Le parcours littéraire de Gideon Defoe a commencé de manière inattendue lorsqu'une conversation anodine et le désir d'impressionner une ancienne connaissance l'ont amené à inventer une carrière de romancier. Cette décision improvisée l'a poussé à écrire réellement un roman, qui a ensuite circulé parmi ses amis avant de parvenir à un agent littéraire. Son écriture explore les chemins curieux que la vie peut emprunter, transformant les rencontres fortuites et les récits inventés en histoires captivantes. Bien que son père ait écrit des thrillers d'espionnage, le propre chemin de Defoe vers l'écriture fut moins conventionnel, et il attend avec humour la preuve définitive de sa lignée avec Daniel Defoe.
"I HATE pirates!" declares Queen Victoria. But that won't stop the Pirate Captain. Determined to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award, he takes his life in his hands and enters London. With the help of Darwin, a manpanzee, and a crew of motley misfits, the Pirate Captain struggles to seize booty and restore his pirate honor. Having written the script for the film, Gideon Defoe has brilliantly revisited his story for younger readers. This hilarious book will delight a new generation of fans.
London, 1840: Wagner's latest opera plays to packed houses while disgruntled workers gather in crowded pubs to eat ice cream and plan the downfall of the bourgeoisie. Meanwhile, the Pirate Captain finds himself incarcerated at Scotland Yard, in a case of mistaken identity. Discovering that his doppelgänger is none other than Karl Marx, the Captain and his crew are unwittingly caught up in a sinister plot that involves intellectual giants, enormous beards, and a quest to discover whether ham might really be the opium of the people. Includes, at no additional charge, The Wit and Wisdom of the Pirate Captain—a Major Philosophical Work. On the Matter of Love: If you're off to fight in a battle, snap a ship's biscuit in half and give your girlfriend the other half. When you meet again, they will match—like two halves of a single soul! Hopefully, this will stop her sleeping with other men. On Life in General: Life is like a big shanty. Everything will be fine so long as everyone sings in harmony. But if someone plays a duff note on the accordion or tries to break-dance at a sensitive bit, then there will be all sorts of trouble, mark my words.
In 1837, a bored pirate captain and his eclectic crew decide to seek adventure on the high seas. Their unexpected success in boarding a ship leads them to young Charles Darwin, who urgently needs their help. The pirates embark on a journey to London to uncover sinister plots, a gruesome murder, a missing lady, and a treacherous bishop.
'Whilst visiting their bank manager on the shores of Lake Geneva, the pirates encounter the literary giants of their age: the swaggering Lord Byron, the oddly shifty Percy Shelley - and his beautiful fiancée, Mary. Together they embark upon an adventure that leads them into the bowels of Oxford and the forbidding heart of eastern Europe. Along the way the Pirate Captain must confront some important questions, namely: what is the secret behind his belly tattoo? Is 'Zombuloid, the corpse-beast' a better name for a monster than 'Gorgo: Half-man, half-seaweed'? And, most importantly, what happens when a pirate falls in love?'
Since she sailed away after the pirates' adventure with scientists, the pirates' boat has been somewhat battered by the rigours of ocean life. Her mast keeps collapsing, her wheel has broken off and several of the pirates have ended up with nasty splinters. Realising his paintings can only cover up the leaks for so long, the Pirate Captain decides he must pay a visit to Cutlass Liz's boat yard (Liz is 'famed for having the best face on the entire eastern seaboard') and trade his ship in for a newer model. Dazzled by the swan-lined curtains and tennis courts of 'The Lovely Emma', and frankly, by Cutlass Liz's lovely face, the Pirate Captain makes a rash decision and finds himself with a debt of six thousand doubloons, and very little time in which to pay it before the sands of Liz's hourglass run out and he and his crew are gutted like fish. And so the Pirates set forth on a courageous voyage and a desperate quest for some ready cash. Their adventure will take them from the Florida Keys to the bright lights of Las Vegas, to the ends of the earth in search of a mythical white whale, and even, perhaps into the dark depths of madness. But hopefully, they'll be home in time for tea.
Adventure? Yes, more than one! Derring-do? Yes! Storms? Sea monsters? Rival pirates? Of course! Cameos by frequently anachronistic historical figures? You betcha! All that and more. Not since "Moby-Dick." ... No, not since "Treasure Island." ... Actually, not since Jonah and the Whale has there been a group of seafarers to rival The Pirates!, and their leader, the greatest ocean-faring hero of all time, the immortal Pirate Captain, who, although he lives for months at a time on the bounding main somehow manages to keep his beard silky and in good condition
Just make sure we've got plenty of hams on board. I didn't really enjoy our last adventure much because we ran out of hams about halfway through. And what's my motto? I like ham! It is 1837, and for the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain and his rag-tag pirate crew, life on the high seas has gotten a little dull. With nothing to do but twiddle their hooks and lounge aimlessly on tropical beaches, the Captain decides it's time they had an adventure. A surprisingly successful boat raid leads them to the young Charles Darwin, in desperate need of their help. And so the pirates set forth for London in a bid to save the scientist from the evil machinations of a diabolical Bishop. There they encounter grisly murder, vanishing ladies, the Elephant Man - and have an exciting trip to the zoo.
From the author of The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists, now a major motion picture from Aardman Animations ad Sony Pictures
Prisoners of Geography meets Bill Bryson: a funny, fascinating, beautifully illustrated - and timely - history of countries that, for myriad and often ludicrous reasons, no longer exist.
Die unglaublichen Piraten stechen wieder in See! Nach ihrem ersten furiosen Auftritt hat sich der Piratenkapitän ein neues Schiff geleistet - leider, ohne sich großartig um die Finanzierung zu kümmern. Auf der Flucht vor ihren gnadenlosen Gläubigern führt es die unerschrockene Crew nicht nur nach Las Vegas und ins Reich der Killermoskitos, sie treffen auch auf einen gewissen Ahab, der den mysteriösen weißen Wal jagt.
