Captain Bluebear is a bear with blue fur – a creature as unique as the fantastic adventures he undergoes. Here he tells the amazing story of his first 13 1/2 lives in a world far removed from our own.
This is the most entertaining book I have ever read. It is intelligent, witty, and a grand adventure. Incredibly well written and well worth every penny. Moers' highly imaginitive writing style is a conglomeration of Shel Silverstein, JK Rowling, and Douglas Adams. I have read a lot of books in my day but this is the first one I recommend!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kitty524
Posted June 6, 2012
I ADORE this book! It is almost like thirteen separate books in one because each life is totally different. From Minipirates to a carnivorous island/plant, from talking waves to saving people's lives at the very last possible second as a profession, from a school where the students are only accepted if they are unlike every other life form on Earth to a city inside a tornado inhabited by 100+ year old men, from a nomadic desert tribe who pursue a semi-stable Fata Morgana to the artistry of creating dreams from within a giant cyclops's brain, from a megalopolis full of the wildest creatures, buildings, activities, and jobs to an element that is capable of thought, this book is absolutely insane and amazing and random and fantastic and my favorite book in the universe! I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a very entertaining, very whimsical, very awesome book. Now always remember that KNOWLEDGE IS NIGHT!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.tugmonkey
Posted December 31, 2012
A funny fantastic journey through a crazy little imaginary world.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Adorable, whimsical and funny book. I can only describe it as half adventure-magic tale, half parody, something like Alice-in-Wonderland and Sindbad mixed with Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. The hero, a blue (!) bear tells the reader the tales of his fantastic adventures on the mythical continent of Zaminia. As an example, what would you say about giant carnivorous plant masquerading as an island full of gourmet foods to fatten up its unsuspecting castaway? Or about the life in the eye of the most terrible storm where is , of course, there is the most serene calm which makes even the time itself to stand still? It is written in the delightful whimsical language ( kudos to the translator!) and illustrated in the funniest way . B&N really should show the examples of text and pictures to possible buyers. Word of caution : the book is full of words like " gastropode" , "stratospheric", or "horticulture", so the vocabulary may be too much for the younger readers. I ended up writing the explanations for difficult words on the side of each page for my 10 yrs old daughter - and even rather enjoyed doing it. I grade the books as Buy and Keep (BK), Read Library book and Return ( RLR) and Once I Put it Down I Couldn't Pick it Up ( OIPD-ICPU). This one is a BK .
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2012
A blue bear experiences a series of fantastical and often dangerous adventures, and gets help from some unlikely sources. Maybe not as plot-driven as the author's other books and this creates a different reading experience. The Alchemist Master and City of Dreaming Books were very good stories too but seemed to emphasize plot more than Bluebear. Depends on what you feel like reading. But for a well written and whimsical adventure story, Bluebear is definitely recommended.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Moers creates a whimsical travelogue that is not so much Rowling as it is Silverstein and Adams. It's light reading filled with good humor, fanciful characters and fabulous places to explore. It's not epic fantasy, it's not action driven. It's about a blue bear discovering his world. It's adult in its satire and in some of its inventions, thus a younger reader may not have the vocabulary or insight to fully enjoy it, but adult fans of whimsy and fantasy will have a ball. Highly recommended.
It had me at "mini-pirate".
Anonymous
Posted October 11, 2009
I bought this book three years ago and have since read it seven times. Each time I read it it just keeps on getting better and better. The characters, the plot, the origionality, everything, is just incredible. Walter Moers is wonderfully talented and my favorite author, I own all of his novels, (this, Rumo, City of Dreaming Books, and A Wild Ride Through the Night) and intend to, in the next few days, purchase the latest zany Zamonian adventure.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2008
Walter Moers has to be a genius if he could create such a grand book as the 131/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear. This book is a throw back to children's books we've all read with illustrations that guide the story along. But don't let this fool you, the plot,characters, and overall uniqueness of this book makes it an instant classic. Walter Moers takes the reader on a Journey as fantastic and wonderful as any adventure story that proceeded this book. He has created an entirely new world with new ideas that hook it's reader once they are in the midst of its grandeur. With this book, the reader will experience new life forms and a new way to think about the world and their position in it. Besides all these grandiose details I have stated, I believe there is no other book out there as funny, charming, and just a plain fun ride. Schools across America and the world should add this to their curriculum and I would venture to guess our literacy rates and our youth's interest in learning would sky rocket. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!
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Posted January 3, 2008
This is the most entertaining book I have ever read. It is intelligent, witty, and a grand adventure. Incredibly well written and well worth every penny. It's like Shel Silverstein had a creativity child with JK Rowling and Douglas Adams. I have read a lot of books in my day but this is the first one I recommend!
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Posted March 9, 2007
This book is really quite fun to read. It moves along well, and has pictures interspersed through out. For anyone who hasn't quite outgrown the joy of seeing pictures of what you are reading. Very plot oriented, but worth the read.
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Posted June 1, 2006
Captian Bluebear is one of the silliest and most random books I have ever read. I liked it though. I don't know where the author came up with enough to fill a 700 page book with but he did a wonderful job. The whole book is complete makebelieve and that's what makes it so fun.
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Posted April 11, 2006
I loved this book! It was very funny, and I could never put it down! I would recommend this to everyone!!!
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Posted October 23, 2003
This book is amazing. There isn't really much else describable about it. It is a book, with it's yellow cover and seven hundred or so pages that looks more than a little like a phone book, but despite it's daunting size, will keep you reading from cover to cover(if only there were enough hours in the day.) This is the memoir written by the aged Captain Bluebear about his first 13 and 1/2 lives, starting shortly after birth and ending half way after his 13th life. I have never spent so much time in sheer joy, grinning from ear to ear at every page. Pictures and excerpts from Nightengale's Zamonien encyclopedia really add to the atmosphere. This book is really funny, witty, but it also has heart, and deeper truths to it, a real rarity. There are pirates, aliens, man eating islands, travel to other demensions, life in a volcanoe, Atlantis, school (Professor Nightengale has five brains), Alpine mountain imps, dinosaurs, congladiators, giants...I could go on and on and on for seven hundred and some odd pages. Every life topic, including living in a crummy apartment is covered in this book in a unique way. Bluebear may be the most untrustworthy narrator who ever existed, but he tells his story so well that I do believe him... In short, please read this book, I promise, you won't regret it!
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Posted October 17, 2009
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Overview
Captain Bluebear is a bear with blue fur – a creature as unique as the fantastic adventures he undergoes. Here he tells the amazing story of his first 13 1/2 lives in a world far removed from our own.