Items related to Bilge Rat Pirate Adventurer - Remarkable Rascal (Bilge...
Bilge Rat - Pirate Adventurer is a three part series drawn from the imagination and investigation of Kevin Charles Smith in this remarkable debut. Described as "Mutiny on the Bounty meets Pirates of the Caribbean with an Oliver Twist", this first volume is written with incredible detail and historical accuracy. William Eden and brother Toby are two helpless orphans in early 1700 London. Taken in by an aged clerical uncle, the boys are assigned specific maintenance duties in the cavernous Saint Agnes of Agony Basilica. By day, their duty is to clean, wax and maintain the aged facility for their uncle whose failing eyesight prevents his presence or assistance. Each day the lads are also provided a lesson de jour by their learned and caring relative who bestows upon them quite a solid education. One day, while William is practicing his language lessons, he utilizes the natural echo-like chamber of the empty basilica to ensure his translations are precisely correct. In the process, he discovers that he has a natural talent that enables him to duplicate all manner of sounds and voices. From that point on, he decides to keep his fabulous talent secret and changes his name to Echo thereby hiding this special talent in plain sight. By night, the boy s assignment is to venture down into the creepy bowels of the church to eradicate the pesky rodent population. Charged with a daily bounty of 25 tails or be penalized their one daily meal, Echo devises a variety of methods to reach their rattail goal . In the end, Echo duplicates rat speech (at least rat squeaks and squeals) and like the fabled Pied Piper leads the odious cellar dwelling creatures to their doom. Due to this ability to easily capture their prey, the boys have time on their hands and begin exploration of London at night. Their travels take them to Slugger s Emporium, a gaming and drinking establishment for the wicked and depraved. These nightly excursions also take them to the London docks where they routinely trespass on various docked ships for fun and excitement. On one such vessel they are discovered by a kind hearted cook named Handy, who befriends them and regales them with exciting stories from his many voyages. At the same time, the brothers are tormented by a vicious bully named Scarf Rockingham. By a series of unique ruses, Echo implicates Scarf in a number of dastardly deeds which leads to the villain s punishment thereby establishing an undying hatred for the brothers. Scarf eventually abducts Toby and savagely murders their aged uncle implicating Echo for this horrific crime. Echo is forced to flee his homeland and joins Handy for a voyage to the New World. Beginning as a cook s assistant, Echo learns the vital art of navigation and survival aboard ship. Haunted and persecuted by the vessel s bullying first mate, Echo must devise all manner of tricks and gambits to simply remain alive. Along the way, he saves both the ship and three aged traveling sisters from a band of bloodthirsty pirates earning the respect and gratitude of all.
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About the Author:
Kevin Charles Smith is a former global director of marketing for a Fortune 100 company. Driven to precision and motivated by success, he spent more than a decade researching this trilogy which weaves in and out of the edge of the world between fantasy and reality, at times leaving his reader to wonder what side of the meridian they exist. Although this is his first literary work, his career spans over thirty years where he created imagery for product descriptions, packaging and television commercials to entice shoppers to pick up a product. Using that same skill in creating the Bilge Rat series, readers who pick up this product won't be able to put it down.
Review:
Two new YA series set in space, a boy on a pirate ship and female detective stories set in Hollywood and Buffalo are the week's hot deals. This week The Hollywood Reporter inaugurates a regular roundup of recent book deals that will catch the attention of consumers and Hollywood when they are published. Our editor recommends THR's 5 Books of the Week: Stephen King, Formula One, Rock History, and Umberto EcoMarilyn Monroe s Last Nudes Featured in New BookYoung Adult continues to be where the action is in the book market, especially YA science fiction and fantasy novels. Three of the week's most important deals fit into that category, including two novels about space travel and one about pirates. #3. Bilge Rat by Kevin Charles Smith sold to Journey as part of three-book deal by Mark Miller at Mark B. Miller Management and George Brigandi at Brigandi & Associates. The story is cleverly described as "Mutiny on the Bounty meets Pirates of the Caribbean with an Oliver Twist." Smith is a former senior vice president of marketing at Kellogg's Cereals and this is his first book deal. Bilge Rat already has cover art and Smith and his team are fielding inquiries about the film rights. --Hollywood Reporter --Hollywood Reporter
Clinging to the top of a ship s mast with sharks circling below doesn't bode well for William Echo Eden. Faced with such grim prospects for his future, he opts to examine choices made and the consequences that ensued. His journey into the past begins with his first memory, the death of his parents in 1695, which left him and his younger brother totally unprepared for the cruel world that lay beyond their door. Taken in by their great uncle, a retired deacon who works at a basilica, they do the majority of the cleaning, which includes ridding the basilica of its detested rat infestation, because of their uncle s failing eyesight. They also have to answer a daily riddle their uncle s way of educating them. Echo excels in acquiring knowledge and a host of skills, but one particular talent is an innate ability to mimic voices and sounds. Toby, however, fails to master anything, which makes him the perfect target of a bully named Scarf Rockingham. At night, the brothers frequently venture into the streets where Echo acquires additional knowledge that later serves him in good stead. His inventiveness eventually leads the brothers to become so adept as ratters that they gain employment at Slugger O Toole s Sport Emporium. Their search for rats for the fights there eventually takes them farther and farther afield until they find themselves at London s docks where the ships at anchor provide an ample supply of contestants. They also meet a disabled ship s cook who enthralls them with tales of his younger days at sea. One night, Toby disappears, their uncle is killed, and Echo must flee England aboard the Amafata, where his only friend is the ship s cook. As they sail to the Caribbean, Echo s encounters bring him face-to-face with the reality of sea life, the brutality of punishment, spinning yarns, ghosts, sea hazards, ingenious games, Voudou, pirates, slavery, superstitions and witches, first love, and duels. His many talents and knowledge elicit the friendship of some and the enmity of others. Remarkable Rascal, the first entry in the Bilge Rat, Pirate Adventurer series, is a rollicking tale of adventure, romance, and life in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries for a lad in his teens. Although cited as a book for young adults, the violence and gruesomeness make me question whether all readers of this age group are mature enough to handle some of the covered topics. Throughout the narrative some words are italicized, although the purpose for being so is never given. Some can be found in the glossary, others cannot. Well-researched, this novel deftly captures the essence of this period. The author, a gifted storyteller, uses a first-person perspective to suck readers deeper and deeper into a whirlpool that, at times, is as violent as a maelstrom or as serene as a halcyon day. Rather than recount every detail of Echo s young life, he weaves together a series of vignettes that introduce the main character and provide the framework that allows Echo to accomplish all that transpires both in London and the Caribbean. Along the way readers meet a host of unique and memorable characters some scary, others who bring smiles, all easy to picture. --Pirates and Privateers
Clinging to the top of a ship s mast with sharks circling below doesn't bode well for William Echo Eden. Faced with such grim prospects for his future, he opts to examine choices made and the consequences that ensued. His journey into the past begins with his first memory, the death of his parents in 1695, which left him and his younger brother totally unprepared for the cruel world that lay beyond their door. Taken in by their great uncle, a retired deacon who works at a basilica, they do the majority of the cleaning, which includes ridding the basilica of its detested rat infestation, because of their uncle s failing eyesight. They also have to answer a daily riddle their uncle s way of educating them. Echo excels in acquiring knowledge and a host of skills, but one particular talent is an innate ability to mimic voices and sounds. Toby, however, fails to master anything, which makes him the perfect target of a bully named Scarf Rockingham. At night, the brothers frequently venture into the streets where Echo acquires additional knowledge that later serves him in good stead. His inventiveness eventually leads the brothers to become so adept as ratters that they gain employment at Slugger O Toole s Sport Emporium. Their search for rats for the fights there eventually takes them farther and farther afield until they find themselves at London s docks where the ships at anchor provide an ample supply of contestants. They also meet a disabled ship s cook who enthralls them with tales of his younger days at sea. One night, Toby disappears, their uncle is killed, and Echo must flee England aboard the Amafata, where his only friend is the ship s cook. As they sail to the Caribbean, Echo s encounters bring him face-to-face with the reality of sea life, the brutality of punishment, spinning yarns, ghosts, sea hazards, ingenious games, Voudou, pirates, slavery, superstitions and witches, first love, and duels. His many talents and knowledge elicit the friendship of some and the enmity of others. Remarkable Rascal, the first entry in the Bilge Rat, Pirate Adventurer series, is a rollicking tale of adventure, romance, and life in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries for a lad in his teens. Although cited as a book for young adults, the violence and gruesomeness make me question whether all readers of this age group are mature enough to handle some of the covered topics. Throughout the narrative some words are italicized, although the purpose for being so is never given. Some can be found in the glossary, others cannot. Well-researched, this novel deftly captures the essence of this period. The author, a gifted storyteller, uses a first-person perspective to suck readers deeper and deeper into a whirlpool that, at times, is as violent as a maelstrom or as serene as a halcyon day. Rather than recount every detail of Echo s young life, he weaves together a series of vignettes that introduce the main character and provide the framework that allows Echo to accomplish all that transpires both in London and the Caribbean. Along the way readers meet a host of unique and memorable characters some scary, others who bring smiles, all easy to picture. --Pirates and Privateers
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- PublisherJourney Publications, LLC
- Publication date2014
- ISBN 10 0979817188
- ISBN 13 9780979817182
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages286
- EditorAli Bothwell Mancini
- IllustratorRocio Almodovar
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Bilge Rat Pirate Adventurer - Remarkable Rascal (Bilge Rat, Pirate Adventurer, 1)
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Journey Publications, LLC
(2014)
ISBN 10: 0979817188
ISBN 13: 9780979817182
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