifting boat which leads to a desperate adventure in the Mekong River delta, rescuing an American prisoner left over from the Vietnam War.
20- THE PAGODAS OF PAHANG 1996
The Wallace boys make an excursion into the jungles of central Malaysia where the legends of ghosts of an ancient ruined city entice them to solve an age-old mystery while also trying to save a girl rock star from the clutches of cutthroat rebel kidnappers.
