''The Pirates!'' is a series of five comedy books following a group of pirates on their adventures. It is written by British author Gideon Defoe and was published starting in 2004 by
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991.
History
George Weidenfeld a ...
. The fifth book, ''The Pirates! in an Adventure with the Romantics'' was released in 2012, and was published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
* The Pirate Captain, the protagonist of the series. He is arrogant, naïve, and mostly incompetent as a pirate and as a sea captain, to the point of being completely unaware of how to sail a ship. The few times he attempts to capture and loot ships, he fails in spectacular fashion. Instead, he and his pirate crew spend most of their time having "adventures," which always involve famous historical and/or literary figures. In spite of his blundering, the Pirate Captain is ultimately well-meaning, and very much respected by his crew. He is frequently described as "all teeth and curls, but with a pleasant, open face," and is proud of his luxuriant beard.
* The Pirate with a Scarf, the Pirate Captain's closest best friend and trustworthy, logical second-in-command, who serves as a
straight man
The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the c ...
for his antics. It is strongly implied that he does most of the actual work of sailing the ship. Despite occasionally chafing at his sidekick role, the Pirate with a Scarf is unfailingly loyal to the Captain.
* The Pirate in Red, a sarcastic, world-weary pirate who frequently makes biting remarks about the Pirate Captain and other crew members.
* The Pirate in Green, described as an "everyman type" by the Pirate Captain.
* The Albino Pirate, whom the Captain calls the ship's "happy idiot."
* Jennifer, a Victorian lady who joins the pirate crew during ''An Adventure With Scientists''.
* Various other pirates described by the Captain as mostly interchangeable. These include the Pirate with Gout, the Pirate with Bedroom Eyes, the Pirate with a Hook for a Hand, the Pirate from the Bronx, and others.
Other characters
*
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
, the antagonist of the series. An angry, mean and evil monarch who throws angry tantrums and hates pirates a lot as they call her a spoiled brat. In the end, due to her threats, she is killed by the Pirates Captain and his crew by throwing her into the fiery pit of hot lava.
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists
*
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
, a friendly naturalist who is attempting to prove his theory of evolution by exhibiting an educated monkey named "Mr. Bobo the Man-Panzee." He appears in ''An Adventure With Scientists.''
*
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...
, captain of
HMS Beagle
HMS ''Beagle'' was a 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, one of more than 100 ships of this class. The vessel, constructed at a cost of £7,803 (roughly equivalent to £ in 2018), was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on t ...
.
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Whaling
*
Captain Ahab
Captain Ahab is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in Herman Melville's ''Moby-Dick'' (1851). He is the monomaniacal captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod''. On a previous voyage, the white whale Moby Dick bit off Ahab's leg, ...
, the fictional character from
Moby-Dick
''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...
, who is obsessed with hunting down his nemesis, the White Whale.
This book was originally released in September 2005 in the U.K. under the title, ''The Pirates! in an Adventure with Whaling''. In October 2005 it was released in the U.S. under the title, ''The Pirates! in an Adventure with Ahab''. In January 2012 it was released in paperback form in the U.K. under the title, ''The Pirates! in an Adventure with Moby Dick''.
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Communists
*
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
, philosopher and founder of
Communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
, who is mistaken for the Pirate Captain due to his similarly luxuriant beard.
*
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels" '' Richard Wagner, composer of operas, who spearheads a plot to discredit Communism.
*
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...
, who the book erroneously identifies as the founder of
Fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
. The fictionalized version of Nietzsche wears a large mechanical exoskeleton, and plots to take over Europe so he can get a girlfriend.
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Napoleon
*
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
, a general from Revolutionary France, who butts heads with the Pirate Captain when they both retire to St. Helena at the same time.
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Romantics
*
Mary Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...
, author of
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
. Mary is a love interest for the Pirate Captain, who bonds with her over their shared love of monsters.
* Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary's fiancé, an educated, pretentious Romantic poet.
*
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...
, an extremely loud and sex-crazed Romantic poet.
* Charles Babbage, a highly logical inventor who can't stand Romanticism.
Minor characters
* Black Bellamy, the Pirate Captain's arch-nemesis.
* Cutlass Liz, owner of a used-boat store.
* The Pirate King
Film adaptation
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay ani ...
in partnership with
Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...
loosely adapted ''The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists '' into a 3D stop-motion animated film internationally titled ''The Pirates! Band of Misfits''. Released on 28 March 2012, and directed by
Peter Lord
Peter Lord CBE (born 1953) is an English animator, director, producer and co-founder of the Academy Award-winning Aardman Animations studio, an animation firm best known for its clay-animated films and shorts, particularly those featuring p ...
, the film features the voices of
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...
,
Martin Freeman
Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Freeman's most not ...
,
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
,
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
,
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series '' Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the Britis ...
, and Imelda Staunton. The film was met with very positive reviews, while it earned $118 million against the budget of $55 million. A short film, titled ''So You Want to Be a Pirate!'', was released on the film's DVD and Blu-ray, and it shows The Pirate Captain hosting his own talk show about being a true pirate.