Castaways of the Flying Dutchman

Rating:
Summary: It started off good, but then the plot slowly weakened......
Review: At first the book was great. I was thrown into an exciting ride on the Flying Dutchman, filled with action, suspense, and intrigue. But the everything changed.

Once the main characters (a boy named Neb and his friend dog Den)were actually "cast off" from the flying Dutchman, the book got a little silly.

The author then plunged us into this other story where our heroes, now able to speak tele-kenetically in their minds to each other,arrive at a small English sea -side villiage where they must help their friends solve a mysterey to save the town.

The story basically is flat, disappointing,and definitely lacking something and the characters are very poorly depicted and everything they say is extremely corny or devoid of true emotion and feeling.

If I were you I would rather read the "Redwall" series. Those books, unlike this one, show that the author does have some talent.

Rating:
Summary: Proof that Brian Jacques talents reach further than Redwalll
Review: Being a Brian Jacques fan for the past five years, I was surprised when he decided to come out with something new. I mean I couldn't picture him telling any other kind of story than Redwall (I mean let's face it his seven short stories aren't his usual masterpieces). So when I picked up this book I was a little skeptical. But when I finished it I was plesently surprised. Castaways... tells the story of Neb and his talking dog Den who are the only survivors of the famous Flying Dutchman. After the shipwreck through an Angel's gift the two are left alive, and with the ablilty to never age or die. In the 19th century he is pulled into a mystery which could save a sleeply little town from being destroyed. But he's on a time limit. Becasue he has to ring with the sound of a church bell, and the villains who are going to steal the town aren't gonna wait for them to solve the mystery.

If you're a fan of Brian Jacgues or just a really good mystery novel read this book. I'm hopeing for a sequel or a prequel to fill in some of the missing years.

Rating:
Summary: A good, but not GREAT read.
Review: Brian Jacques, best known for his popular Redwall fantasy-adventure series, launches a new series in his new novel, "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman." With Castaways, Jacques leaves his world of Medieval mice and roguish rats, for a story of a forever-young boy "condemned" to roam the world for eternity, doing good deeds and helping people in need help themselves.

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it to readers 9 and up. However, chances are Redwall fans will be initially disappointed in this tale. The first fifty pages - the story of how this boy and his dog came to wander the Earth - is a ripping sea yarn worthy of Robert Louis Stevenson. Set in 1620, it has a tyrannical sea captain and a mutinous crew. After the murderous captain curses God in the midst of an epic battle against nature, an avenging angel descends to condemn The Flying Dutchman and its crew to an eternity upon the seas. When the boy, Ben, and his dog are washed overboard, the angel grants the innocent lad a reprieve of sorts: an eternal quest to do good.

Here again, the author must battle the expectations of even first time readers. I was looking forward to an epic tale of Ben's journey through the ages. Instead, Jacques takes us to the small English village of Chapelvale in 1896. The bulk of the book essays a single task given to the boy. In this thin plot, Ben must help a widow find the deed to her lands and save the village from developers.

But, like Lois Lowry's "Gathering Blue," Castaways is made a very enjoyable read by the sheer quality of the writing. Jacques gives us nice, comfortable characters we can instantly like or despise and his easy, good-natured style carries us through a treasure hunt filled with riddles and non-violent confrontations with a local gang, to a predictable, yet satisfying ending.

I do hope, however, that in future volumes the author will fulfill the promise of adventure he displayed in the opening sequence of this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasant Surprise
Review: This book is anything but what I expected, and better! I had never read the Redwall series, or anything else by Brian Jaques for that matter, and yet when I saw this book I decided to give it a try. I love stories of shipwrecks and survival on the ocean, but this book is so much more!
Jaques divides the book into three parts: the shipwreck, the fisherman, and Chapelvale. The first part introduces a nameless young mute who finds the companionship of a black Labrador on the legendary Flying Dutchman. The raucous crew gives the sandy-haired boy the name "Neb" and the dog is named "Den" (short for Denmark). As the bond between these two speechless comrades grows, the Flying Dutchman becomes unsteadier on the waves. Just as the legend goes, the shipmates of the Dutchman are destined to roam the seas forever because of the blasphemy of their captain. However, an angel who recognizes their pure hearts and good intentions saves the boy and dog. They are both given speech and eternal youth. Learning that their fate is to seek out and help those in need around the world, Neb and Den set out on their adventure.
Late in the 18th century, Neb and Den's travels bring them to Chapelvale, a small, rural town where many things are hidden. Many strange occurrences have been haunting Chapelvale lately. Befriending several outcasts of the town the boy and his dog set out to solve the mysteries that plague the town's people.
This book has many twists and turns and will leave you guessing until the end. What appears to be a simple book about a shipwreck turns out to be a seat-gripping mystery. I can only say that this book deserves as much credit as Redwall, if not more.

Rating:
Summary: Passed with 'flying colors
Review: When I got 'Castaways' from a librarian, I thought- 'Hmmm, interesting.' I didn't have very high expectations after reading his other works outside of the Redwall plot (Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales) which in my opinion were horrible.

But I was wrong. This tale about a mute boy and his dog, aboard the Flying Dutchman with cruel hearted crew members and a horrible captain. When the Angel curses the ship and its crew to eternal voyages, this young boy and his dog are passed over because of their innocence. With the boy receiveing the gift of speech and a telepathic connection with his dog, the are sent to help the oppressed people staying young forever....

Most of this book is centered on the boy and his dog helping an old lady to find clues that lead to the deed proving her ownership of the land and stopping the tyrannic developing company. Jaques uses the characteristic riddle-to-find-something-that-saves-everyone ideas that sprinkle the whole Redwall series. Personally, you get along a lot better not trying to solve the riddles- seeing as it takes the genius people in the books a while to finish.

A wonderful book, and I think you should buy it- fan of sword bearing rodents or not.