A tragi-comic tale of betrayal and intrigue amongst a group of old friends and explorers in the arctic. Army Shanks, our hero, left the RCAN (Royal Canadian Arctic Navy) to become a pirate and explorer. His ultimate goal is to sail to Far Arden, but to do that he must steal back his ship.On his journey he encounters a young orphan named Alastair Cavendish, his ex-lover Fortuna, her husband and Shanks former friend Pinho, not to mention other friends and enemies from his former days in the "Scrimshaw Club." Everything is connected, every character in the bar during the first scene makes an appearance throughout the book, often creating absurd situations and showing up in bizarre locations.I was surprised at the tragic nature of the book, though I wouldn't spoil it for anyone reading, but this is not as it seems a light-hearted comedy, but a tale of tragedy and loss in the arctic. Anger's encounter with the polar bear did not surprise me, but the Death MRI scene did, and after that I wasn't sure what to expect..."I am going outside and may be some time." The tale of Armitage "Army" Shanks, notorious Arctic pirate, and his quest for the fabled island of Far Arden, a tropical paradise hidden somewhere in the Canadian Arctic, is a light-hearted adventure story with moments of grim darkness. Filled with navy battles, polar bear-fighting, evil circuses and a whole lot of punching. it's a lot of fun, with the occasional serious moment, and it mostly works, though the ending feels rather rushed - this is definitely a story more about the journey than the destination.There is definitely an old-school cartoon vibe to this book, both in terms of the story and the art. I'm not good at all at describing artistic styles, but if I had to, I'd say this is like Tin Tin done in the style of 18th century woodcuts (see, I said I was terrible at this), coupled with a more modern story-telling sensibility, in terms of both humour and tragedy (it gets very dark at times). Definitely good value, especially since the entire story is available online for free (but dont read it that way you tightass, just buy the damn thing - it was only $5 USD for nearly 400 pages)
What do You think about Far Arden (2009)?
Started off very silly and used tons of devices that I hate. And then I read the whole thing.
—sunita
A lighthearted adventure tale that takes a very dark turn at the end. Brace yourself for it.
—Ariel
Rollicking boy's own adventure tale; not for me, however.
—Lluvia132
