The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
I’m not going to review this book. On Amazon, dan2004 says “you certainly get a lot of laughs per pound” and “A reader” says “I kept putting itdown and down and down again. I put it down so many times I started tothink it was a coaster.” But as “A reader”‘s review refers to the non-existent paperback review you can discard that. I agree with dan2004 – a lot of laffs and I wasn’t disappointed I’d paid a hardback price.
I could out-PoMo the universe by just reviewing the footnotes. The footnotes are nearly all scientific facts or at least real information, from the boiling points and melting points of a couple of elements, to the recipe for a Mai Tai cocktail and the advantages of wearing black. They stand in deliberate contrast to the main story which is told in wide-eyed childish language in the broadest-strokes possible – the characters are called “The Pirate Captain” “The Pirate in red” “The Pirate with an accordion” and so on. I particularly liked the bit when they first meet Darwin and he explains his theory.
I have a feeling this book won’t be hard for you to find – it’ll be there in the counterpacks between Schite’s Miscellany and The Little Book of Sp@m so pick it up and leaf through. If the style doesn’t have you smiling or larfing out loud within one short page then leave it alone. Otherwise it’s quite pricey and you can get it at Amazon at a discount.
Unfortunate this book will be compared to Pratchett, which will attract the Pratchett fans, but it will put off many others who would get a kick out of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the author came out with a sequel soon. And then another, and then… well when exactly did Pratchett become annoying again? (NB rhetorical! i.e. Don’t fill the comments up with answers to this)