Book Review: Castaways of the Flying Dutchman

Been a while since I've done a book review. I've been meaning to review several books, actually, but it slipped my mind and my to-do list. I also might (MIGHT--key word) review 'A Series of Unfortunate Events', which I'm greatly enjoying.

'Castaways of the Flying Dutchman'
by Brian Jacques

'The Flying Dutchman! The legend of the wind-tattered ghost ship and its mad sea captain, cursed to sail the seas forever, has been passed down throughout the centuries. But what of the boy and his dog who were trapped aboard that ship? What was to become of them?

Send off on an eternal journey of their own by an avenging angel, the boy and dog roam the earth throughout the centuries in search of those in need. Braving wind and waves and countless perils, their travels lead them to Chapelvale, a sleepy 19th-century village whose very existence is at stake. Only by discovering the buried secrets and solving the dust-laden riddles of the ancient village can it be saved. This will take the will and wile of all the people - and a very special boy and dog!'

(Book description taken off of BRIAN JACQUES' WEBSITE)

Well, I'm kind of have a mixed opinion about the book.

The good things about it: Captain Vanderdecken is severely punished for blaspheming God. Ben and Ned (also known as Neb and Den) are saved for their 'pure and innocent hearts', to paraphrase the book. There is not a spot of romance, thankfully, and friendship, loyalty, bravery, and purity of heart are strong points in the story. It was for the most part (some parts were a little cheesy, cliche, just plain first draft-sounding) well written, and I found myself very attached to Ben and Ned. They help and care for others, which is also very good. Oh, and the Bible and God are treated very respectfully, with the exception of Captain Vanderdecken.

The bad things about it: (SPOILER) I'm not sure that it's exactly Biblical for an angel to curse/bless people with immortality. (END OF SPOILER) For some odd reason, I felt like Jacques was treating God more akin to a Greek legend or something like that--something to be respected, but outside of a story, not to be taken seriously. It may have just been me, though. Oh, and a lot of book descriptions for 'CotFD' make it sound like Ben and Ned are ghosts. The book has them more like guardian angels. That was why I was a little hesitant to read it.

Overall opinion: It was good. Catchy plot, strong characters, bitter-sweet endings (which I usually hate, but this one was pretty good). I'm looking forward to reading the next one, 'The Angel's Command'. I'll rate it 3 out of 5 stars. Would have gotten a 4.999999999999 if I hadn't gotten the impression that I had in the previous paragraph.

Oh, and I've met Brian Jacques a few years ago! He also wrote the Redwall books, and he's absolutely HILARIOUS!!! Had a complete blast at the book signing. And it was really cool, because we were last in line and there weren't much other people, we got to talk to him and took a picture with him. It was so inspiring!

Izori