Product Description

A comic fantasy novel by the author of "Expecting Someone Taller" and "Who's Afraid of Beowulf?". Vanderdecken, the Flying Dutchman, did not, as is believed, make a deal with the Devil which left him cast away for centuries. The truth is different, and very confusing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71473 in Books
• Published on: 1992-06-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 252 pages

Customer Reviews

Old story, new take
Tom Holt's fantasies tend to involve a Motley Crew and a Feisty Female. The Motley Crew may be gods, demons, characters from history, or characters from myth, but they always have one thing in common - they are not what you expected. Nor is the way they intereact with our world. That is part of the charm, the way Holt turns our assumptions inside out and manages to be funny about it. The Feisty Female usually doesn't want to get involved with the Motley Crew, but she does, and the outcome is amusing, inventive, and (eventually) all for the best.
Pointing out the formula (which Holt uses regulalrly) is not a criticism of it. I enjoy reading his books, and part of the charm is trying to work out how he will surprise us this time - and suprise us he does.
In this case the MC and FF cast are those of the Flying Dutrchman myth, suitably explained and suitably updated. And it's funny....

Captivating off-beat perspective on an old old story
Whoever would have thought that Capt. Vanderdecker roams the seas because of the stench caused by immortality ... or that he had such a hand to play in all the major historical events of the last five hundred years ...

I love the way Tom Holt takes concepts and events that you know about, but just don't think much about, and turns them into wonderful, laughable, fantastical reads ... and FLYING DUTCH is exactly the kind of read I expect when I pick up one of his novels ...

Clever and very funny
I've read most of Tom Holt's books and this is the one I'd recommend. It's got a clever plot, a lot of good jokes and the best explanation of 'insurance' I've ever come across! I must admit that I've found Tom Holt's later novels less than enthralling, but I've kept reading them just on the strength of this one alone.