Castaways of the Flying Dutchman

Rating:
Summary: Castaways of the Flying Dutchman
Review: Also the author of the Redwall series, Brian Jacques creates yet another thrilling story that will keep kids of all ages on the edge of their seats. A fourteen year old, scraggly, thin boy, named Neb, and his faithful companion, a black dog, Ben, get trapped on a ship, the Flying Dutchman, with an obsessed captain, Vanderdecken. In a violent storm, the ship sinks, but Neb and Ben are rescued by an angel. After two hundred years, the odd couple end up in a small, remote village and meet a kind, old widow named Mrs. Winn. She is trying to save her town from being turned into a limestone quarry by the evil and arogant, Mr. Obadaih Smithers. This begins an adventure and mystery for Neb and Ben as they uncover old Byzantine artifacts and mysterious messages, while also trying to stay away from the dangerous Grange Gang. Will Neb and Ben be able to save the village and people of Chaplevale?
I rate this book four stars for its thrilling tale of triumph over evil. Best for kids 11-15 years old.

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.

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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: Get Castaway!
Review: Brian Jacques has proven in his wonderful new novel, Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, that he is a masterful storyteller whose abilities are not limited to the Redwall saga. Nebuchadnezzar (Neb), a runaway mute, is cast by fate onto the deck of the Flying Dutchman, captained by Vanderdecken, the most feared and dreaded captain ever to sail the seven seas, who was setting out on the most challenging voyage of all: to brave the waters of Tierra del Fuego.

Neb, held prisoner on the Flying Dutchman, finds a black Labrador, Denmark (Den), and befriends him. Together, they would ride the treacherous pounding waves of Tierra del Fuego, and, as fate would have it, embark on the adventure of a lifetime, which could be for the rest of eternity.

However, this is not a typical Fantasy. It is, though, as Brian Jacques would put it, "a good yarn" like his Redwall saga. Most of the story takes place in the sleepy little village of Chapelvale, one of those small towns where adventures arise when you least expect it.

So take off your battle armor, you will not need it, put on your thinking cap and call your local bobby (policeman) and take your pistol in hand, because you never know what will happen next.

Filled with riddles, quests, and fun adventures, the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman is a heart-warming story which deserves the highest praise, a piece of genuine literary gold.

Rating:
Summary: Adventures in time
Review: Brian Jacques heads off from Redwall and ventures into a new type of book. This fantasy story is about a boy and his dog who travel through time. It is a good old-fashioned adventure story, a battle between "good" and "evil", that keeps you turning the pages. I just felt that I would have liked to know more about Neb and Den's other adventures at other times in history, but maybe there will be sequels?

Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: Brian Jacques' Redwall series was good but the castaways of the flying dutchman was by far one of the best books I have ever read!! Keep writing Mr. Jacques

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: 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: a boy and his dog
Review: Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques is a tale about a boy and his dog. However, this story is very different than Dick and Spot. This book tells the tale of Neb and Den (who later change their names to Ben and Ned,) a boy and a dog who have many adventures. The story starts out with Neb, a mute boy, running away from home because he has been treated badly. Then the book goes on to describe his adventures with Den on the Flying Dutchman before it was a ghost ship and then how it became a ghost ship.

This tale is very different from Jacques' Redwall series. The setting and characters are totally different. This is a fantasy story, but it is a high-sea fantasy not at all like the Redwall series. Castaways of the Flying Dutchman is a book intended more for adults than Redwall although either are suitable for any age group. This book has a quality equal to the Redwall series, so if you have enjoyed Redwall, you should also appreciate this very different novel.

This book, although a different pursuit from Jacques' previous novels, is very effective. The plot is interesting and the characters very real and likable. I enjoyed this book. It has been awhile since I have read a sea-tale and this one was well worth my time. I hope that Jacques brings us more novels similar to these. This book is a great read for all people and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Jacques or to anyone who is interested in reading a great sea tale.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, written by Brian Jacques author of Redwall, is pretty good. A boy and his dog are saved buy a guardian angel after almost dying after being onboard the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship later said to haunt the sea. Their mission is to travel through time helping people and then moving on. The story is pretty good, but the title is a bit misleading. Most of the story revolves around Ned and Ben helping an old woman prove that she owns the land in a village about to be destroyed. The story is cleverly written, and very descriptive.

I think that it will be enjoyed by Redwall fans, as well as fans just trying out Brian for the first time. Teens and adults would enjoy this book.