12 h 27 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 27 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Among ships, pirates, and remote islands, a volcano holds a power no human courage can command.
In Blown to Bits; Or, the Lonely Man of Rakata, R. M. Ballantyne takes you into the Malay Archipelago, where sea travel brings both adventure and danger. Ships and island life fill this story, while pirates add a human threat alongside the force of nature. At its heart stands Rakata, better known as Krakatoa, the island torn apart by the great eruption of 1883.
A lonely figure on a remote island brings another kind of tension: the distance between living apart and finding friendship. Ballantyne sets courage, honesty, and kindness against cruelty and greed. His Victorian outlook shapes the journey, offering a glimpse of how readers of his time picture the tropics, face danger, and understand the power of nature.
What you’ll discover
- A volcano at the heart Enter an island setting where the threat of eruption gives nature a commanding presence.
- Danger on the sea road Follow the pull of ships and sea travel through waters where pirates threaten.
- The lonely island figure Explore the questions raised by a person living apart on a remote island.
- Friendship under pressure Discover how friendship and kindness matter in a world shaped by danger and loneliness.
- A Victorian moral compass Meet an outlook that values courage and honesty while showing the harm of greed.
Who will love it
Este libro es para quienes disfrutan de los viajes por mar, las expediciones por la selva y el humor amable, y para cualquiera que sienta curiosidad por los volcanes, la fauna de la selva tropical y la historia real del Krakatoa.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Una tormenta de ceniza desvía al Sunshine
- El padre perdido de Kathy y el pirata tuerto
- Unas vacaciones, un barquero y la cueva del ermitaño
- Una travesía en canoa, un vendaval y un rostro a la luz de la luna
- Aldeas dayak, un campamento pirata y la caza del mias
- Tigres, una pitón y el dolor secreto del ermitaño
- De vuelta a una montaña poco fiable
Who’s who
- Nigel RoyUn joven inglés alegre, primer oficial aficionado, que ama la poesía, la naturaleza y la aventura, y acepta trabajar para un ermitaño.
- Capitán David RoyEl padre de Nigel, brusco y bondadoso, dueño del bergantín Sunshine, que antepone el deber a todo y ama la poesía en secreto.
- Van der KempEl gigante bondadoso conocido como el ermitaño de Rakata, un científico y viajero que oculta un dolor y anhela encontrar a su hija perdida.
- MosesEl criado negro del ermitaño, conversador y leal, que solo teme herir los sentimientos de su amo.
- Profesor VerkimierUn naturalista entusiasta de lentes azules que se mete en toda clase de líos por perseguir mariposas.
- Kathleen HolbeinUna joven huérfana de las islas Cocos-Keeling que dibuja bien y sigue echando de menos a su padre.
- BaderoonUn jefe pirata malayo tuerto que odia al ermitaño y lo persigue por las islas.
- SpinkieEl pequeño mono del ermitaño, de aspecto triste, carácter travieso y una lealtad inquebrantable a la canoa.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Hechos pedazos; o, el hombre solitario de Rakata in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Hechos pedazos; o, el hombre solitario de Rakata
by R. M. Ballantyne · 1889
La ceniza cae sobre un bergantín inmóvil mientras un ermitaño, en una cueva bajo el Krakatoa, espera que la montaña despierte.
Medium level5–10 hours to read2 languages
Aprende un idioma con clásicos de nivel mediumEspañolFrancésAlemánItalianoJaponésPortuguésInglésCómo medimos los niveles
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Picture a brig becalmed on the Indian Ocean in the darkest hour of a night in 1883. Two men pace the quarterdeck in silence.
Hechos pedazos; o, el hombre solitario de Rakata de un vistazo
- Tiempo de lectura
- Unas 7 h5 h 35 min fast, 8 h 20 min slow
- Duración
- 99.900 palabras
- Nivel en la biblioteca
- Mediano longer sentences, everyday words
- Primera publicación
- 1889by R. M. Ballantyne
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Cuánto se tarda en leer los clásicos · Actualizado
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Una tormenta de ceniza desvía al Sunshine
El capitán David Roy y su hijo Nigel recorren el alcázar del bergantín Sunshine mientras discuten amistosamente sobre poesía. El capitán dice que eso es cosa de su esposa y de nadie más. Nigel, recién salido de la universidad, insiste en que no es un verdadero marinero. Sus bromas muestran el cariño que da unidad al libro.
El capitán nota ceniza en la manga y murmura que Vulcano debe de estar preparando algo cerca del estrecho de Sonda. Consulta el barómetro y ordena recoger las velas. Un vendaval sale del estrecho y arrastra el bergantín toda la noche. Al amanecer, el mastelero de proa se rompe con un estruendo de cañonazo. El viejo no se queja: nada es una desgracia hasta que se demuestra.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Has visto
¿Qué edición es la adecuada para mí?
- 15-minute summary
- Las ideas clave de todo el libro en unos 14 minutos. Una buena introducción o un repaso.
Detalles
- First published
- 1889
- Language
- Español
- Level
- Medium level
Cita esta edición
Ballantyne, R. M. Blown to Bits; Or, the Lonely Man of Rakata. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/blown-to-bits-or-the-lonely-man-of-rakata.
Ballantyne, R. M. (2026). Blown to bits; or, the lonely man of Rakata. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/blown-to-bits-or-the-lonely-man-of-rakata (Original work published 1889)
Ballantyne, R. M. Blown to Bits; Or, the Lonely Man of Rakata. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/blown-to-bits-or-the-lonely-man-of-rakata.
@book{ballantyne2026blown,
author = {Ballantyne, R. M.},
title = {Blown to Bits; Or, the Lonely Man of Rakata},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/blown-to-bits-or-the-lonely-man-of-rakata},
note = {First published 1889}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Hechos pedazos; o, el hombre solitario de Rakata
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
¿De qué trata Hecho añicos, de R. M. Ballantyne?
Sigue a Nigel Roy, un joven inglés que acompaña al ermitaño de Rakata en un viaje en canoa por el archipiélago malayo. Se encuentran con piratas, orangutanes y tigres mientras el volcán Krakatoa se vuelve cada vez más inquieto, hasta la gran erupción de 1883.
¿Está Hecho añicos basado en una historia real?
Los personajes son inventados, pero la erupción del Krakatoa en 1883 fue real. Ballantyne publicó el libro en 1889 y utilizó el informe de la Royal Society para obtener datos sobre las explosiones, las olas, la cifra de muertos y los extraños atardeceres.
¿Quién es Moses en Hecho añicos?
Moses es el fiel criado y amigo negro del ermitaño. Es fuerte, gracioso y conversador, y habla en un dialecto lleno de vida. Conoce a Nigel en Batavia, se hace su amigo y lo lleva a la cueva del ermitaño.
The author
R. M. Ballantyne
1825–1894 · Scottish children's adventure novelist
R. M. Ballantyne (1825–1894) was a Scottish writer of fiction for young readers. He was born in Edinburgh and worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada from 1841 to 1847. He wrote The Coral Island (1857) and Blown to Bits (1889). He died in Rome.
More by R. M. Ballantyne
Ver todos sus librosMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
