This is an exciting
fantasy adventure set in the imaginary continent of
Zamonia, illustrated by Moers himself and told in his inimitable style
full of ample wit. It is written in a lighter and more playful tone
than Rumo & His Miraculous
Adventures and will captivate readers young and old.
Right at the beginning, the author plunges us into the middle of
things: Drifting in mid-ocean, Bluebear is about to be sucked into a
giant maelstrom. Fortunately, he is picked up by mini-pirates
and taught the craft of seafaring.
As he is growing rapidly, he becomes too heavy for the ship which is in
danger of capsizing. So the mini-pirates take him to an
island and say
farewell.
Bluebear learns to his horror that this island is full of ghosts who
thrive on fear. He finds a way to leave the place and becomes involved
in a series of episodic adventures and near catastrophes in
out-of-the-way settings.
He indulges in gastronomic excesses on the Gourmet Island and views
Zamonia and the other
continents from above. Moreover, a space-time
distortion launches him into another dimension and later, he finds a
city in a tornado.
Professor Nightingale, a brilliant scientist and ingenious inventor
tries to harness the powers of darkness. He gives Bluebear an education
and infects him with knowledge.
When Bluebear leaves the school, he is thrust into one odd and
dangerous situation after another from which he must extricate himself
using his newly acquired knowledge. Besides that he has an ace up his
sleeve: Professor Nightingale planted a dictionary in his head and at
times, his brain is flooded with information, some of which come too
late when he is already in deep trouble.
His goal is to find Atlantis, a city of marvels and wonders aplenty off
limits to humans who have already control of all the other continents.
This he accomplishes after many encounters with droll and bizarre
characters, among them hippie desert nomads, a cave troll who couldn´t
tell the truth if he had the mouth full of it, and a talking thinking
element that has delusions of conquering the world.
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