Entries Categorized as 'Seafaring'
Posted by Sarah
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review, Seafaring
Tags:Fairies
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Trot and Cap’n Bill meet some mermaids who invite them to visit their palace underwater. Trot and Cap’n Bill accept the invitation and, after the mermaids give Trot the form of a mermaid and Cap’n Bill the form of a merman, they all go to the palace, where Trot and Cap’n Bill meet Queen Aquareine of the mermaids. But Zog the Magician captures the queen, Trot, Cap’n Bill, and Princess Clia, and it’s a battle of magic to see who will come out victorious.
As a warning, in my copy of this book a few little sections have the lines of text switched around, so you have to read it out of order so it makes sense. Zog is pretty sinister. The battles of magic in his castle are neat. Most of the book is more of Trot and Cap’n Bill visiting the ocean, but it picks up somewhat at the end with Zog.
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Posted by Ruth
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Good Read Aloud, Review, Seafaring
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When the Walker children, John, Susan, Titty, and Roger, receive permission to explore and camp for a full week on the island nearby where they’re vacationing, they are positively delighted. They set out in the sailboat, the Swallow, and the adventures begin. A few days after their arrival, they meet Nancy and Peggy Blackett, who are crusading as fearsome Amazon pirates. A friendship is struck up immediately and an offence-or-defense treaty is signed, so that they can war together or against each other as desired. But their one common cause is against Captain Flint (or rather, Nancy and Peggy’s Uncle Jim), living on a houseboat, whose terrible crime is a refusal to join in their fun this summer.
I really had a lot of fun reading this one. I’d never heard of it before until just a month or two ago, but even though it’s considered Juvenile Fiction, I’m convinced that readers of any age would enjoy Swallows and Amazons. After all, who hasn’t dreamed as a child of having adventures on a remote island? Being centered so much around boats, there is a lot of boat-related jargon that I found difficult to pick up on at first, but by the time I’d made it halfway through the book I was able to follow along without a problem.
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Posted by Ruth
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Review, Scary, Seafaring
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Packer Throme, burdened with an uncertainty and a guilt about his life, resolves to sneak aboard the Trophy Chase, a fine ship manned by the pirate Scatter Wilkens. Or rather, the recent pirate. Wilkens has turned fisherman in the quest to find and hunt the legendary Firefish, fearsome creatures that bring a high price on the market. Packer has information about them and hopes to join in with the intent of learning enough of the trade to help out his hometown. But things are not as easy as they seem, and soon even Panna, his love back home, is swept into adventure.
A very interesting read with much food for thought. From what I gathered, it employs the “turn the other cheek” policy to the point where, boiled down, it’s almost saying that it is wrong to fight or resist when you are confronted or even accosted by an evil person. And I believe there is something to be said about fighting for justice. However, the main theme throughout is really trusting God with everything, including your life. That, I agree with wholeheartedly. I’m still mulling over the rest; it’s a well-crafted novel. The Hand That Bears the Sword, part two of the trilogy is available as well, and The Battle for Vast Dominion, the concluding book, has just been published the beginning of this year.
(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
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Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Long Read, Review, Science Fiction, Seafaring
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The English brig James Cook, under the command of Captain Gibson, carries out costal trading in the Pacific waters off the coast of New Zealand. Unbeknownst to the Captain, his bosun Flig Balt and a no-good sailor called Vin Mod are plotting a mutiny. Between the two of them, they manage to infiltrate the crew with ruffians who have agreed to help them murder Captian Gibson and anyone who sides with him. The would-be mutineers have the advantage until the James Cook picks up two Dutch castaways, Karl and Peter Kip. Angered by the Kip brothers’ interference, Flig and Vin decide to carry out their plan with one small modification: To pin the murder on the Kips. Trapped by a mound of evidence (provided by the wily Vin Mod), the Kip brothers are convicted and sentenced to hard labor for life in the penal colony of Port Arthur. Can Mr. Hawkins, the only friend the Kips have left, find some scrap of material proof that they are innocent?
Frankly, I was a bit disappointed in this one. It was easy to put down, and rather repetitive. Of course, it might be the translation, as it was originally written in French, but then Verne was French, so one would assume all his books were originally in French. The ending caught me by surprise. It was scientific, but strange-sounding to the point of improbability. There were sections about the history of some of the islands in that area, which might be interesting to anyone wanting to know the times they were discovered and by whom.
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Older Readers, Review, Scary, Seafaring
Tags:pirates
11 Comments »
Isle of Swords (Hardcover)
by Wayne Thomas Batson
ISBN: 1400310180
Price: USD 11.55
49 used & new available from USD 6.99
It all starts when Declan Ross, captain of the William Wallace, and his headstrong daughter Anne take on a badly injured boy who has no memory of his previous life. As time goes on, the truth about a great treasure, long believed lost, is revealed. Hidden by a mysterious order of monks, this treasure must be reclaimed—and Declan Ross is the one to do it. Perilous dangers await in the journey, and Bartholomew Thorne, the most dreaded pirate on the high seas, is determined to find the treasure first. So begins a deadly race to the Isle of Swords with more at stake than first meets the eye.
Despite a few flaws, I was quite impressed with this book. A great page-turner, memorable characters, and many intricate subplots. I debated whether to mark this for ages 13+, like the other Wayne Thomas Batson books we’ve reviewed, or to bump it up to 15+. I will leave it at 13+ with a warning: Bartholomew Thorne is not a nice fellow, and he does not treat his prisoners kindly. Nothing was overly vivid, but it had me grimacing on several occasions. So do take that into consideration.
Also, I was under the impression that Isle of Swords was a stand-alone book. Be forewarned! I raced through the climax right to the end where the story is left at a cliffhanger. While the main plot is resolved, many mysterious puzzles are left unsolved. All that to say, I’ll be watching for Isle of Fire, the sequel.
(11 votes, average: 4.73 out of 5)
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