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bookgurl666's review against another edition
5.0
LOVED this book! so funny, amazing characters. loved the plot and how it included so much history so casually. great author i’ll keep an eye out for at the used book shop.
dana_naylor's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.75
Reminiscent of Douglas Adams in terms of ridiculous British humor. Fun.
laterry75's review against another edition
3.0
There are perils associated with immortality, but a horrible reeking stink was not one I expected. Still, that's the cost of living forever for the crew of the Flying Dutchmen. For all but one week every seven years, they smell so bad that they stay at sea.
A junior accountant who is sent on a routine audit starts to dig at some old accounts, which leads to Old World economic conspiracies, the quiet inventor of every piece of significant technology since the 1400s (who was only looking for a good deodorant), and ratings-hungry BBC television producers chasing the scoop of the century. Also, a nuclear power plant blows up in Scotland. Good stuff all around.
A junior accountant who is sent on a routine audit starts to dig at some old accounts, which leads to Old World economic conspiracies, the quiet inventor of every piece of significant technology since the 1400s (who was only looking for a good deodorant), and ratings-hungry BBC television producers chasing the scoop of the century. Also, a nuclear power plant blows up in Scotland. Good stuff all around.
confessions_of_a_bookaholic's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone has heard of the legend of the Flying Dutchman, but few have actually met him (that they know of.) Vanderdecken did not, as people widely believe, make a deal with the devil. Indeed the truth is even stranger.
Many years ago I stumbled across this book as a recommendation for someone who enjoyed books by Terry Pratchett. I couldn't track it down at the time, and so chose another one as my introduction to Holt's works. I'm now quite familiar with him and his writing style, and I'm glad I discovered him. I'm surprised to see so many reviewers linking the two in negative reviews.
This one is true to Holt's style of being a bit wacky and off the wall, with a heavy dose of satire thrown in. There's a very English sense of humour about this, so it may not appeal to everyone. I found it highly entertaining though.
The story is based around the legend of the Flying Dutchman but Holt rewrites the story with his own spin. Cue a madcap adventure that you think doesn't make a lot of sense, until it does.
I would definitely recommend Holt to readers who like authors like Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams (in fact I recently did). Holt has a wealth of books to choose from, but this one is as good a place as any to start if you can get hold of it.
Many years ago I stumbled across this book as a recommendation for someone who enjoyed books by Terry Pratchett. I couldn't track it down at the time, and so chose another one as my introduction to Holt's works. I'm now quite familiar with him and his writing style, and I'm glad I discovered him. I'm surprised to see so many reviewers linking the two in negative reviews.
This one is true to Holt's style of being a bit wacky and off the wall, with a heavy dose of satire thrown in. There's a very English sense of humour about this, so it may not appeal to everyone. I found it highly entertaining though.
The story is based around the legend of the Flying Dutchman but Holt rewrites the story with his own spin. Cue a madcap adventure that you think doesn't make a lot of sense, until it does.
I would definitely recommend Holt to readers who like authors like Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams (in fact I recently did). Holt has a wealth of books to choose from, but this one is as good a place as any to start if you can get hold of it.
stephgraves's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. I've loved it, in fact, for years and years--I probably first encountered it in my early teens, though I have no idea how. How does a teenage girl living in the rural south come across a british comic fantasy novel about a 16th century sea captain and his cursed crew? It's a mystery lost to the ages.
But I came across a copy in a used bookstore recently and couldn't resist rereading it. It was actually more delightful than I remembered, though possibly because now I understand a great deal more of the inherent britishisms in it--pips, quid, eccles cake, the fascination with tea, etc. (Perhaps it set into place my weird lifelong anglophilia that was to follow?)
I was disappointed to discover that a lot of people have given this bad ratings because of what seems to be a comparison to the works of Terry Pratchett. Well, I read this long before I discovered Pratchett, but I was surprised how well it has aged, and while all comic fantasy tends to get lumped together, this isn't really like the Discworld novels at all, so I consider it an unfair comparison. (Comparisons are odious, right?)
So, yes, I would suggest this novel. It's perfect escapist reading, funny but with heart, and with a truly marvelous cast of characters that I want to spend more time with. What more can you ask for?
But I came across a copy in a used bookstore recently and couldn't resist rereading it. It was actually more delightful than I remembered, though possibly because now I understand a great deal more of the inherent britishisms in it--pips, quid, eccles cake, the fascination with tea, etc. (Perhaps it set into place my weird lifelong anglophilia that was to follow?)
I was disappointed to discover that a lot of people have given this bad ratings because of what seems to be a comparison to the works of Terry Pratchett. Well, I read this long before I discovered Pratchett, but I was surprised how well it has aged, and while all comic fantasy tends to get lumped together, this isn't really like the Discworld novels at all, so I consider it an unfair comparison. (Comparisons are odious, right?)
So, yes, I would suggest this novel. It's perfect escapist reading, funny but with heart, and with a truly marvelous cast of characters that I want to spend more time with. What more can you ask for?
shedrick26's review against another edition
5.0
This book was one of my favorites as a child. I read it so much the cover came off and pages were falling out, and my mother eventually threw it away. Much to my delight, she sent me a package with this book in it because she thought it looked familiar. I have looked in several libraries for this book and couldn't find it, so I was over the moon to have my own copy! I'm looking forward to wearing it out all over again!
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