ALA Booklist (Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2003)

In this sequel to Castaways of the Flying Dutchman (2001), Ben and his black Labrador pal, Ned, continue their travels after an angel rescues them from the evil crew of the ship The Flying Dutchman. As with the first book, this novel is divided into two nearly separate stories. The first plops the heroes into seventeenth-century Caribbean waters, teaming them with Captain Thuron, a valiant French buccaneer. This adventure comes to an abrupt end with Thuron's death, and Ben and Ned soon find themselves allied with new compatriots in an attempt to rescue a young man from the Razan, a tribe well versed in the black arts who live high in the Pyrenees. Although the heroes usually escape from tight spots through fortuitous accidents or divine intervention rather than clever plot twists, Jacques has still come up with another page-turner. Readers who enjoyed the first book will find this sequel even more exciting.

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2003)

Ben, the immortal protagonist of Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, joins the crew of a pirate ship in a voyage marked by wild chases, dangerous attacks, and a mutinous crew. Upon arriving in France, Ben searches for a young man kidnapped many years earlier by an evil local clan. Set in the early seventeenth century, this big, sprawling adventure will win new fans for Jacques's series.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>Buccaneers and privateers, Carib hunters with poisoned darts, killer sharks, fiends, angels, and insane Captain Vanderdecken of the ghost ship Flying Dutchman converge in this rousing second installment in Jacques's Castaways of the Flying Dutchman (2001). Ben and his faithful black Labrador, Ned, the only two to escape Captain Vanderdecken's doomed ship in the first volume of the series, return to sail with buccaneer Captain Raphael Thuron, the terror of the Caribbean. The immortal duo, who communicate telepathically, continue the mission of the Angel of the Lord: "to do good and help others wherever the need arose." After swashbuckling adventures in the Caribbean and the sinking of Thuron's La Petite Marie, Ben and Ned find their mission: go to France, rescue the nephew of Comte Vicente Bregon of Veron, and help Father Mattieu, Captain Thuron's younger brother. Rescuing Adamo means entering the clutches of evil Maguda Razan in her caves in the Spanish Pyrenees, and a new round of adventures begins. Joining Ben and Ned are Dominic, the legendary Facemaker of Sabada, and Karayna, gypsy singer and accomplished pickpocket. Labyrinthine passageways, hideous tortures, the cobra-like Maguda, avalanches, and the help of new friends make this a faster-paced read than its predecessor. Jacques's formula works well again. Readers always know who the good and bad guys are, and vivid language, larger-than-life characters, and multiple story lines yield a sprawling, epic tale. Anyone, young and old, who enjoys being immersed in big, romantic adventures, will love this series. Young readers hooked by Jacques's storytelling magic in Castways and the Redwall series are destined to be readers for life. May his readers be legion. (Fiction. 10+)</p>

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this sequel to <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, young Ben and his faithful black Labrador, Ned, having escaped the ghostly ship's hellish curse but bound to wander the world for eternity lending a helping hand wherever needed, return for another spate of adventures. Once again, Jacques spins a rousing yarn that fairly bursts at the seams with exciting escapades, exotic locations, poems, shanties, treachery and derring-do as the heroes travel from the pirate-infested Caribbean to a cave awash with evil magic high in the Pyrénées. If Jacques piles it on a bit thick in what actually becomes two separate tales—one a sea voyage and the other an overland trek—the sheer storytelling vigor is hard to resist. The second half of the book proves especially enticing, when Ben and his dog, who communicate telepathically and whose affectionate sparring provides much of the book's spark, team up with a feisty gypsy girl and a young artist to save the long-lost son of a nobleman. As in all of Jacques's books, he conjures a colorful, fully realized world (particularly the gastronomic delights) and injects the pages with plenty of snappy repartee ("Cease cackling like a market goose, you old relic," the nobleman calls affectionately to his cook). Readers can once again take satisfaction in the fact that virtue is rewarded, evil-doers get their comeuppance and good triumphs over evil in Jacques's universe. All ages. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Mar.)

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-This installment in the series is not Jacques at his best. It is 1628, and Ben and his dog, Ned, have been charged by an angel to wander the world helping people. To aid them, they have been given the ability to communicate telepathically. Early in the book they point out to a French buccaneer, Raphael Thuron, that the Spanish pirate with whom he is gambling is cheating. After that, the captain keeps them close, for luck, as his ship, La Petite Marie, races away from the Spanish ship as well as an English privateer. Their story ends, at least for now, on a beach with a priest who is conveniently the younger brother of the now dead Thuron. When Ben presents him with the pirate captain's ill-gotten gains, the priest's days of worry about his "children" and the parish are ended. Another adventure, set in the mountains, is sandwiched in between the tavern in Cartagena and the beach. With the exception of the English privateer, the characters lack a distinctive voice, and the constant and secret wisecracking between Ben and Ned gets a little annoying. In addition, Jacques, who is usually so good with setting a scene and putting readers right into it, fails to capture life on a ship. There are guest appearances by the Flying Dutchman to add a level of spookiness, and the plot is almost nonstop action, with lots of swordplay, an avalanche, and a shark attack. A book for fans of the first "Dutchman" title.-Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.