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Ultimate Voyage
Drawing on his profound knowledge of maritime history, his artistic skill, and his commitment to Buddhism, the author concocts an illustrated tale about five fast friends who embark on a magical voyage of sea- and self-exploration. 25,000 first printing.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 14, 2024
I kinda fell into reading this one; "Ultimate Voyage" (1998) was in the "Naval History" section at my local Half Priced Books and was a dollar and it has a cool picture of a sailing ship on the cover so I grabbed it without reading the jacket and added it to the stack of books I was buying.
"Ultimate Voyage: A Book of Five Mariners" is a fictional adventure tale about five young men who were born on the same stormy evening in a port town, possibly portented to accomplish some great feat. There is a meandering series of adventures that these youngsters engage in, together and apart, exploring the seas and surrounding areas, growing up, self-discovery, the importance of friendship, inner growth via metaphysical fantasy, young adult romantic awkwardness, and whimsy in hardship.
Verdict: Despite the lengthy immersion into these five characters' self-conscious-style narrations I came away with a detached observer perspective on a mostly uninteresting world. It doesn't carry any real stakes or adventures.
Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating: PG-13
"Ultimate Voyage: A Book of Five Mariners" is a fictional adventure tale about five young men who were born on the same stormy evening in a port town, possibly portented to accomplish some great feat. There is a meandering series of adventures that these youngsters engage in, together and apart, exploring the seas and surrounding areas, growing up, self-discovery, the importance of friendship, inner growth via metaphysical fantasy, young adult romantic awkwardness, and whimsy in hardship.
Verdict: Despite the lengthy immersion into these five characters' self-conscious-style narrations I came away with a detached observer perspective on a mostly uninteresting world. It doesn't carry any real stakes or adventures.
Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating: PG-13
July 21, 2007
An interesting adventure book, though it's much more than it seems.
Five people, all born on the same day in the same port, become fast friends and eventually go on a long sea voyage. They are only known by their nicknames: Pilot, Steward, Flags, Bosun, and Crew.
(incidentally, I found a review on Amazon.com that suggests these 5 characters represents aspects of Buddhism.)
This book is a simple, fun read. But to delve deeper, each character goes through their own journey of discovery and enlightenment.
Most importantly, they are a group of true friends where everyone takes turns being captain, depending on the situation. That, more than any other aspect of this novel, really spoke to myself and my closest friends, as we seem to fit right in line with these characters.
Although personally, I would have never left the Western Isles!
Five people, all born on the same day in the same port, become fast friends and eventually go on a long sea voyage. They are only known by their nicknames: Pilot, Steward, Flags, Bosun, and Crew.
(incidentally, I found a review on Amazon.com that suggests these 5 characters represents aspects of Buddhism.)
This book is a simple, fun read. But to delve deeper, each character goes through their own journey of discovery and enlightenment.
Most importantly, they are a group of true friends where everyone takes turns being captain, depending on the situation. That, more than any other aspect of this novel, really spoke to myself and my closest friends, as we seem to fit right in line with these characters.
Although personally, I would have never left the Western Isles!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews