1837: the Victorian Era approaches and the golden age of piracy draws to a close. Worried that his pirates are getting bored with a life of winking at pretty native ladies, sitting about on tropical beaches, and trying to stick enough jellyfish together to make a bouncy castle, the Pirate Captain decides it's time they had an adventure. A chance encounter with the young Charles Darwin - embarked upon the voyage of discovery that will one day make him famous - leads the Captain and his rag-tag crew from the exotic Galapagos Islands to the fog filled streets of Victorian London, where they encounter grisly murder, vanishing ladies, a diabolical Bishop, the Elephant Man, and have an exciting trip to the zoo.
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Review
'very funny, very silly and highly original.' (ESQUIRE (August 2004) )
'deeply funny...This book has cult smash tattooed all over it.' (Ashley Davies THE LIST (19.8.04) )
'A riotous read.' (Sam Wostear SUN (3.9.04) )
'reads like a cross between My First Pirate Adventure Story and a particularly funny episode of Blackadder.' (Sarah Tierney CITY LIFE (Manchester, 2.9.04) )
'[A] very silly book...The astute reader will have understood by now that pirates are involved. But there are also scientists. And damsels in distress. And an evil genius.' (Nick Chang FOCUS (November 2004) )
'a completely insane story.' (FLIPSIDE (October 2005) **** )
'This charming, original tale will grip you from the first paragraph, and will have you chickling over the pages.' (EVENING EXPRESS (ABERDEEN) 17.9.05 ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
'deeply funny...This book has cult smash tattooed all over it.' (Ashley Davies THE LIST (19.8.04) )
'A riotous read.' (Sam Wostear SUN (3.9.04) )
'reads like a cross between My First Pirate Adventure Story and a particularly funny episode of Blackadder.' (Sarah Tierney CITY LIFE (Manchester, 2.9.04) )
'[A] very silly book...The astute reader will have understood by now that pirates are involved. But there are also scientists. And damsels in distress. And an evil genius.' (Nick Chang FOCUS (November 2004) )
'a completely insane story.' (FLIPSIDE (October 2005) **** )
'This charming, original tale will grip you from the first paragraph, and will have you chickling over the pages.' (EVENING EXPRESS (ABERDEEN) 17.9.05 ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Ashley Davies, THE LIST (19.8.04)
'deeply funny...This book has cult smash tattooed all over it.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
'The best bit about being a pirate,' said the pirate with gout, 'is the looting.' Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
'The best bit about being a pirate,' said the pirate with gout, 'is the looting.' Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The best work of comic fiction since, well. Since Terry Pratchett stabbed comic fiction dead, as it was waiting for the night bus home.
A book written so lovingly, and with such a transparent relish for the subject matter, that you'd have to be dry, joyless and some kind of diseased parasite not to enjoy it.
Yes, it uses piratical cliché - but that's all seven seas away from actually being piratically clichéd; the author's knowledge and blatant fondness for this well-worn genre allow him to tinker with, prod at, tweakily subvert and make funny all the things we'd expect of pirates, and without which we'd be confused, and wonder why we were reading a pirate book in the first place.
The author does all this, and never once veers into being smug, or saying "goodness me, look how clever I was there, that was a play on words, I must be wonderful". It's quite simply the most likeable and funny book I've read in my entire, stupid life.
As this book is so short, however, I must insist that the author writes many, many, more of them.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
The Pirates is a very funny book and you would have to be the Bishop of Oxford not to enjoy it! Plenty of Pirate jokes and Arrrrring but there is also some very funny bits involving Hams, Charles Darwin, Victorian Freak Shows and the Natural History Museum.
I am very much looking forward to the next installment, in which I am hoping that the Pirate Captain will reveal his secret for how he keeps his beard so silky!
I am very much looking forward to the next installment, in which I am hoping that the Pirate Captain will reveal his secret for how he keeps his beard so silky!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I didn't really expect much from this book, as I'm getting quite sick of comic fiction. But as soon as I started reading I was drawn in by the unique tone that the author has used. 'The Pirates In An Adventure With Scientists' tells the story of a crew of hapless pirates on an adventure that takes in Charles Darwin, Victorian London and a 'man-panzee' as well as having fun with the usual pirate clichés. More importantly, it's packed with actual jokes.
It took me a while to get used to the characters (none of the pirates have names!) but when you get into it, the book moves on at a fair pace. It's a bit short, but then it's pretty clear that the author didn't intend to write a pretentious slab of 'proper literature' so much as make the reader laugh. I'd definitely recommend 'The Pirates In An Adventure With Scientists' to anyone with a sense of humour and an interest in the development of Darwinism.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the funniest books I have ever read!
I would recommend this book to anyone. It is not too long/taxing to read, so it makes a lovely revision break. Read more
Published 15 days ago by H
5.0 out of 5 stars
More fun than can possibly be legal!
I bought this for a stupidly cheap price in a discount bookshop last weekend. I can only assume a film tie-in cover is now available...
The Pirates! Read more
The Pirates! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Andrew Lawston
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun read
I ordered this before the film the film came out on the basis of a book review I saw on TV. It is a fun read. I would recommend it.
Published 13 months ago by Lee
2.0 out of 5 stars
Laughable in a bad way
Some Pirates set off on an adventure with Charles Darwin, to exhibit his new discovery - the Manpanzee, a chimp who understands basic etiquette and wears a suit - and save his... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Noel
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Pirates and adventures with scientists
A very enjoyable read and a fond reminder of early Monty Python type humour. The story moves along at a galloping pace introducing the Pirate Captain and his hardy crew, making... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Roland
5.0 out of 5 stars
pirates ahoy
Great story. A must for young and old. Now a new movie release. I will have to purchase the other books in the series.
Published 13 months ago by lindalah
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
I don't really know where to start writing a review for Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. When I was sent a review copy I have to admit that the cover didn't really catch... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Sarah Gibson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Small but perfectly formed silliness
At a 131 pages long - and most of those made up of dialogue in relatively large point font - this is much more the script for a sitcom episode than it is a novel. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2006 by Nigel Collier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imagine blackadder and the young ones at sea!!
Simply the funniest book I have read in years. I know people always say that but I absolutely did laugh out loud and tell all my friends. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2006 by "princesspost"
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Funny I Had To Grow A Beard
Pirates - Hugely funny and completely true (I was a pirate during a turbulent time in the mid 90's). Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2005 by "mauvebeard"
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