The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear - 13 1/2 Lives Weren't Enough!

The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear

Author: Walter Moers

When bad habits become a habit, you have to turn over a new leaf. –Narrator

Eternal night. Eternal life. Eternal intelligence. –Professor Abdullah Nightingale.

Life is too precious to be left to chance, my boy. –Deus X. Machina

Wednesdays were the best thing about Atlantis. The middle of the week was a traditional holiday there. Everyone stopped work and celebrated the fact that half the week was over. –Narrator

Never trust a Troglotroll. –Various

From The Encyclopedia of Marvels, Life Forms and Other Phenomena of Zamonia and its Environs by Professor Abdullah Nightingale… –Bluebear's inner thoughts

The blurb on Audible.com is a bit long but I feel I need to include the whole of it because it does a great job of introducing the book:

"A bluebear has 27 lives. I shall recount thirteen-and-a-half of them in this book but keep quiet about the rest," says the narrator of Walter Moers’s epic adventure. "Mine is a tale of mortal danger and eternal love, of hair's breadth, last-minute escapes...."

Welcome to the fantastic world of Zamonia, populated by all manner of extraordinary characters, including Minipirates, Hobgoblins, Babbling Billows, the Spiderwitch, the Troglotroll, and the Mountain Maggot. It’s a land of imaginative lunacy and supreme adventure, wicked satire and epic fantasy, all mixed together and turned on its head.

Playful enough for young adult readers, yet as intricate and engaging as any work of literary fiction, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear has the plot of a novel and the spontaneity and humor of a vintage comic book, making it already an instant cult classic.

One thing this blurb fails to mention is the ingenious reading by Bronson Pinchot. He is fantastic! I think this book would be a wonderful read in print, but listening to Pinchot's character voices and the special effects that have been added to the reading only helps to enhance the novel. I can't speak highly enough of this book.

My friend Jan recommended this book long before I thought of doing this project, and the title's been sitting in my "to read" list ever since. But when it came time to ask for suggestions and choose titles, she immediately re-recommended this one. And for that, my dear friend, I say thank you.

This is the fantastical story of a blue bear – aptly named Bluebear – who goes on a series of adventures without really trying to be adventurous at all. To him, it is simply the tale of his first 13 ½ lives, and the creatures he encounters are simply a part of his world. The reader gets to learn facts about each creature, land mass and weather phenomenon he encounters right along with their narrator, as Professor Abdullah Nightingale's Encyclopedia – which has been implanted into Bluebear's mind – spouts them off throughout the telling.

Walter Moers's creativity never faltered, and when the book ended, I missed listening to Bluebear's story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has children or who is a child at heart. And if you want a real treat, listen to Bronson Pinchot's brilliant recitation.

My takeaway: Life is full of adventures, if only we take a moment, take a look, take a chance. And never, NEVER trust a troglotroll.