The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

Author: Walter Moers
Published: October 20, 2005 (Overlook)
Category: Fantasy
Quote of Choice: My earliest memory is of being afloat in rough seas, naked and alone in a walnut shell, for at first I was very, very small.

Welcome to Zamonia, a continent like no other, filled with strange creatures and wacky adventures. It's located between Eurasia and North America, seemingly many years ago.

Our narrator is Bluebear, the last known creature of his species in Zamonia. Apparently, a bluebear has 27 lives, and this book describes 13 1/2 of Bluebear's lives. However, describing 13 1/2 lives takes up quite a big of paper... 703 pages, to be exact. Some of the lives are very short, like Bluebear's time with the minipirates. These creatures are six inches tall and born with eyepatches, peglegs for both legs, and iron hooks for both hands. The chapter on Bluebear's life in Atlantis was the longest of all, and I found it to be a bit long-winded, involving a lot of lists.

From a production standpoint, this book is quirky and wonderful, but I'd never want to work on it. There are illustrations throughout and little encyclopedia extracts that explain a new creature you encounter, courtesy of Professor Abdullah Nightingale, the most intelligent being in the universe (he has seven brains).

Despite the daunting length of this book, it's easy to put it down and take a break because it's more like a collection of stories rather than a continuous plot. It took me quite a while (in my standards) to finish it - I started on April 11th.

Walter Moers, the author and illustrator has another Zamonia book coming out this fall. This time, it's about a character Bluebear met in his travels, a Wolperting named Rumo. I will definitely pick it up!