The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear

i read this one night in one sitting. i was able to do so because i have a special, secret knowledge infiltration center beneath my house unknown to anyone but myself (and now you). i usually read by flashlight because, as Bluebear explains, darkness is conducive to deep thinking but i cannot see in the dark.

Hitchhiker's could not have done better in describing the world into which i stepped. Bluebear is simply part of an infinite universe in which there are trees that grow wrenches, swamps that grow mattresses, and antique worlds that have edible islands, dimensional hiatuses, minipirates, and cogitating quicksand.

modern mythologizing and parables, Bluebear is rich and deep and curiosity-causing. it makes you think about things and show more ponder more. the writing is simple yet engaging and the word-choice is phenomenal - partly, i'm sure, due to the fact that this has been translated from the German but moreso because Moers likes to coin words and phrases that feel good when you say them and read them akin to the way JK Rowling churns out verbage.

this is classified as a kids or YA book but i really think it shouldn't be thought of that way. yes, it might do well with kids that need an imagination boost but, really, let's face it: adults need their minds pried free of the primordially stodgy ooze that exists between their ears most of the time. show less

Ever wondered what it's like to walk through a giant's brain, or live in a tornado? Now you can find out. Gasp! as the eponymous Bluebear narrowly escapes all manner of horrible deaths, from drowning in ear-wax to being dissolved in Spiderwitch venom. Thrill! as your blue hero goes ninety-nine rounds in an all-star lying contest, in front of a gawping Atlantis stadium-crowd! Okay, this is a deeply silly book, and you have to be in the right mood for it. But I love it dearly. Give it a wallop, I say.

Indescribable, mad book, but fun.

A blue bear tells of his bizarre adventures (half of his 27 lives) in a fantasy world of extraordinary creatures. Rescued and raised by mini pirates, taught to talk by Babbling Willows, navigator for a pterodactyl superhero etc etc. Interspersed with snippets from an encyclopaedia about the relevant creatures (shades of Hitchiker's), and plenty of pen and ink illustrations.

The overall effect is like a more adult version of Stewart and Ridell's Edge Chronicles, with touches of Python, fairy tales, Munchausen, Gulliver's Travels, Edward Lear and goodness knows what else.

Lovely use of language, quite apart from the extraordinary imagination behind it.
* "A dimension could, for instance, consist of show more congealed boredom or musical frigidity... there are said to be dimensions in which sorrow is the staple food of creatures that vegetate in little pools of grief."
* "Qwerty oozed majestically"
* A clever description of "equitemporal tunnelling of dimensions" whereby time "can vanish while remaining omnipresent"
* And riding a horse is like moving in time to classical music but riding a camedary is more like a drunk drummer's rhythm.

Also a big book (over 700 large pages) but such fun it's only heavy in the sense of pound and ounces (or Kilos, if you prefer).

Compare this with his wonderful bibliophile's delight, which I reviewed here: The City of Dreaming Books. show less

This a fantasy adventure story about the adventures of a big blue bear as he travels through an extraordinary land that is filled with giants, trolls, hobgoblins, tiny pirates and giant evil spiders...I could have done without the spiders. Bluebear recounts his adventures of getting trapped inside a tornado, crossing a desert made of sugar, and even traveling to other strange dimensions. If that sounds ludicrous, but that's because it is. The entire story is the height of ludicrousness...but it's so much fun...even for we "big kids". It's an adventure story that manages to be both exciting and a satire on other adventure stories. When Bluebear is about to die, and he is rescued at the last moment by a flying reptilian creature; "Deus X. show more Machina" or "Mac", for short. My old brain learned something new..."Deus ex machina" is a literary term that is sometimes used when the problem with a plot is suddenly solved by an unlikely occurrence. Now you have learned something today also...and my young neighbor is now using the term as much as possible in everyday discussions. If you are older than 12, you will probably find that the humor in this book is lot like Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s zany and satirical, usually making fun at literary things like "deus ex machina"...but it’s also so incredibly light-hearted and silly that it easily manages to work as just a fun tall tale that appeals to the hidden "child" in all of us. I loved meeting all the wacky, crazy characters that Bluebear encountered. I would recommend this if you enjoyed witty adventure stories, like the afore mentioned "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy", or even "The Hobbit". If you're looking for a fun and unusual children’s book, although I’d say that this is more for older children since it does have some scarier bits...but if you’re looking for a fun, smart, and zany adventure story then "Bluebear" is your man...I mean, "bear". show less

This book may be short on plot but it makes up for it for the most part with wonderfully descriptive prose and all manner of imaginative creations. It's essentially a combination of Baron Münchhausen and Hitchhiker's Guide, and how one reacts to the unrelenting silliness will essentially decide whether one likes the book or not. Certainly it gets a little formulaic: the titular character meanders across half of Moers' fictional continent of Zamonia, finds himself in seemingly unavoidable danger, a mental encyclopedia tells him exactly what it is that's about to be the cause of his demise, before he somehow eludes danger. (Ursophiles should note that the character doesn't die at the end of his "lives", rather he just changes locale.)

The show more zaniness just about stretches to the book's seven hundred pages, although it's undeniably spread pretty thin at times. And the main character isn't exceptionally likeable when he's actively taking a part in proceedings and not just describing everything around himself.

But the illustrations are lovely and the book's suitably inoffensive to work as either a children's story or one for adults. Albeit, the child would have to have a modicum of knowledge about string theory, quantum mechanics, chemistry, maths, and literature to get many of the jokes. Moreover some of these jokes have presumably been lost in the translation (apparently the name "Bluebear" is a pun in the original German). Altogether the book's nice harmless fun and perfect for a light read now and then. show less

Don't read this if you want logically sound stories, or halfway believable ones, or characters with depth. It won't give it to you.
Do read this to wonder at what the writer has thought of now, and examined though every little detail of silliness. This book takes weird situations, and then doubles them, and then joins them to even weirder situations and then adds something completely improbable.
A book that starts with the main character in mortal peril and then rescued by pirates that are so tiny they have never even managed to board a rowing boat - just try it.
Everything here is unbelievable. Just enjoy the ride.

It's been awhile since I enjoyed a book as much as I enjoyed The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear. From start to finish, it was an imaginative romp through a fantastic land full of creatures with names that would make Roald Dahl weep with pride. The main character, Bluebear, describes the first half of his 26 lives as he travels through Zamonia (a continent that used to exist on earth along with several others which you might not have heard of) meeting creatures such as Troglotrolls, Minipirates, and Shark Grubs. Bluebear is a remarkably resilient sea bear who acquires new skills and knowledge through every stage of his journey. However, the best part of this book (of which there are many) are the illustrations which were done by the show more author himself, Walter Moers. I absolutely love how they are blended and incorporated into the story. This book is the first in a series which Moers created about Zamonia and I'm not ashamed to say that I've already ordered the second in the series which is all about a Wolpertinger named Rumo. O_O This is the kind of book which would be perfect for reading aloud with your kids. It would probably work best for kids in 4th grade and above as the vocabulary is quite advanced and there are some slightly adult themes. Of course, if you're like me then it doesn't matter what age the book was intended for if you enjoy it. Some of my favorite books are considered 'children's literature' and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. :-) show less