By Walter Moers
David and Katie got me this for Christmas, and what a joy!
It was totally surreal, yet immensely believable. It seemed totally random at times, but came together very strongly at the end. No loose ends is always a good way to end a book, less frustration on the part of the reader. The imagination on show is incredible. While a lot of elements are clearly inspired by myths and legends, 75% of the book is pure, original fantasy. The book is partly illustrated as well, which I always enjoy. The font size increases and decreases to emphasise certain things, and some characters even have a unique font all to themselves – The narrative never gets so complex that these players require a different font, but it does help give them more character.
The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear chronicles the first half of the titular Bluebear’s 26 lives, and each takes up a chapter of book. Some are longer than others – I guess you can’t determine how long your lives are going to be really, can you?
More than anything else, it was the sheer imagination that made me enjoy this book so much. I’m just going to list a bunch of my favourites. Minipirates: Exactly as their name suggests. Hobgoblins that, in this fiction, feed off of emotions. A pair of clouds that do nothing but talk called The Babbling Billows. A one-eyed giant black whale called the Tyrannomobyus Rex. An island with bountiful supplies of gorgeous food, which turns out to be a venus fly-trap style carnivorous land mass. The Roving Reptilian Rescuers, whose job it is to save people from death at the very last second possible. Atlantis defying all its preconceptions. The seven-brained Nocturnomath Professor Abdullah Nightingale, and the Nocturnal Academy, where it turns out that knowledge is a kind of bacteria that loves darkness. Qwerty Uiop, a gelatine Prince from the 2364th Dimension. The Troglotroll – the most reviled and sneaky creature in all the land. Mountain Maggots – these guys are made of steel and eat rock. The Great Forest, playground for the illusion-creating Spiderwitch. Alternate dimensions, all impacting each other. Tornados as public transport, with imaginative internal structures. Giants called Megabolloggs, who discard their heads for years at a time. Being inside a one of those heads, meeting thoughts and feelings. Brazillian tobacco Dwarves. A tournament based on who can come up with the most extravagant lies. The Zamonium – an element that is intelligent.
Bluebear learnt so much on his travels, a valuable lesson in every chapter pretty much. How to exist on a ship, how to control his emotions, how to communicate effectively, how to lie, and in the chapter he enrols in the Nocturnal Academy, he learns pretty much everything. All these lessons play their part in the conclusion, and although Bluebear has had the best education (both academic and real-life learning) possible, he’s modest and still immensely likeable by the end. Oh, the “½” in the book’s title refers to Bluebear’s 14th life, where there is no problem to overcome, and no resolution. It simply tells that Bluebear has met his soulmate, and will live happily ever after. For his 14th life, at least. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more adventures to come in the latter half of Bluebear’s life.
All in all – amazing book.
