Customer Reviews

Dick Sands the Boy Captain

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4 star:		(2)
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Though not directly related to Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - In Search of Castaways - Mysterious Island sequel, this book is very similar to them and just as good. It's a classical adventure, something that every child should grow up with, one of the jewels of world children's literature. It's all that - adventure and mystery, courage and love, gallantry and friendship. Left in the command of a ship by an accident, the main character, a 15-year old boy, delivers his passengers and the crew through all the dangers on land and on sea and sucessfully overcomes the evil intentions of their enemy, who was trying to sell them to slavery. Let your kids read it - it's a must!

Like many of the more famous Verne books, this has been seen as largely a children's book. While it is less "adult" than many of Verne's other works, it can be enjoyed by adults too. Also, the content is certainly not suitable for a particularly young audience.

The story is of Dick Sands - a 15 year old crew member on a ship with an eclectic collection of people on board during this particular voyage. After a tragedy, he is left to run the ship himself. They eventually run ashore and (thinking they are in South America) meet a man called Harris, who generously offers to be their guide in getting back to "civilisation". However, he has more sinister plans, as it turns out they are actually in Equatorial Africa at the height of the slave trade. Capitalising on their delusion, Harris betrays them and the party is enslaved. The rest of the book is an account of their (especially Dick's) attempts at resistance and escape.

The book is great at showing the maturity, courage and resourcefulness of Dick, a classic case of having to grow up soon and doing very well at it. It also offers a shocking and brutal portraying of the slave trade (which is why it's not suitable for the very young), largely based on the accounts of the explorers Stanely and Livingstone. It is here that I think the book suffers a setback, as Verne overdoes it in an oft-too-dydactic way. It is understandable due to the fact that he comes from a context of a newly-found French liberalism and in his time, slavery was a more recent issue in terms of the US and other Western countries. So, the level rhetoric detracts from the book for a modern reader.

Still, it's an unyielding and sublime account of the unspeakable horrors of the Atlantic slave trade and a good adventure story too, so an enjoyable and accessible work of Verne here.

If you were raised on a diet of Tom Swift and Bomba, the Jungle Boy, you approached--or didn't approach--this title, because it sounded like another too-good-to-be-true teen hero.

But that's not what it is. Dick doesn't start out as captain; he is shoved into the position because he is literally the only one left to take command. He shows considerable, but believable, intelligence, strategic thinking, and courage to get himself and his charges back to safety.

A grilling picture of the slave trade develops as the story continues. It is not a light and pleasant children's book, but I'd recommend it for homeschool while American history and/or Black history is being studied.

Funny thing about great foreign writers, Verne was French, but most of us grew up thinking of him as American, (sadly I admit I did). It's easy to, watching the old movies on TV, or new movies, all in English with US actors. And of course all the wonderful books we grew up with were in English. I hope that is considered a compliment as to his power and success, as he was just as enormously popular in France, and is the founding father of science fiction with perhaps with H.G. Wells. Verne's stories, written for all ages, caught the enterprising spirit of the 19th century and its uncritical fascination about scientific progress and inventions. Perhaps some today are not so uncritical of science, but those who still have adventure in their soul, who long for the stars and the space program, will love all of Verne's works.

This is one of his less known works, but WELL worth reading!
Enjoy!

A young man forced to become a captain and save his passengers! This is a historical fiction, and a great adventure all in one. A much truer look at the slave trade then is now written is one that Verne should be remembered for - its not what you expect! But as a Frenchmen he had a different view, and I was impressed.

This story is just fantastic, and well written, I have passed it on, and twice heard back that the book was equally well like by non-Verne readers.

Bottom line? Dick Sands is a great book, despite the title, its not a kids book, but its a classic nonetheless!

This is my second `non science fiction' Verne book, I have read most of Verne's science fiction, and loved each of them - so I picked this up to wondering if I'd like it.....WOW, what a wonderful summer adventure read! The story takes you back to the US civil war, and beyond, lots of action, adventure, and thrilling exploits - and as Verne was French, it gives an interesting light on the war, (I won't spoil it by reveling anything here), this book is not only interesting in but the added intrigue, adventure on the high seas, the civil war angle and the thrilling side plots make this book so good, that any Verne lover will want to read it.

I loved this new edition too.