Customer Reviews

The Phantom Ship (Wildside Fantasy)

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The Grateful Dead will have to forgive me for borrowing a line of theirs, but it came to mind after finishing this metaphysical tale by Marryat. I've read many of his action-packed sea adventures, but none of them really prepared me for what he has in store for the reader of "The Phantom Ship."

Where to start? There's young Philip Vanderdecken, who pledges his soul to redeem the sins of his father, who committed murder on the high seas and is thus condemned to eternally ply the stormy oceans until his son can track him down (no mean feat considering the father is something akin to a ghostly spirit), and provide the blasphemous father with the only means of achieving redemption....that is, to kiss a holy relic of the Cross. Whew!

I'm not sure Marryat was at the height of his narrative powers when he penned this sad, strange tale. Frankly, the story line gets, if you will forgive the pun, a bit choppy. But Marryat can be forgiven. What he has to say about the uneasy juxtaposition of traditional Catholicism and Middle Eastern spiritualism has a certain poignancy. So, too, does the depiction of men corroded through and through by their insatiable lust for gold.

Strangely, despite all of the tragedies (and there are many), I for one was not really moved by some very horrific events, which is not to say that there are no moving moments in this 300+ page novel. Surely, the story of Philip's heroic wife, Amine, will touch even the most insulated heart. But, perhaps, in Marryat's effort to narrate so many metaphysical twists and turns, he may have sacrificed a bit of good old fashioned human drama.

I will say, however, that there are parts that may scare the heck out of you. In one scene, Philip is sailing in the South Seas with his faithful companion, Krantz, who relates a childhood story that will make your flesh crawl. Not for the faint hearted.

The revival of the 19th Century Marryat novels is tied in no small way to the success of Patrick O'Brian. It is tempting, therefore, to draw at least one small contrast between the two. Both authors provide their readers with plenty of morality. The difference, of course, is that Marryat's morality is fairly straight forward and unambiguous, as in "The Phantom Ship." O'Brian's "morality" is of an entirely different dimension.

I wouldn't say "The Phantom Ship" is a must-read, even for Marryat fans. But, still a worthwhile diversion. I just wouldn't start out on this voyage if you're looking for an uplifting, heart-warming story. That is not to be found here. This is a voyage with no return.

Once upon a time, somewhere in the middle of the XVII century, Mynheer Captain Vanderdecken defied God and brought a curse of the Heavens on himself and his crew, to sail in doom and suffering until the Day of Judgment, bringing despair and death to encountered seamen, unless the holy relic is offered to him, for that is the only chance of forgiveness for Captain Vanderdecken. The phantom ship thus haunts the Cape, later to be know as the Cape of Hope, at the southern outskirts of Africa, but of course, since it's no longer of this earth, it may appear anywhere at the wild seas, serving as a fatal prophecy of disaster. The captain's wife keeps the secret to herself, until one day her son is grown enough to make a decision to go to sea. Frightened out of her wits, the widow reveals the secret, and thus Philip Vanderdecken learns that his fate, his destiny, is to find his doomed father and salvage his soul from eternal hell. And so begins the most revered nautical tale of adventure, a literary account of the Flying Dutchman legend, written by Captain Marryat, the man who spent the best years of his life at the seas in the service of the United Kingdom. Written in the first half of the XIX century, when the literary form of the novel was in its toddler stage, "The Phantom Ship" is astoundingly modern in expression, although the language is often very ancient. Together with the protagonists, we sail around the Cape, we travel around the globe through the Magellan straits dividing the savage land of Patagonia from Terra del Fuego, the door to the Antarctic; in a never-ending series of breathtaking adventures we discover the nautical world of the XVII century, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans with the surrounding shores were the battlefield where Portugal, Holland, Spain and England fought for domination. Despite the fact that this text will soon be two hundred years old, I can guarantee that you will read this novel more than once, simply because good adventure never gets old, and the ancient world of wooden ships is as enchanting as ever. And then there are the historical and theological aspects of the book. Needless to say, in the mid XVII century the Holy Inquisition was at the peak of its power. "The Phantom Ship", the mythical tale of the Flying Dutchman, is also contextually rich, and offers a plausible, though grim, portrayal of the times. The books is thus serious, analytical, well-researched, and enriched by the author's personal experiences - in addition to the invariably entertaining and often horrifying tale of the cursed ship. The century which just passed was the century of the imperfect man, with atrocities and weaknesses in the spotlight, and it's indeed refreshing to read a novel where it's a perfectly natural phenomenon that all things are in place, men were men and women weren't; and the words, terms and descriptions hadn't lost their original meaning yet. This novel is guaranteed to entertain, do not hesitate to pick it up.

As might be expected from an 18th. Century adventure novel, Captain Marryat's _The Phantom Ship_ has about 5 times the requisite action, and (up to the conclusion) about 1/5 the requisite character development. However, I rather enjoyed Captain Marryat's rendering of female lead Amine, a strong woman such as would not be found in the fiction of, say, a century later. Marryat's rendering of the complex and (we would say) confused Father Mathias is also good. And whatever the weaknesses in Marryat's development of his central character, Philip Vanderdecken, all must be forgiven in the light of the last 30 or so pages and Philip's final confrontation with his nemesis, Schriften. All in all, quite a book.

Marryat not be the best writer of the 19th century but he may be one of the best sea writers of all time. After all, he was there with Nelson and in the Navy for twenty years. This book is strongest at sea. The ending would not be acceptable in this day and age when heroes are invariably rewarded for their efforts with happiness and the girl (see the last Harry Potter book) but that's more of a good thing. Definitely not ready for the cinema, but worth a quick perusal in your spare time.

Captain Marryat's Phantom Ship is a masterpiece of nauticle fiction which is intertwined with superstition, elements of the supernatural, and Catholic dogma. Through the adventures of protagonist Philip Vanderdecken, we unravel the legend behind the maritime mystery of the Flying Dutchman, a phantom ship destined to sail about the Cape of Good Hope until the day of judgement.

This is a fine seafaring adventure tale filled with plenty of cutthroat action and an array of memorable characters, specifically that of Schriften who is largely reminiscent of the character of Old Pew from Stevenson's Treasure Island. One cannot but wonder if Stevenson was influenced by this ghastly tome of nautical lore as there are other similarities to be found between these two superb tales.

More importantly however, Phantom Ship is a moralistic tale detailing the holy pilgrimage of one man pitted against evil, in all of its manifestations, in his quest to save his father's soul from eternal damnation.

As for the story, those familiar with Marryat know what to expect, and this novel delivers; those new to his writing are in for a treat. My complaint isn't with the novel, but with the edition itself. This isn't a "real" book with binding, but that's okay; the price is right. The problem, though, is that the print is very, very light. I've bought four of Marryat's novels from this same publisher, and every copy is the same -- the type is so light that it's almost illegible. So do read Marryat, by all means, but I'd strongly suggest buying a different edition. I'd have returned these except that they're quite large -- 8/12 x 11 -- and so it would have cost more to return than the refund. Anyway, enjoy Marryat, but buyer beware...

This is not what I expected at all. It is not related to the books like Dewey Labdin or Patrick O'Brian - no real naval action. Too many ethereal happenings.