What do You think about The Pirates! In An Adventure With Ahab (2005)?
The pirates are back, but it seems that their piratical escapades may be in jeopardy. Their boat is rapidly falling apart, so they pay a visit the boatyard owned by the fearsome Cutlass Liz, the most ferocious lady pirate ever to sail the seven seas (who once ate twenty babies just to prove how ferocious she is). She also is one of the most feared loan sharks, and when the Pirate Captain makes a typically extravagant gesture and buys her most luxurious ship on credit, he only has a limited amount of time to come up with the six thousand dubloons he still owes her before she dismembers them all (as outlined in the contract). Fortunately, Captain Ahab has just placed a bounty on the head of the white whale who ate his leg, and the reward for the capture of the beast just so happens to be six thousand dubloons. Now all the pirates have to do is find a way to catch the whale in time to save all of their skins -- and the Pirate Captain's wonderful beard -- from certain doom.This took me about a hour to read, tops, (as did the first book in the series). It was, of course, very entertaining and I snickered all the way through. It makes a great beach read (incidentally, that's where I read it myself) or for when you just don't want to have to devote a lot of brainpower to something.
—Liz
I thought this was a child/young adult story and i t probably could be although i think that most of the hidden humour and references would wash right over their heads. On the back there was a review which said "Enid Blyton might have written Pirates! after a night in an opium den" which is a good description of the book.The story was fun to read and humourous. The pirates dont have names though just descriptions. I would like to read the other books in this series as it was a good introduction to the series. The only thing i would say that i found hard to follow was the ammount of footnotes. They give history and further information but there isnt really a need for them to be there and its a little distracting.
—Kate
Have at you, you scabrous coves! Here be humourous treasure as The Pirates! have an adventure with whaling that features that miserable old pirate Ahab.Things you might learn about during this adventure:DebtWhale ConservationNantucketMultiple uses for physeter macrocephalusThe migratory course of the accursed Great White WhaleHow The Pirates! once had an adventure with a mosquitoAll the things I said about the first book remain true for this one, Python, ham, Discworld, cutlasses, Snicket, 42, it's all there and this time it's a lot less episodic and more a case of humour squeezed in to the story of Moby Dick/desperately trying to avoid being sliced and diced by angry debtors who The Pirates! wish they'd never borrowed money from. BUT it's just not as brilliantly stupid as the adventure with Scientists. There are a lot of belly laughs and it's still too rude to be suggested reading for children but it felt like Defoe had either run out of ideas or was desperately trying to be a bit sensible at times.I am still looking forward to more adventures with The Pirates! especially as the list of titles listed as being available in the series include one with Jennifer Garner, one with the G.O.P. and one where The Pirates! get sexy. But first I shall move on to The Pirates! In An Adventure With Communists as it's the only one left in my local library.
—Tfitoby
