Piratica [Paperback]

Tanith Lee (Author)

Book Description

Series: Piratica | Publication Date: August 12, 2004

Trapped in the dreary Angels Academy for Young Maidens by her tyrant father, 17-year-old Artemesia Blastside (Art to her friends) dreams of the seafaring life she once led with her mother, a notorious pirate, killed six years before by an untimely cannonblast. Unaware that her memories of glamorous characters and high adventure are not what they seem, she seizes her chance to escape. Now she's off in search of her mother's old crew, her heart set on the High Seas, the Blue Indies of the Caribbean, and on treasure Beyond the Dreams of Avarice. Careering through the haunts of highwaymen, pirates and smugglers Art sweeps a motley and unwilling crew into the treasure hunt of all time, and does her best to win her mother's crown as the feared and famous Piratica.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A glorious roustabout of a tale, full of yummy set pieces and terrific adventures, unbelievable in a most satisfying way. The language is rip-roaring or glides like a seagull, as needed. And the thrilling denouement is romantic as heck. -- Kirkus Review: Starred 'a rollicking read. Road adventure, sea voyage and treasure hunt in one.' -- Irish Times 20040410 A hilarious romp. -- The Bookseller 20040101 On recent evidence, pirate stories look like being the next big thing. If so, may they all be as much fun as this one, by the Cat's Elbows! -- Jan Mark, The Guardian 20040501 '... a wonderfully rumbustious fantasy that is as clever as it is entertaining.' -- The Independent 20040402 Tanith Lee restores one's faith in fiction as the expression of imagination and original thought. -- The Guardian 20040402 'Swashbuckling for the over-10s' -- The Daily Telegraph 20041204 'A twisting, exciting and daring adventure' -- Newcastle Upon Tyne Evening Chronicle 20041204

About the Author

Tanith Lee is an award-winning, highly-rated fantasy writer here and in the United States (adult books in Headline: EVA FAIRDEATH; WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT). With 17 children's books, 43 adult novels, 8 short story collections and several awards to her name, she also writes for radio and television. Her book LAW OF THE WOLF TOWER was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Book Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Childrens (August 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340854456
• ISBN-13: 978-0340854457
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,347,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth persevering, May 20, 2005

By 

Laura Anne "transatlantic migrant" (USA/UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piratica (Hardcover)

Like other reviewers, I found this book a little tough to get into. In fact, I probably read the first few chapters 5 or 6 times before I could really get into the book, but it is definitely worth it. The plot twist that comes up a few chapters in is genuinely surprising (it surprised me, anyway!) and makes the book infinitely more intriguing and enjoyable. The plot is extremely rewarding (after those first few chapters at least) and, as ever, Tanith Lee's exposition is beautiful.
It's interesting to read some work of hers that's aimed at a younger audience, and this book treads a fine line between what you might expect from Lee's other work and what you might expect from a pirate story. The sensual elements are more restrained, perhaps, but the characterisation is still very Lee.
I think this book should not be a disappointment for either pirate fans or Lee fans (unless you're just looking for smut, because you won't find it here), and would recommend to it to anyone who likes all things whimsical, fantastical, and piratical.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Leave well alone!, November 23, 2007

By 

Lillipilli (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family Sea (Piratica) (No. 3) (Paperback)

Maybe I missed the point here, but I found Piratica III, The Family Sea horribly disappointing. I'm a big fan of the previous two, and this one - textually - is just a cunningly written, but thematically I found it a full betrayal of the core values found in Piratica, and Piratica II. Family Sea is sketchy and uncohesive, with too many threads awkwardly linked, too many characters picked up, then discarded, and the ending makes me wish that the author had never written a third at all, but left it at the two. The love story between Art and Felix is abandoned without a second thought about a chapter into the book, and even the wonderful camraderie between Art and her fellow pirates is completely lacking. I want NOT to have read this book - not only because I found it tedious, but because having read it, it has now coloured and corrupted my enjoyment of the previous two. Steer clear!

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real treasure!, November 3, 2004

By 

Chrestomanci (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piratica (Hardcover)

This is an intriguing and well-crafted book, neatly divided into three acts, each divided into three parts which are each sub-divided into three chapters. The setting is a world similar to our own but with some subtle differences, not least of which is that the majority of pirate captains and highwaymen appear to be young girls!

The story begins with the 16 year-old heroine, Artemisia or Art for short, suddenly recovering lost memories of her childhood; a childhood spent at sea with her mother, pirate captain Molly Faith. She leaves her prim, suffocating girls' school behind and sets off to find her mother's old crew and embark on an adventure of her own. However, her recently retrieved memories are not quite as reliable as she thinks!

My admiration for this book grew as I read it. For the first three or four chapters (setting scenes, meeting characters) I was only mildly interested, but once Art discovers the truth about her memories, I was hooked. By the end of the second part, I came to regard the characters, (Art, each of the pirates ... even the parrot), with affection, really caring about what happened to them. By the third part, the adventure becomes a real page-turner.

Art isn't simply the standard feisty heroine, but an oddly noble girl, determined to follow her star ... whilst continually bewildered by enigmatic (possibly false) memories of her childhood. Her romantic interest, Felix, is also no stereotype ... and for much of the book it is difficult to understand his true motives for joining the pirates. The book's conclusion is both dramatic and satisfying, holding your attention until the very last page.

There have been several pirate stories published of late ... also the film, 'Pirates of the Caribbean'; however, this is without doubt my favourite. Although more fantastical and less grittily realistic than some books, it cleverly manages to convey a much more convincing flavour of life at sea.