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lea_0431's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
nathuffman97's review against another edition
5.0
A re-read of an old book, but this one is just as much fun as an adult as when I was young. There's a real charm to Jacques' writing that's distinctive and lovely. It is sort of amusing to notice that his character voices are pretty recognizable-- like a new character will talk for the first time and you'll realize, "hey, that's his evil-people-voice!". It's definitely a kid's book and some parts are pretty heavy with cliche, but it's still a fun read.
enterprisingsmoo's review against another edition
5.0
Forgot how heartbreaking these books could be. Immortality isn't that great, is it?
snowyshallows's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited for the first 40 pages. A lot of intrigue and uncertainty surrounding the main character who's trying his best on a ship in the 1600s with a bunch of awful men aboard. The premise and that first arc was good! But I just didn't expect how...religious it was going to be. There's nothing wrong with that and it was my fault for not realizing how much of an impact the Christianity was going to have on the plot and characters, considering an angel blessed him. But I just didn't care for the amount of bible and church that was happening. Also, I don't like the treasure hunt aspect either and again, that's just me.
jedi_indyjones's review against another edition
4.0
I had planned on reading this book after discovering it in a book store. I got it on a book swap website, after my discovery. I usually wait until summer months to read my nautical books, but I wanted a good one to take on my trip to the Caribbean. I had read Redwall by Jacques, and I love books about piracy and sailing, so I knew this would be up my alley. However, after reading it I found out that it wasn’t at all what I expected. I expected a book that took place on the sea, but what I got was a larger than life tale with supernatural beings and a treasure hunt. The book starts out in the 1600’s then jumps forward to the late 1800’s. The book’s tonality was very similar to the Tin Tin movie that just recently came out, in fact, if this book were to be made into a film, that would be the best route to go. I loved the characters in this book, but the maturity of the book was for someone between 9 and 12. Even with that being the case, adults can thoroughly enjoy this adventure. Ben and Den are somewhat like Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap, in that they help people and are then ushered on to another place. If you enjoyed the movie Tin Tin, then this book will be a great read for you. I enjoyed this adventure, and plan to read the other two books, as well as continue reading the Redwall series.
lyricallit's review against another edition
I was sadly disappointed in this offering from Jacques. I love his Redwall series, so I picked this up with some high expectations. The audience was obviously for a younger age, most notably in the moralizing narration. The main characters were more saccharine than endearing, and I was disappointed that they were off the Flying Dutchman so quickly. I have to assume that the ship comes back into play at some point in the novel, otherwise what's the point? I listened to 3 hours of the audio version before I decided to move on.
evalynex's review against another edition
4.0
It's been years since I read this book and I'm glad to be finally rereading it! Still as delightful as before, though I had honestly quite forgotten it! Can't wait to start the next one.
asuitcasefullofbooks's review against another edition
I thought that the dog was the best written character, which unfortunately led me to the conclusion that Jacques is best at writing animal characters rather than human characters.
piepieb's review against another edition
4.0
I loved [a: Brian Jacques|5329|Brian Jacques|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1309635011p2/5329.jpg] when I was a kid. In my opinion, this is one of his best non-Redwall books, and I think it's definitely the best out of this trilogy.
This book is in three parts, and firstly Ned and Ben's story of origin is presented. You can't help but feel sorry for the poor, mute boy -- Ben -- at the beginning of the book. It's not long before this orphan finds a friend in Ned, a stray Labrador, and destiny has plans for these two, including being accidental stowaways on a pirate ship. You can feel the pitching of the ship as the waves toss it back and forth and hear the storms as their story takes you onto the pirate voyage and then later to the home of a shepherd in Tierra del Fuego.
The bulk of the book, however, takes place in the English village of Chapelvale. There is a whole cast of fun and eclectic characters here, including a sad and lonely widow lady who takes Ben and Ned in. Like Redwall, this novel contains riddles, and it's fun to solve the mysterious puzzles along with the villagers. I wish I could have tea and ice cream and lemonade with them -- they seem like a quirky and kindhearted bunch!
I read this book years ago, and it was fun to go back and revisit and travel along with Ben and his dog. There was all sorts of potential and opportunity for these two, and it's a pity this series ended after only three books.
This book is in three parts, and firstly Ned and Ben's story of origin is presented. You can't help but feel sorry for the poor, mute boy -- Ben -- at the beginning of the book. It's not long before this orphan finds a friend in Ned, a stray Labrador, and destiny has plans for these two, including being accidental stowaways on a pirate ship. You can feel the pitching of the ship as the waves toss it back and forth and hear the storms as their story takes you onto the pirate voyage and then later to the home of a shepherd in Tierra del Fuego.
The bulk of the book, however, takes place in the English village of Chapelvale. There is a whole cast of fun and eclectic characters here, including a sad and lonely widow lady who takes Ben and Ned in. Like Redwall, this novel contains riddles, and it's fun to solve the mysterious puzzles along with the villagers. I wish I could have tea and ice cream and lemonade with them -- they seem like a quirky and kindhearted bunch!
I read this book years ago, and it was fun to go back and revisit and travel along with Ben and his dog. There was all sorts of potential and opportunity for these two, and it's a pity this series ended after only three books.
isabelawith1l's review against another edition
5.0
This remains one of my favorite series of all time, definitely a comfort read.