A high-seas tale of plucky buccaneers, savage Spanish colonialism and the most fearsome captain of the Caribbean, translated into English.
An icon of Italian and Spanish literature, Salgari’s novel is one of the greatest archetypes of the genre and boasts recognition from such luminaries as Jean-Paul Sartre, Umberto Eco and Jorge Luis Borges as the book that captured the imagination of their childhood. The Black Corsair—a brooding, if not melancholic, pirate—is obsessed with avenging the deaths of his pirate brothers, the Red and Green Corsairs, who have been slain by the ruthless and traitorous Duke Van Guld, governor of Maracaibo, after he betrayed their alliance in a battle against the Spanish. Driven from his Italian estate, nobleman Emilio Roccanera, Lord of Ventimiglia, is transformed into the renowned and much-feared Black Corsair who vows to track the duke across the globe, traversing the jade waters of the Caribbean—from the pirate haven of Tortuga to the nearly impassable jungles of the Spanish Main—in his effort to enact vengeance. Aiding the corsair in his journey are his faithful compatriots L’Ollonais, Michael the Basque and Henry Morgan, each more than willing to sacrifice his life to the cause as per the code of the Brethren of the Coast. Though pirate lore would have you believe all pirates are scoundrels of dastardly deeds, the Black Corsair’s aristocratic background makes him a gentleman at heart, which attracts the attention of a fair-haired duchess whose family ties will ultimately test the limits of the Black Corsair’s sanity in his blood-lusting quest. Though the story suffers from brief periods of tedium as it plods along and makes frequent and obvious use of foreshadowing, the book is eminently readable and great fun. It’s easy to see why this novel has captured imaginations for more than 100 years, as it’s a perfect example of escapist pleasure for both children and adults. As for translation itself, the language is clear and concise, and Lorenzutti nicely maintains the tempo and pace of the original, making for a fast-paced reading experience. This work is faithful to the original and does a great service to reintroduce this classic to a new generation of readers. A true page-turner and classic adventure story, Salgari’s tale of exotica is a welcome diversion.
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-0978270780
Page Count: 285
Publisher: ROH
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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