Rating: 
Summary: Very Corny
Review: I had rather high expectations of this book, because the cover looks cool. Shiny, too ... But, once I finally finished this book (yes, it's the type of book which you "finally" finish), I came to this amazing conclusion: "What a stinky book!" As I said in my title, it's incredibly corny. If it gives you some idea of how cheesy this book is, there's a *talking dog* which has "a sense of humour that any intelligent being would envy." Good grief. (And all the dog's "jokes" made me flinch!)The beginning of this book is only good because they make the plight of the Flying Dutchman's crew seem more unpleasant than other stories manage to. However, most of the story takes place in a cutesy little English village. The town is being threatened by a company who wants to tear it down to make a quarry or something. The only way to save it is to find some sort of ownership papers. So they spend the whole book following all these clues which were put there by somebody who, for reasons unknown, wanted to hide the papers in a safe place or something. There really seems to be no reason for the papers being hidden behind all these different clues. As if it wasn't enough to hide the stuff from his descendants in the first place, whoever it was wrote *poems* as clues. The type of poem-clues nobody would ever figure out. (for example: [page 173] "Turn as a third Gospelmaker would" It turns out because the third Gospelmaker is "Luke," so you turn "left." whooo boy...) But of course, the kids in the book figure everything out pretty much instantly, follow clues to find more clues, and end up finding papers saying that this old lady own the entire town just in the knick of time. If the book isn't dumb enough already, the characters just make it worse. The main character is cheerful, smart, etc. The other two kids, Amy and Alex, are both attractive, intelligent, yada yada yada. All the good guys are the same, while the bad guys are all exactly the reverse. How original. ...
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: Much more than a human version of Redwall
Review: The editorial reviews are a good place to learn about the plot, and personally I prefer to know as little about the plot of a book as possible before I read; it spoils the surprises =+) When I was in fifth grade, my gram bought me Redwall. Several months later, I actually read the book, and was instantly hooked by Brian Jacques' beautiful writing. I have been a loyal Redwall fan ever since, reading and re-reading the books several times. I was both excited and nervous when I heard he would be doing a non-Redwall adventure: a Jacques book is a Jacques book, but would it be able to stand alone in such a large library of Redwall stories? I was not disappointed! It's very hard to review a book like this without comparing it to its predecessors. Like Redwall, Castaways has a fun riddle that requires the brainpower of several different characters. He continues to paint vivid pictures with his words and includes various dialects, a technique that makes the Redwall books, and this one, colorful. Castaways is also full of the same spectrum of emotion. Even the book itself is split into three sections, just like Redwall books. As I read, I realized it was much easier to picture the action in this book, since I have seen many boys and dogs but not many mice wearing habits and sandals and slicing vermin with swords. A few things I loved about this book were the banter between the boy, Neb, and his dog, Neb's "fighting" style, and the inclusion of the Bible in the lives of these people. I must disagree with those who have bad things to say about this novel. As with any good book, my complaint is only that it is too short. I am now 17, and it has been 7 years since I first opened a Brian Jacques book. I enjoy his writing as much now if not more than ever.
Rating:
Summary: Not unlike Redwall
Review: I read this and found that it was extremely similar to Jacques series REDWALL. It follows with a little myth, and his book persuades you to feel sorry for a small mute child taken into a pirate ship and forced to do the cooking duties for the entire crew. He finds a poor underfed dog to stay with him, and the two bond together. When the ship is wrecked, the boy is saved by some sort of divine force and given a voice. He is also given the ability to commute thoughts telepathicly with his dog, and the two roam the world without aging. He meets people and they solve Redwallish mysteries with Redwallish problems and Redwallish enemies.
Rating:
Summary: Not much of a change from Redwall!
Review: The Redwall books have been getting quite similar lately, so I thought this book by Brian Jacques, written outside the Redwall series, would make a change. But I was wrong. Its getting boring how all of Jacques' books follow the same plot.There is always some cryptic puzzle to solve, the plots are predictable, and the characters aren't memorable. This one actually starts off better then most with the scenes onboard The Flying Dutchman, but quickly becomes boring. Brian Jaques has already written too many similar books- I wish he would write something completly different, like one of his earliest books, Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales. For now, all I can say is skip this one, and if you're looking for a real plot and some surprises and good writing, read Robin Jarvis' books. They haven't had the recognition they deserve for being twice as good as anything Brian Jacques could write.
Rating:
Summary: the most enchanting book of all
Review: One of the best books I ever read was Castaways Of The Flying Dutchman. In the book Neb and Den are slaves on a ship with the most feared captain of them all, Captain Vanderdecken. When the are sailing around Cape Horn, Neb and Den get washed of the ship and are meet on shore by an angel. Who tells them they must go and help people all over the world in different centuries, the rest is for you to read. Neb started out mute and lonely and when he got Den he felt a lot better. When they're washed from the deck they start to take it all out of life, help others and not run from their problems. After they get washed of the boat they change there names to get rid of any memory of their bad past. Neb becomes Ben and Den becomes Ned. They become more kind, Curtisy even to their enemies. I can't connect to the part a bought being nice to your enemies but I love mysteries and riddles that take a long time to figure out and there are a lot of mysteries in this book. A reviewer from Pennsylvania, USA A Breathtaking Book, this wonderful story of a boy and his dog is an upbeat, swift novel, that will leave you hungry for more. This book is so upbeat that ANYONE could be lifted away with it. If you hate to read, if you love to read, if you've never read Brian Jacques or if you love him to death, this is defiantly a keeper. This book will entertain young and old as never entertained before, and only the magic of Brian Jacques could accomplish this!
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely Top-Ho Book!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This book is one of the best books I have ever read, and I mean realllllllly, realllllllly good. I was so excited by the end of the first page, I had to go get some water and stop reading for a minute, just so I could go onto the second page! I was expecting a wonderful book, but this exceeds standards... In the beggining, they are on the ship The Flying Dutchman, but then they go onto greater adventures. This book involves no religious beliefs, and does not have easy puzzles. This is NOT a embarrising-flop of a book, and I will definately read more books by Brian Jacques. This is one of the best books ever written, and Mr. Jacques did not screw this one up. This book is understandable, probably from age six and up. Once again this one of the best book ever written, and I hope Brian Jacques recieves many awards for it. Read this well.
Rating:
Summary: This was a great book!
Review: This is one of my favorite books. I love all the books by brian Jacques, but this has to be one of the best. It takes a few hundred years ago. A mute boy named Neb is stuck on a boat the Flying dutchman and is a slave sorta. He meets a black lab he names Denmark and is then shipwrecked, but suprisingly an angel has given them both speach only the dog can only talk to Ned.
Rating: 
Summary: embarrassing outing from otherwise great author
Review: Writing a fantasy novel about the Flying Dutchman is a fabulous idea. I was pretty excited to learn that not only was there a book based on this legend (which I have more than a passing interest in) but that it was by Brian Jacques, the author of my beloved Redwall series! However, Mr. Jacques seems to find pointless religious propaganda more interesting than the legend he titled his book after. Only the first 50 pages have anything to do with the Flying Dutchman. Afterwards, a scent or a sight might remind the main characters of their voyage on this ship, as though Jacques suddenly remembered what he had titled his book, and needed tie it back together quickly. The final, and most prominent, episode of this book feels like a very poorly constructed Redwall adventure. The characters dash about attempting to solve insultingly easy puzzles, while trying (and failing) to look cute. Evidentally, though Jacques may be adept at making fuzzy little animals lovable, he has no such skill with humans. This book is little more than the redwall formula with a different name and setting. Also, because it takes place in "our world", Jacques sees fit to fill this book with extremely trite and insulting religious propaganda. I am willing to forget this book, and will continue to read everything Brian Jacques writes, but if he continues in this vein, I'll have to rethink my praise of him.
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.
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