Product Description

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 young boy and his dog who were trapped aboard that ship? What became of them?

In this, one of Jacques' most original adventures, the castaway boy and dog set off on an eternal journey of their own, braving icy wind and waves to arrive at strange shores, and explore new places and times. The unlikely Chapelvale village is their first destination, a Victorian town under siege. If Ben and his dog, Ned, can help the townspeople figure out the clues and riddles-hidden beneath floorboards and deep inside wells-perhaps they can save Chapelvale and its people as well. Brian Jacques as you have never seen him before!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #510368 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-19
• Released on: 2001-03-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 327 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780399236013
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Fans of the Redwall series eager to sink their teeth into the latest adventure from Brian Jacques will be surprised to find that the cover of Castaways of the Flying Dutchman belies the contents of this fine mystery novel. A handsome young lad, sporting a billowing, ripped shirt, gazes off into the distance, while behind him a ship founders on an eerily tempestuous sea. It's true, the first (brief) section of the book does tell the tale of a stowaway orphan on the legendary, ill-fated ship, the Flying Dutchman. And that's as swashbuckling a story as they come. But as soon as the boy and his newly adopted dog are tossed into the sea during a ferocious storm, the book takes a sharp turn. Ben and his dog, Ned, given eternal life by a sympathetic angel, now set out to "bring confidence and sympathy, help others to change their fate." Two centuries later, they arrive in the village of Chapelvale, which is filled with quirky, affectionate citizens, who immediately welcome the mysterious but kindhearted and brave boy and his dog. The impending destruction of their village by the blustering, bloated Obadiah Smithers, an industrial speculator, propels Ben and his new friends into a thrilling search for a solution, involving ancient Byzantine gold chalices, mysterious coded messages, and some fierce tête-à-têtes with hired bullies. Illustrator Ian Schoenherr's intriguing line drawings at the beginning of each chapter hint at the upcoming clues to the mystery. Redwall fans be warned: you'll find no warrior mice here. But readers will find a satisfying story that never leaves a doubt as to the ability of good to triumph over evil. (Ages 9 to 12) -- Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Well known for his Redwall books (over a dozen volumes detailing the quests and feasts of various plucky woodland creatures), Jacques here turns his attention to the human world, and his fans will not be disappointed. Readers led by the title and cover art to expect a briny swashbuckler may be surprised to find that the bulk of the story consists of an ambling scavenger hunt set in a cozy English village. Pure-hearted enough to escape the curse that befalls the crew of the legendary Flying Dutchman, a boy and his dog are instead granted immortality and sent forth to "spread peace and joy" throughout the world. Two centuries later, in 1896, the ageless Ben and Ned (the latter is the dog) land in Chapelvale, a quaint village threatened with industrialization by a passel of nasty developers and ruled by a gang of juvenile delinquents. With the help of the villagers, the duo conducts a fairly contrived search (one clue is even written in invisible ink) for the ancient land title that will save Chapelvale from its grim fate. Though most of the characters are bipeds, the story doesn't veer much from the Redwall formula. Ultimately, it doesn't much matter whether the bumbling thugs sent from London to intimidate the Chapelvale populace are weasels or humans--Jacques's fans will be tickled by the characters' goofy slapstick regardless of their genus. The care taken with design (among other features, line drawings are set niftily into the first page of each chapter) adds to the appeal. All ages.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-This novel has a split personality. It begins with flair in 1620 in Copenhagen, where the sinister Dutch sea captain Vanderdecken begins an ill-fated journey aboard the Flying Dutchman. Also onboard is young Neb, a stowaway who is immediately discovered and put to work. The crazed captain, cursing God, forces them to sail the ship around Cape Horn in a horrible storm. An angel bearing a sword appears and dooms the ship and its inhabitants to an eternity of ghostly sailing; Neb and his dog, however, receive the gift of eternal life, the ability to read one another's thoughts, and the duty to roam the world and help others in need. After a brief sojourn in Tierra del Fuego, the story jumps forward to England in 1896, where the boy and his wisecracking dog, now calling themselves Ben and Ned, help save a village from being demolished. From this point on, the novel reads like an old-fashioned children's mystery, with all the good-hearted villagers pitching in, guided by Ben, to find the missing land deeds that would foil the plans of a black-hearted industrialist. Esoteric clues, buried treasure, village bullies, an absentminded librarian, and nice old ladies create a cozy, claustrophobic atmosphere that will make readers wonder what the Flying Dutchman had to do with anything-except for giving Ben nightmares. The supernatural aspects seem out of place and superfluous. Readers who are pulled in by the exciting sea adventure may well abandon the book once it segues to the slower, longer section ashore.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Worthy "Dutchman"
Everyone knows how great Brian Jacques is, from the 12-plus Redwall series. Though he specializes in medieval rodent battles, Jacques's talent shines in a new and unique offering. Though the cover, with a handsome lad in a storm-tossed ship, seems to indicate a very different kind of book from the kind it is.

Ben, the mute hero of the story, survives the destruction of the Flying Dutchman, a sailing ship. Now he wanders the Earth with his talking dog (interesting switch), living forever thanks to an angel. Apparently they're supposed to "bring confidence and sympathy, help others to change their fate." Though this sounds like the beginning of a "Once in a Lifetime"/"Touched by an Angel" drama, it's anything but.

Centuries pass, and the two come to the peculiar town of Chapelvale. The citizens allow them to stay, but the villain is plotting the industrial destruction of their town. A scramble ensues to save the town, full of riddles and hidden clues.

Ben and Ned (the dog) are a delightful duo, well-balanced and sympathetic. Jacques' writing style is smooth and polished, his well-loved formula of good vs. evil as present as ever, even if Ben isn't a walking mouse with a sword.

With delightful dry wit and a supernatural thread running through the prose, Jacques steps outside his series. As well-beloved (and still fresh) as the Redwall books are, hopefully he will write more books in this vein.

Proof that Brian Jacques talents reach further than Redwalll
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.

A good, but not GREAT read.
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.