Piratica by Tanith Lee

When Artemesia, "Art", Weatherhouse hits her head and remembers her past, everyone says she's gone crazy.  But sixteen-year-old Art declares she's gone sane, and she has definite ideas about how she's going to turn her life around.  Those ideas involve escaping her current home - The Angels Academy for Young Maidens - and reuniting herself and her dead mother's band of pirates with the sea.  Art plans to carry on her mother's legacy as "Art Blastside, Piratica's daughter."  But her new crew has some surprises in store.  Are things really as they seem?

The lovable cast includes Capt. Art herself, pale-haired Gentleman Jack Cuckoo - or is he? - Muck, the Cleanest Dog in England, and adorable Little Goldie Girl, who can kill without batting an eyelash.

The good news is that this is one of the best swashbuckling adventure stories I've ever read.  I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I ate it up like a big bowl of chocolate ice cream.  If you have a fascination with pirates and adventure like I do, you'd love it too.  Even if it is a little unrealistic.  Okay, more than a little...but I can't give anything away.

But there is a bad news.  For one, even though Art and her pirates don't kill, they do steal, lie, and deceive. They're pirates.  So as a result, we as Christians are not on their side all the time.  In this story, the Law is decidedly bad.  I was especially uncomfortable when I read what Art said in reply to a judge's verdict: "...You, sir, are a disgrace to this world."  And I thought, "Um, no, he's not.  He's doing his job, and he's doing it right."

For two, there's the treasure issue.  Naturally, in a pirate story there has to be treasure and a treasure map.  No problems there.  But there is no mention of why they want the treasure or what they're going to do with it once they have it.  I'm sure that if I ever asked the author about it, she'd say something relating to, "Well, to get rich, duh!" But to me, that's not enough.  Riches aren't what we're supposed to be striving for.  So, I wasn't with Art's crew all the way there, either.

There is some scattered language, especially in the second half of the book when things heat up.  There's quite a few dee-ay-em-en-ings, and two b-words that are both spoken by Little Goldie Girl during her sword fight with Art.

I also had problems with Art and her love interest.  He's the kind whom every girl immediately falls for, and it kinds of seems like Art falls in love with him for the same reason.  So I think that could have been much more emotional and more skillfully written.

So, with all that, you ask, why in the world did I like it so much? The characters are awesome.  (Though I feel a little gypped by Little Goldie - she looks kind of like my Merriam.)  Art is a teenage-female version of Jack Sparrow; they have the same wild and spontaneous "aHA!" kind of thought process.  I loved the Gentleman Jack Cuckoo thing too.

Also, the author has a great balance of setting and conversation, unlike me, who's top-heavy with dialogue and character information.  And the adventure is just so fun...this is one time when I don't mind things a little unrealistic.  :)

I want to read this book again, but I think I'm going to wait.  It's not the most healthy piece of fiction.