From Amazon.com
If you think
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is unclassifiable, wait until you see Richard Bach's latest,
Rescue Ferrets at Sea. It's a fable that's simple as a children's book, but packing a message about spiritual self-empowerment. Rescue ferrets are, of course, the animal kingdom's answer to the Coast Guard, daredevils responsible for the safety of all nonhumans at sea. Our heroine, Captain Bethany Ferret, brings a reporter aboard the J-boat
Resolute as she races to save calico cats, ships' rats, and the odd Indonesian parrot from imminent shipwreck near the Strait of Juan de Fuca (near the island where author Bach lives). The reporter, Miss Chloe, also happens to be a rock star--surely you've heard of Zsa Zsa and the Show Ferrets? But Chloe ("Call me Clo, please") is no spoiled, shallow celeb. She's got her paws on the ground (except when she's on a boat), and she's philosophical about showbiz. "If celebrity's magic, it's a screen, and I'm forever outside," says Clo. "I wish sometimes somebody would see
me and not some... some mirror flash they want to be me." After 32 years as a bestselling author and human-potential pundit, Bach knows a bit about celebrity and its illusions.
Mostly, this is a straight-ahead action fable about ferret heroism and self-rescue. It has more characters than it can develop (and runelike passages in secret ferret language), because Bach has in mind about 60 more books in the Ferret Chronicles. Second in the series: Air Ferrets Aloft. --Tim Appelo
From Publishers Weekly
Bach returns to critter fables with the first two installments (three more are due over the course of the next year) of The Ferret Chronicles, creating an imaginary world based on the exploits of ferrets who have abandoned their utopian world to aid the human race. Rescue Ferrets at Sea is by far the better book, mostly because Bach sticks to a coherent, straightforward plot with a story that is touching and satisfying (despite the high treacle level). Bethany Ferret is the seagoing heroine who dreams of being part of the fleet that rescues animals lost at sea, and she fulfills her dream when she makes it through officer training. The icing on the cake is a project in which she restores her battered rescue vessel, but her superiors throw her a curve when they place rock star cum journalist Chloe Ferret on board to chronicle the adventures of the crew. But Chloe proves to be up to the difficult job; after winning the crew over, she even provides a dramatic assist when she helps recover some data from an explorer ship. Air Ferrets Aloft, concerning a cargo airline that shuttles food and toys around the country, is clumsy and muddled by comparison. The protagonists are two heroic pilots, Stormy and Strobe, who are destined to meet during a series of flights between California and Seattle. But the headstrong would-be lovers keep screwing up the meeting, forcing a pack of ferret angels to lend an assist by messing up the weather in a series of jumbled scenes that take the luster off the inevitable happy ending. Bach's fondness for flying shines through in the airborne book, and he wears his love of animals and his fondness for sappy endings on his sleeve in both novels. But he never manages to bring his animal conceit to life, failing to project the unique, simple innocence that made Jonathan Livingston Seagull such a huge commercial success 30 years ago. (June 25) Forecast: Even with the repromotion of Jonathan Livingston Seagull in April, the trick will be getting adults to read what is essentially children's literaturemarketing plans include support from the S&S children's divisionbut these ferrets are no Harry Potter, so expect sales to be... ferrety. Major ad/promo; author appearances; foreign rights sold in Australia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Russia.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
