Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates by Philip Caveney

Title: Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates
Author: Philip Caveney
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 420
My Rating: 5/5

After a heroic act of taking down the evil King Septimus, Sebastian Darke is back! With his long-time buddy, Max the Buffalope, and the short (but mighty) warrior Cornelius. They are off to another grand adventure! And this time, out into the sea!

After being saved from a monster by a man named Adam, the trio is told that his sister, Leonora, knew that they were in danger. But these siblings have an agenda of their own. They are out to get the treasure that Sebastian and his friends are trying to find!

Attempting to escape from their pursuers, Sebastian and the gang hires a ship to find their way to the mysterious island that holds Captain Callinestra's world fortune. With fierce pirates, a long-lost loot, and mythical creatures, you should prepare for another fantastic quest with Sebastian Darke!

After reading the Prince of Fools, I knew I had to one day get my hands on the sequel. And I was not disappointed as Caveney delivered a non-stop and fun action story with enthusiastic characters, new and old!

The plot kept me hooked and I continued flipping the pages, dying to know what happened to the characters next. When you think things are going to be okay, another problem jumps out! You will be sitting there, biting your nails as you pray for the characters' safety.

I pitied Sebastian throughout this novel because he fell under an enchantment where he would only think of the evil Leonora. On his journey, he made acquaintances with the pretty female captain pirate, Jenna. I think she is pretty cool and I do hope she makes an appearance again in the next novel but for some reason I doubt so. Sebastian slowly but surely grew up some more after encountering plenty of obstacles in this expedition since the Prince of Fools. He is an odd character to have a story evolve around because of his personality and situation but I love how different he is compared to most male leads.

What I adore the most about the novel is how everything is like a classic hero story for kids. You have the protagonist with his steed and best man, going through deadly challenges to get to the treasure that was lost for hundreds of years. Except it is a read for teens instead of the youngsters.

I definitely recommend the Sebastian Darke series if you have not read it yet! It gives you a break from the usual supernatural/fantasy stuff that you generally find in YA fiction. I'm anxious for the third installment!

Max the Buffalope from the Sebastian Darke Series

Today we have up Max, a buffalope from the whimsical and adventure-filled series of Sebastian Darke by English author Philip Caveney. Max is Sebastian's loyal "steed" who has been in the family for years! Now he'll tell you a little about his history before his days at the Darke family!

~~~

The Great Migration

For as long as I can remember, I have always stood out from the herd.

That is to say, from the very beginning, I was different to my fellow buffalope. I didn’t really look any different to the others, and I’m sure, my habits were more or less the same as those exhibited by buffalope the known world over. But I had something that none of the others seemed to possess; an enquiring mind. It was this, more than anything else that led me to become the creature that I am today, admired and revered across the known world as Max the Mighty.

Now, I could tell you reams of stuff about the buffalope life, but really it mostly came down to this. Through the Spring and Summer, we stood around and ate grass; lots of grass; lots and lots of grass. The stuff was virtually coming out of our ears.

And when autumn came creeping in, relentless winds blasting cold rain across the hills, it was then that the great migration would begin.

It happened every year at more or less the same time. Melchior, the herd’s leader, would sniff the cold air with his nostrils. He would glance at the ancient sage bull, Lazarus, his most trusted advisor and then he would lift his head and issue a great trumpeting bellow, which was the signal for us all to stop doing whatever it was we were doing and start migrating. Countless hooves would stir into action and we would be off, with a sound like rolling thunder, across the vastness of the plains.

It was the buffalope way of life sure enough – but even at that tender age, I was beginning to be irked by the inevitability of it. I had taken part in the great migration only twice in my young life and I was already getting well and truly fed up with it. For one thing, my hooves ached, something terrible. It’s been a lifelong problem for me, one that nobody ever seems to take seriously. But I’m telling you, after days of marching across that blooming plain, they were killing me.

For another thing, it was boring going through the same routine, year in, year out. I was longing for a bit of variety in my life. There’s no harm in that, surely?

As soon as I was able to talk – which I confess, did not take me very long, I was forever asking my poor mother tricky questions. I well remember one particular day, when we were browsing as usual in the midst of the herd and I felt that I simply had to have an answer to a problem that had been perplexing me for ages.

‘Mama,’ I said ‘Why do we make the great migration every year?”

‘My dear,’ Mama said, ‘we do so because the rest of the herd do; and they do so, because Melchior, our esteemed leader, says that it is time for the journey to begin.’

‘Yes, but it’s very hard on the hooves, Mama. It’s not nice having aching legs. Sometimes I swear my hooves feel as though they are about to drop off. Why must we be forever trooping up and down?’

‘It’s just the buffalope way,’ said Mama.

‘That’s no explanation,’ I complained. ‘You might as well say, because the grass is green! Here’s an idea for you. What would happen if we decided to stay here on the plains?’

‘You’d starve to death,’ said Papa, who was a buffalope who didn’t like to use any more words than were strictly necessary. ‘Or you’d freeze.’ He was browsing a particularly lush bit of grass at the time and didn’t really want to be disturbed by my childish questions.

‘There wouldn’t be enough grass to feed an entire herd through the winter,’ added Mama.

‘Yes, but it wouldn’t be the entire herd, would it?’ I persisted. ‘The rest of them would go thundering off and we’d have whatever was left all to ourselves. There’s only the three of us, we’d be laughing.’

‘Not when a pack of lupers came after us,’ said Papa gloomily. ‘And started ripping us limb from limb.’

‘We could take care of them,’ I said dismissively, tossing my underdeveloped horns this way and that. ‘What are lupers but mutts with an attitude problem?’ I must confess that I already had a vastly inflated opinion of my own abilities

‘There’s safety in numbers,’ grunted Papa. ‘Now belt up and let me enjoy my dinner.’ He let out a great gust of wind from his rear end, just to make sure I fully understood that as far as he was concerned, this was the end of the matter.

Papa moved away a bit. Mama gave me a consoling snuffle with her nice wet snout.

‘You’re only a youngster,’ she told me. ‘There’s no reason to worry your little head over things you don’t really understand.’

I felt like telling her that I did understand, only too well, but Papa was still close enough to give me a whack with the edge of a horn, so I kept my peace. But I felt sure, even then, that I wasn’t going to put up with this migration business for very much longer.

~~~

I am so desperate for the second novel, Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates! I placed an order in from Amazon so hopefully it arrives safely to my uncle's place (cheaper). But lucky for one of you, because there is one up in the prize pool!

Prize(s): A signed paperback copy of Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools OR Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates
# of Winners: 2
Eligibility: International

How to get entries: (please put keep it in the format below when you comment!)
+1 Comment (TELL ME WHICH ONE YOU WANT TO BE ENTERED IN IF NOT BOTH)
+1 New follower
+2 Old follower
+1 Linking this contest once somewhere else around the web

Author Interview: Philip Caveney

As a recent blogger, I always wonder who would come about looking at my reviews. After I posted my review for Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools, Philip Caveney himself emailed a thank you note for it! So I requested for an author interview and he was more than happy to answer a few questions! Definitely should go check out his novels! I can't wait for the second installment to be released here in Canada! For more information about Philip Caveney, please visit http://www.philip-caveney.co.uk/.

You wrote Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools for your daughter because she was not old enough to read your adult novels. How did you feel when you were about to release your first ever novel that is aimed towards the younger audience?

I felt slightly apprehensive to tell you the truth. After all, I had never written for children before and I didn’t really know if I could do it. Happily, Sebastian Darke seems to have connected with children all over the world, from the UK to China, from America to Sweden. So I guess I owe my daughter, Grace, a big thank you!

Throughout the book, there is a picture in every couple of chapters that illustrates one of the scenes from the story. Did you plan on having them there in the beginning? What prompted you to add some visuals into your novel?

It was my publishers, Random House, who decided to commission illustrations. Writers don’t generally get to pick and choose their illustrators, but I’m so pleased I was given Julek Heller to create images for the series. He’s been around since the 1950’s and works in the classic tradition, which makes him ideally suited to Sebastian’s adventures.

If you were to choose any character from the first novel of Sebastian Darke to live their life for a day, who would it be? Why?

I hate to admit it but it would probably be King Septimus. Wouldn’t it be really cool to have that combination of great power and unscrupulous evil, just for 24 hours?

Is Sebastian Darke going to be a trilogy? Or are you planning on writing more of his adventures?

It’s going to be at least a trilogy, because the third book is already written and will be released (in the UK) in February 09. However, I would like to do five books in total. I have it all planned out in my head. We’ll have to see if readers ask for more!

Since Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates have not yet been released in North America, can you give us a short summary of it?

Sure. Sebastian, Cornelius and Max are on the trail of pirate treasure – the legendary lost treasure of Captain Calinestra. On the way they experience deadly pirates, voracious sea monsters and monstrous lizards. Sebastian, meanwhile is pursued by female sea captain, Jenna Swift. Does she get her man? I’m not telling!

Now on more of a personal level. You finally have a taste of writing for both adults and children/teens. Which audience do you prefer to write for?

Well, one of the nicest things about writing for children is that you do go out to schools and libraries and meet your audience on a regular basis. Kids are so inspiring and they ask you the maddest questions! So, yes, I really am having a blast being a children’s author. Having said that, I haven’t quite given up on the idea of more adult novels in the future.

Since I'm not familiar with your adult novels, what are they usually about?

I would describe my adult books as psycho-thrillers – they are usually about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances and often feature a high body count.

Are you about to release any other novels? How about a quick summary of them too?

I’ve recently released the first of my Alec Devlin thrillers – The Eye of the Serpent, which is set in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt in 1923. It features a 15 year old archaeologist, an ancient curse, shambling mummies, flesh eating insects and a whole sarcophagus load of other scary stuff. So far, it’s only been released in the UK, but fingers crossed!

And lastly, give us an interesting fact about yourself!

I used to be the singer in a rock no roll band called… wait for it… Hieronymus Bosch!

Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney

Title: Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools
Author: Philip Caveney
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 338
My Rating: 4.5/5

Sebastian Darke is a half-breed. Son to an elven mother and human father. His father is a famous and successful jester that gave his family a life of luxury for many years. Those days now have gone when he died and Sebastian is out to seek employment as a jester in King Septimus's court. Sadly enough, he is the least comical guy around!

Sebastian takes his family buffalope, Max, to travel all the way to the King Septimus palace. He encounters Captain Cornelius, a dwarfish man but one of the strongest warrior you would ever find around. He accompanies with them, also seeking for employment since his last job had a height restriction.

Shortly after, they rescue Princess Kerin, niece of King Septimus and soon-to-be queen, from the rowdy Brigands. Except it wasn't an unexpected raid. Instead, it was a death plot planned by King Septimus to rid of Kerin who was in the way of his throne!

Though who would try to get in the way of a king with a powerful army? A fool maybe?

These days, you don't find a lot of damsel-in-distress, fairy tale styled stories. I enjoyed this one, can't wait to pick up the second one. It reminds me of those Disney movies I watched when I was a kid. Except now that I'm older, I don't watch them so much anymore. I really liked how Kerin's character developed towards the end. It was a bit disappointing but since there is a sequel, I don't mind so much about conclusion. I adore Sebastian's name. It's so simple, yet uncommon. I suggest this books to all fairy tale lovers and those who misses their youthful TV days. This book gives you a great bloody, Disney-seque story.