In this classic pirate historical originally published in the 1970s, the young Englishman Alan Steele yearns for adventure and a seafaring life. Even if the reality doesn't quite match up to his fantasies, there's still plenty of romance, danger and the tantalizing promise of wealth for a young man willing to take risks. From Bristol, England to Spanish plantations in the Caribbean, Alan and his new friends Henry, Malcolm, and Morgan go from cabin boys to captains packing lifetimes full of love, sex, injustice and rebellion into a few years, emerging tough-yet still tender-men who know what (and who) they want. Pirates of the Caribbean has nothing on this rollicking novel of young men and the sea!… (more)man willing to take risks. From Bristol, England to Spanish plantations in the Caribbean, Alan and his new friends Henry, Malcolm, and Morgan go from cabin boys to captains packing lifetimes full of love, sex, injustice and rebellion into a few years, emerging tough-yet still tender-men who know what (and who) they want. Pirates of the Caribbean has nothing on this rollicking novel of young men and the sea!

This is an entertaining ribald story set in the mid-17th Century. Young Alan Steele yearns for adventure and fortune on the high seas, and runs away from home to stow aboard a ship sailing from Britain to the Caribbean. He meets Malcolm and Henry, two other similarly inclined lads, and together they endure a rough voyage. They think that they can pay for their passage by their crew work on the ship; instead they are treated as slaves, subject to floggings and other corporal punishments. They are introduced to male-on-male sex, although Alan has some inclinations toward this from the beginning. Upon arrival at Barbados they are sold off by the ship's captain one-by-one to plantation owners, and the trio is separated.
This is the first instalment in a series. It is mostly about Alan as he works out the term of his indenture in Barbados, only to be forced to endure anther period of harsh captivity before escaping back to England, nine years after he left. During that time he reunites briefly with each of his two original shipmates, Malcolm and Henry. Also during that period he was exposed to horrible disease and was near death before being saved by a young doctor, who becomes Alan's lover, and together they return to England. Once there, Alan plots revenge on the various people who mistreated him overseas. At the end of this instalment, Alan is setting out in his own ship to return to the Caribbean.
It's a rollicking adventure tale as Alan develops and suffers a string of trials and tribulations. There's a good measure of explicit sex activity, all described in quaint terms meant to reflect the times. Alan has some serious male relationships but some casual ones too. There's a curious fetish about Alan's body hair. At first he has lots of it, and then after his illness he has none and it's commented upon on a regular basis.
All in all, Book 1 of "Naked Launch" is an entertaining read. At the end of it, the stage is set for a continuation of Alan's story in the sequel. ( )