Voyage of Slaves (Castaways) [Hardcover]

Brian Jacques (Author)

Book Description

Series: Castaways | Publication Date: October 5, 2006

Ben and his Labrador Ned, castaways of the Flying Dutchman, are destined to roam the earth across the centuries, never stopping in one place and never growing a single day older. Now adrift in the Mediterranean sea, the boy and his dog fall into the clutches of the Barbary Slave Lord, Al Misurata. And so begins a roaring adventure, from the Libyan coast to the Italian border during which they gain good friends and encounter ruthless enemies in their quest for freedom. A sequel to "The Castaways of the Flying Dutchman" and "The Angel's Command", these thrilling adventures are based on the legend of "The Flying Dutchman" ghost ship and its mad sea captain, cursed to sail the seas for all eternity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian Jacques is the author of the bestselling Redwall series. His books have sold an incredible ten million copies worldwide. A BBC presenter, playwright and actor, Brian Jacques is a man of many talents who, at the age of 15 went to sea and travelled the world before returning to Liverpool, where he still lives. His varied and adventurous life has undoubtedly provided the inspiration for his rich tapestry of stories for children of all ages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670913243
• ISBN-13: 978-0670913244
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A well-known radio personality in his native Liverpool--as well as an actor, stand-up comic, and playwright--Brian Jacques (1939-2011) was the host of "Jakestown" on BBC Radio Merseyside. Ever the performer, Jacques was well-known for applying his acting and entertainment background to his lively presentations to legions of young fans at schools across the United States and England. Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England on June 15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland, County Cork to be exact. He grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks. His interest in adventure stories began at an early age with reading the books of: Daniel Defoe, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Thomas Malory, Robert Michael Ballantyne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Kenneth Grahame. He attended St. John's School, an inner city school that had its playground on the roof. On his first day at St. John's, at the age of ten, he had an experience that marked his potential as a writer. When given an assignment of writing a story about animals, he wrote about the bird that cleaned a crocodile's teeth. The teacher could not, and would not, believe that a ten year old could write that well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write, but it was only then, that he realized that he had a talent for writing. "My favourite teacher was Mr. Austin Thomas. He looked like Lee Marvin. Big Man. A Captain in World War II. He came to school on a big bush bike with the haversack on back. He was a man's man. Always fair. I was fourteen at the time when Mr. Thomas introduced the class to poetry and Greek literature. (Because of him, I saved seven shillings and sixpence to buy The Iliad and The Odyssey at this dusty used book shop.)" This interest in poetry extended to Wordsworth, Tennyson, and Goldsmith. It was also at St. John's that Brian met a teacher, Alan Durband (who also taught two Beatles, Paul McCartney and George Harrison), who, more than thirty years later would bring about a major change in his life. After Brian finished school at fifteen, he set out to find adventure as a merchant seaman. He travelled to many far away ports, including New York, Valparaiso, San Francisco, and Yokohama. Tiring of the lonely life of a sailor, he returned to Liverpool where he worked as a railway fireman, a longshoreman, a long-distance truck driver, a bus driver, a boxer, a bobby (Police Constable 216D), a postmaster, and a stand-up comic. Jacques passed away in February of 2011 at the age of 71.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rolicking adventure balanced with surprising emotion, August 3, 2008

By 

Backroads "Scatter-brained book fan" (Cache Valley, Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Voyage of Slaves (Castaways of the Flying Dutchman) (Mass Market Paperback)

I actually prefer this series to Redwall.

I also think this is the best Flying Dutchman book so far; while the prior two books did indeed contain marvelous swashbuckling adventures, this one had an emotional impact I did not expect. It's as if the situation of Ben and Ned and their imortality suddenly becomes something truly tragic and terrible and I appreciate Mr. Jacques for making that so clear.

However, this is not to say that this book does not also have a great adventure. The aforementioned emotional impact also includes an intriguing and horrible slave trade operation that brings out some of Jacques' most villianous of villains. Always good for a juicy read.

As always, the plot flows quick and thrilling, with Jacques' precise descriptions that do not detract from the story's pace.

This is another example of Jacques' marvelous ability to tell adventures

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, November 19, 2008

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage of Slaves (Castaways of the Flying Dutchman) (Kindle Edition)

a cleverly written and exciting book it is very exciting and i highly recomend it