Most helpful customer reviews
|
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, Mar 10 2008
At first, this was the kind of novel that I could pick up and read for a few chapters, but once I put it down, I felt no real urge to go back and read more until I was bored again. For some reason, the terror and excitement of the high seas wasn't that interesting to me...maybe I'm just jaded from too many pirate movies. Davy Jones, anyone? But interestingly enough, once Ben and Ned got to Chapelvale, the story really took off, with bumbling villains, a mystery, and interesting characters. Also, Brian Jacques has a real knack for writing accents, as we can tell from his ferrets and moles in Redwall. However, there are a couple minor quibbles: the first is that the ending is a slight let down, but then, I was hoping for a romance between Amy and Ben...maybe that's not allowed under his immortality thing. And secondly, sometimes the dialog between between Ben and Ned seemed rather forced...they kept on saying "pal", etc. Oh, but Horatio's "dialog" thought patterns were hilarious!
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
A terrific fantasy book!!!, Mar 18 2004
By A Customer
This is a great book! It has similar and different characteristics to the Redwall series. For instance, the animals can't talk, but are able to telepathically communicate. This book is mostly mystery. It is also sci-fi, and adventure.
The book begins in the year 1620. A young, mute boy, about the age of 13, is running away from his stepbrothers. They corner him on the wharf. After being bitten by the mute, the bully punches him. The scrawny boy falls into the sea. After a while, he surfaces and finds a rope. Slowly he climbs it, and sees the words Flying Dutchman.
After the ship sets sail, one of the crew looks over into the sea. He sees a small boy, stiff from frost and salt. The captain, Vanderdecken, says to leave him there, or toss him overboard. The ships cook takes the boy in. He mercilessly beats him, and makes him work. The ship docks at a country to get supplies. The boy, Neb, spots a black labrador, and calls to him. The dog comes and they become friends.
The men sent out to get supplies return late. This angers Vanderdecken. He beats them, badly. The ship's crew attempts mutiny, but fails thanks to Neb and his dog, Den. Vanderdecken keeps trying to sail through a dangerous part of the Atlantic Ocean. However, he keeps failing, and the fierce waves push the vessel backwards. They run out of food. The captain goes mad! He starts cursing at everything. An angel descends, and condemns the whole crew to sailing the seas for eternity. However, the angel spares Neb and Den. They fall off the ship, and wash ashore. They are now immortal.
This is just the beginning, the first adventure. I think that everyone would like this book. With adventure, mystery, and fantasy, it is a great story. The genre is fantasy-fiction. Are they really immortal? If so, why? Read "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman" to find out.
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT, Mar 7 2004
I read this book, unable to put it down for a split-second. I was one of the best books I have ever read and is one of my top favorites, along with Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle In Time."I was thoroughly impressed and hope to read the sequel that came out not too long ago. Cheers to Brian Jacques!
|
|
|
|
