THE DUKE'S CURSE

Denied one legendary treasure found in the series opener, rival pirates converge on a second one.

Separated and forced to flee from the golden trove found in Sea of Gold (2023), young Fish and his companions, Nate, Daniel, and Nora, are swept along in a three-way race to locate a fabled cargo of gems lost years ago. They stop off in Venice for chases, escapes, and a search for clues to the treasure’s location in a flooded library before heading onward to a small Greek island and a climactic tussle. Fitting nicely into the role of protagonist as he spends much of the tale struggling with conflicting loyalties and impulses, Fish also gets plenty of chances to play the hero: He shows off his exceptional skills as a diver and displays such an ability to avoid getting hurt while resolutely refusing to carry a weapon or fight back that he turns a whole pirate crew toward nonviolence. Still, the three treasure-hunting captains are each colorfully distinct in their own ways, and there’s much (nonfatal) cannon fire, swordplay, betrayal, and getting thrown overboard to carry the plot along briskly. Fish is a white boy from Ireland; passing mentions, for example, of pale or brown skin are the only clues in this entry to the cast’s racial makeup.

More rousing fare for budding buccaneers and potential pacifists.