The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Gideon Defoe (Author)
Key Phrases: pirate captain, albino pirate, pirate boat, Gideon Defoe, Black Bellamy, Karl Marx (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Anachronisms ahoy! The merry band of quasi-nameless pirates (the pirate with the scarf, the pirate who knows a bit about nature) is back for a third adventure. Led by their indomitable, peanut-brained Pirate Captain, he of the glossy beard and insatiable hunger for all things ham, the pirate crew find themselves in the company of Karl Marx (whose beard nearly rivals the Pirate Captain's, much to his dismay) and Friedrich Engels. Statuesque blondes are trying to defame Communists all across Europe--could it have anything to do with Wagner's new opera that is all the rage? This is tomfoolery of the highest seas and lowest brow, and while for some the absurdity may run a bit thin by the final page, Defoe's giddiness is infectious and no less tempered by having traversed these waters before. "This is definitely our most cultural adventure yet," declares one pirate, and here's to hoping that it is not their last, or silliest. Also appended is the philosophical work "The Wit and Wisdom of the Pirate Captain," which includes a recipe for delicious fudge brownies. Ian Chipman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“Laugh out-loud. . . . Equal parts witty and absurd, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists will put a smile on the face of even the stiffest reader.”
—Memphis Flyer


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375423974
• ISBN-13: 978-0375423970
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #401,247 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well, pomade my hair & call me a bear!, November 3, 2006

By	Austenparker "Life is too short to read bad b... (Well, where are YOU?) - See all my reviews

First off, I shall not endeavor to give a plot summary because Mr. Defoe's wacky works defy description & his best literary weapon is the surprising concepts he weaves together into a (I'd say a tapestry, but they're too short, so I'll have to say) vest of absurdity.

In some ways, The Pirates! in an adventure with Communists! is actually better than the first novel in this series. The writing has become a bit more polished, the footnotes more witty, and the humor is just as absurdly funny as the first. (I thought the second adventure with Whaling was a bit of a let-down compared to their adventure with Scientists.)

While nothing can top the line about Dino-pirates being their worst fear, this book has great moments involving suspicious Valkyries and pretend sacks of kittens - and even the concept of singing bears is just too hilarious to contemplate. (Personal favorite line in this entry into The Pirates! oeuvre is the one about Nietzche's theory on Spinoza's love life.)

(As a bonus, Defoe caters to the font geeks among us & uses fonts to define personality.)

So, don't wait around, buy this book! It's absurd, it's brashly anachronistic and it's less than the price of a really cheap ham!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great installment, November 8, 2006

By	R. Howell "boriskhan" (Medford, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Our third voyage with the pirates! This time wtih communists! Our journey begins in London and ends in Paris with the hearty crew. Back again are the pirate with a scarf, the pirate with gout, the pirate with a hook for a hand, the pirate who wore red, the pirate who wore green... and Jennifer. We also get to meet the pirate who likes kittens and the pirate with bedroom eyes. All lead by our evidently philisophical Pirate Captain. They hook up with Engels & Karl Marx (who evidently looks just like the Pirate Captain but hairier). Throw in some statuesque blondes, Wagner operas, and a mysterious fog-shrouded giant and your off on another romp! Add in some philosiphizing and there ya go. Did I mention you learn how to play Pop-Up Pirate?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars pirates dah, communists nyet, February 21, 2009

By	kit ramsey "kit" (belmont heights, texas USA) - See all my reviews

this book is one in a series of highlarious rides on the bounding mane of comedy writing.
all things piratical, all things comical.
a quick read with lots of guffaws.