What do You think about Flying Dutch (1993)?
Flying Dutch by Tom Holt is a very silly book about Julius Vanderdecker, captain of the legendary ghost ship known since Wagner as the Flying Dutchman. Indeed, Vanderdecker and crew have been sailing the oceans since the 17th century, but they are not ghosts, something they have come to regret, actually. Having accidentally imbibed an elixir that bestowed on them both immortality and a terrible body odor that only lets up for one month out of every seven years, they have been driven out to sea from every port in the world. Jane Doland, an accountant with a conveniently defective sense of smell, discovers evidence of a 400-year-old life insurance policy yet to be paid out, and we’re off on a silly voyage of British comedy and Tom Holt satire far too convoluted to describe in full.
—Judith
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.
—Leigh Terry
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?
—Stephanie
