Customer Reviews

Voyage of Slaves: A Tale From Castaways of the Flying Dutchman

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At last, a pretty good book by Brian Jacques on his series, Castaways of the Flying Dutchman. I found this book to be pretty entertaining and fun to read although there's a pattern developing here that began to look pretty redundent. In this book, our eternal young Ben and his dog, Ned got themselves captured by Barbary pirates and spent most of the book trying to get away from them and at the same time, trying to save his new found friends who he would have to abandoned anyway. The book have Ben and Ned virtually being passed on from one benefactor after another as they are led to safety and toward danger at the same time. Ben also learned a new aspect of this angelic curse when he realized that a love of a girl will be one thing he would never have for long since he have to keep on moving by angel's command. Since the story take place a lot on the sea, the curse of the Flying Dutchman and her crew remains always in the distance as they continued to haunt Ben and Ned.

As always, the ceaseless banters between Ben and Ned keep the story flowing and the book is well written enough that almost anyone of any age could enjoy it with ease.

One question I have is, if Ben looked like a 14 years old blond boy but have a life span of hundred generations, will he still act like a boy with such experiences and wisdom built into him?? You might think that by his 200th or 250th year of life, Ben might behaved more like an aged, overmatured wise man who look like a 14 years old blond boy!!

Anyway, any fan of this series should enjoy this book and considering the improvement over the previous two books, fans of the series won't be disappointed.

I've read the other two in the series and I finally got my hands on this.

I'll keep this short.

Ben and Ned are back and for a whole lot more adventures. The story drew me in and had me turning pages. I finished the book in one day. If you loved, or even liked, the other books in the series, then this book will not disappoint.

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (1/07)

Ben and his dog, Ned, survived the destruction of the Flying Dutchman years ago. Spared the doom of the ill-fated crew, these castaways were still affected by the avenging angel's curse--they live forever without growing a day older. Constantly on the move so no one detects their ageless nature, they roam the earth together. Due to the angel's benevolence, Ben and Ned can communicate with each other through thoughts.

In "Voyage of Slaves"--the third book of the series--Ben and Ned are adrift in the Mediterranean Sea when they are accosted by pirates. The cruel men toss the black Labrador into the ocean and take Ben to Al Misurata, a slave trader feared along the Barbary Coast. He keeps Ben for his knowledge of languages.

Meanwhile a traveling troupe of performers finds Ned and nurses him back to health. They make him a part of their traveling show. When Al Misurata drafts them to entertain, Ben and Ned are reunited. But their happiness is short-lived. Al Misurata takes them all to sea, and they soon realize that the Rizzoli troupe have been tricked and will be sold as slaves.

Ben wants to save his new friends, especially the beautiful girl, Serafina. But Al Misurata and his ruffians remain determined to succeed. The rest of the story ranges from seafaring adventures to perils on land where Ben and Ned encounter benefactors and villains. They must use their wits to survive and pray for good fortune as they try to outsmart their adversary and free the entertainers from a horrible fate.

"Voyage of Slaves" provides rough and tumble adventure for young adult males, though girls will enjoy the story, too. Set in the early 1700s, Jacques brings the nautical past to life with its harshness, dangers and glories. The bond between Ben and Ned resounds with poignancy and humor and will be appreciated by anyone who ever wished they could communicate with their four-legged childhood friend.

In "Voyage of Slaves," Jacques's cast of characters who befriend Ben and Ned is well-developed and diverse. The antagonists are intriguing and evil, yet believable. The author provides a compelling yarn where good triumphs over evil. Young adult "Redwall" fans will want to read this series, too.

Book received free of charge

My 8 year old son was a very reluctant reader and this book got him started. Something about it really grabbed him (boys, dog, pirates) and he has been reading B. Jacques ever since. Highly recommend.

My mind is in a quandry over this review. I have to admit I did not read the book but quickly pulled the audio version off a library shelf on the way out of town on vacation. I had no prior knowledge of the series, the characters, or the author. I thought it was terrible! I said to myself, "This book should be read by a middle schooler." Imagine my surprise as I later researched the book on Amazon and found it WAS written for a child in middle school.

That modified my views slightly but I still have some complaints. The characters were all so simple and transparent. The good were too good and the bad were too bad. Furthermore, no one would have survived without a dog that was smarter than the people. The few scenes of adventure were surrounded with tedium. The book did not have to be so simplistic and contrived. After all, Robert Lewis Stevenson did not have to resort to gimmicks in KIDNAPPED.

Finally, the technical errors were glaring. Even children's literature should be well researched. The cordage on a ship is a 'line', not a 'rope'. Also, the dog in this adventure of 1705 was introduced as a Labrador Retriever. The breed wasn't even established until the mid 1880's!!! Can we be a little more careful?

I really don't understand how this book got such good reviews. Sure, I have to give it credit for being the best book so far, but I've noticed that Brian Jacques has a bad habit. He makes his heroes to nice! I mean, I know they're good guys and all, but still, they never even seem to get angry! Plus, there aren't even any slaves that go on a voyage in this movie at all. Don't pay any attention to the cool looking cover, this book is just stupid. Of course, I do like the dramatic ending with the death of Ben (or Nebuchezzur as I like to call him)'s true love... nahh. This book still sucks.