Brian Jacques is
one of my favorite authors because of his writing style, wit, and his
ability to be able to portray good and evil in a realistic but hopeful
strain. He is most famous for writing the Redwall series, but shows that
he is able to carry his talent for character development and wit into
other worlds as well.
In Castaways of the Flying
Dutchman, we are introduced to a mute boy and a stray dog. Through a set
of bewildering (and frightening) circumstances, they are blessed by an
angel to stay forever young and help around the world. The book jumps
ahead about 130 years and we experience one story of how the boy and his
dog help make the world a better place.
I really liked
this story, because it was a light-hearted book, though it dealt with
some heavy elements at times. The boy and his dog are innocent, though
they have seen so much in the world, and truly fight for good. It gives
one hope for the world and hope for good people, even when there are bad
ones all around.
I have two issues with Brian Jacques
writing; firstly, he writes so well and keeps me so entertained that I
am always sad when I finish one of his books because I want it to keep
going. Secondly, his characters tell white lies without seeing a
problem. So long as there is no harm done, there is nothing wrong with
lying. His characters often see consequences for other sins, such as
stealing or gluttony or being rude, but very rarely for lying.
Overall,
this is a fantastic book. The only concern would be for people who are
uncomfortable with the idea of ghosts (there are bad guy pirates who are
also never allowed to die).
Review by Beckyelsie
No comments:
Post a Comment