Castaways Of The Flying Dutchman
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''Castaways of the Flying Dutchman'' is the first novel in the ''Castaways'' series by
Brian Jacques James Brian Jacques (, as in "Jakes"; 15 June 1939 – 5 February 2011) was an English novelist known for his ''Redwall'' series of novels and ''Castaways of the Flying Dutchman'' series. He also completed two collections of short stories entit ...
and was published in 2001. It is based on the legend of the cursed ship known as the ''
Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dut ...
''. A young boy,
Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir"; Biblical Hebrew: ''Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar''), also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling ...
(later Neb (shortened) and Ben (reversed)), and his dog, Denmark (named after the country in which he was found and later Den (shortened) and Ned (reversed)), are the lone survivors of the ''Flying Dutchman'', fated to wander the earth forever
immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
and youthful, helping those who need aid. The cover art was illustrated by Michael Koelsch. The second and third books in the series, ''
The Angel's Command ''The Angel's Command'' is a 2003 novel by Brian Jacques, author of the popular children's series '' Redwall'', and the sequel to '' Castaways of the Flying Dutchman''. It follows the adventures of an immortal boy and his dog as they face pirates ...
'' and ''
Voyage of Slaves Voyage(s) or The Voyage may refer to: Literature *''Voyage : A Novel of 1896'', Sterling Hayden * ''Voyage'' (novel), a 1996 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter *''The Voyage'', Murray Bail * "The Voyage" (short story), a 1921 story by K ...
'', were published in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Koelsch also illustrated the cover art of the third novel.


Plot summary

A fourteen-year-old nameless boy, who at the beginning has no parents and is a
mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...
. He is apparently running away from his life as an abused
orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
, and accidentally slips on the ''Flying Dutchman'' as a
stowaway A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus. Sometimes, the purpose is to get from one place to another without paying for transportation. In other cas ...
. He is found, and made to work with the cook, Petros, an antagonistic character who abuses him. Petros names the boy Neb, which is short for Nebuchadnezzar. One day, while the crew is off drinking in the port town of
Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)
, a dog wanders onto the ship and is befriended by Neb. He names the dog Denmark, after the country he found the dog in. They strike up an immediate friendship. Den hides under sacks until it is safe to come out. The cruel, wild, and fearsome Captain Vanderdecken steers his ship on a long voyage to get
emeralds Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p. ...
from a dealer across the ocean, supposedly in Asia. The ship sails to the tip of South America, the treacherous
Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...
, and unsuccessfully attempts to pass three times. After the third attempt, Captain Vanderdecken curses the Lord for smiting him, and an
angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
descends from heaven and curses the ship to sail the seas for eternity. The angel, however, realizes Nebuchadnezzar and Denmark are pure of heart and not part of the motley, now undead, crew, and has them swept overboard by a great wave. The angel blesses them, telling them to walk the earth forever, wise and forever young, to give kindness and guidance wherever they go. They later wash up on shore and discover that they are able to communicate by thought. They are found and taken in by a kind-hearted
shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...
named Luis who grows fond of them, but does not ask about their past. After spending three years with him, Luis dies in a storm trying to save an ewe. The angel appears in a dream telling them that they must move on at the sound of a bell, which they hear jingling on the neck of a sheep walking by. Neb and Den, young but ageless, must leave. The story picks up many years later. Both characters have changed their names (by reversing them); Neb is now Ben and Den is Ned. It is apparent that they have lived with each other for several centuries. One day, they get on a train without knowing where they are going, and end up getting off at the village of Chapelvale. They meet a lady named Mrs. Winn as well as a boy named Alex and a girl named Amy. The children warn them about the Grange Gang, a group of local bullies. The gang leader, Wilf, takes an immediate disliking to Ben. Together, Ben, Ned, Amy, Alex, and Mrs. Winn go on a treasure hunt to save the town, which is about to be converted into a
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
quarry and cement factory. They team up with an old ship's carpenter named Jon (who is at first believed to be a madman), a milkman named Will, and Will's family. They follow a series of clues written by Mrs. Winn's ancestor, who was believed to have been given the
deed In common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions, sealed. It is commonly associated with transferring ...
s to the town. One clue leads to a treasure (which is a
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
artifact) and another clue and continues that way until three treasures and clues have been found. The last clue, of course, is the hardest and is the last thing that may show them the location of the deeds to Chapelvale. The deeds to the village are found and Mrs. Winn is able to claim Chapelvale as her property so that it can be saved. However, the angel appears once again and informs Ben and Ned that they must leave Chapelvale and their friends at the sound of a bell. Jon finds a bell in the Almshouse and becomes excited about the discovery. He and Will decide to try the bell out. Ben and Ned run as fast as they can, hoping that if they cannot hear the bell they will not have to leave, but they cannot get away in time. However, they must move on.


Main characters

*Neb (Later Ben), orphan. *Denmark (Den for short and later Ned), Ben's dog. *Captain Vanderdecken *Luis the Shepherd *Winifred Winn *Obadiah Smithers *Wilf Smithers *Amy Somers *Alex Somers *Jon Preston *Will Drummond *Eileen Drummond


Minor characters

*Mr. Braithwaite *Regina Woodworthy *Maud Bowe *Tommo *Horatio (Mrs. Winn's cat) *Scraggs *Jamil *Sindh *Vogel *Cap'n Winn *Hetty *Clarissa Smithers *Archie *Mr. Mackay *Dai Evans *Blodwen Evans *Petros *The Chinese Gem Dealer *Bjornsen *Bjornsen's Three Sons


Sequels

*''
The Angel's Command ''The Angel's Command'' is a 2003 novel by Brian Jacques, author of the popular children's series '' Redwall'', and the sequel to '' Castaways of the Flying Dutchman''. It follows the adventures of an immortal boy and his dog as they face pirates ...
'', published in 2003 *''
Voyage of Slaves Voyage(s) or The Voyage may refer to: Literature *''Voyage : A Novel of 1896'', Sterling Hayden * ''Voyage'' (novel), a 1996 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter *''The Voyage'', Murray Bail * "The Voyage" (short story), a 1921 story by K ...
'', published in 2006


Translations

*''Les Naufragés du Hollandais Volant, tome 1'' (French) *''Die Gestrandeten'' (German) *''La Vera Storia dell'Olandese Volante'' (Italian) *''Skipbrudne fra Den flygende hollender'' (Norwegian) *''Os Náufragos do Holandês Voador'' (Portuguese) *''I Navagi tou Iptamenou Olandou'' (Greek) *''Haaksirikkoiset'' (Finland) *''Двое с "Летучего Голландца"'' (Russian)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castaways Of The Flying Dutchman 2001 British novels 2001 fantasy novels British fantasy novels Novels by Brian Jacques Castaways in fiction Flying Dutchman