The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

By: Walter Moers

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

"A bluebear has 27 lives. I shall recount thirtreen-and-a-half of them in this book but keep quiet about the rest," says the narrator of Walter Moers’s epic adventure. "Mine is a tale of mortal danger and eternal love, of hair’s breadth, last-minute escapes...."

Welcome to the fantastic world of Zamonia, populated by all manner of extraordinary characters, including Minipirates, Hobgoblins, Babbling Billows, the Spiderwitch, the Troglotroll, and the Mountain Maggot. It’s a land of imaginative lunacy and supreme adventure, wicked satire and epic fantasy, all mixed together and turned on its head.

Playful enough for young adult readers, yet as intricate and engaging as any work of literary fiction, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear has the plot of a novel and the spontaneity and humor of a vintage comic book, making it already an instant cult classic.

©1999 Eichborn GmbH & Co (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A wild, fun-filled ride.” ( School Library Journal)

“Even readers with short attention spans will find themselves captivated by the nonstop parade of madcap characters as treacherous predicaments resolve themselves with charming ease. . . .Comparisons to Harry Potter aside, Moers's kaleidoscopic expedition is fanciful and endlessly entertaining.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Hillarious and fantastic book and great listen

At first I'd like to mention that all of Walter Moers books are kind of either you love them or you don't like them - I don't think there's much inbetween. However - if you like humorous, fantastic and intelligently written stories I strongly recommend to either read or listen to one of his books, because chances are high you'll like them.

Some words to the Zamonia novels in general:
Walter Moers is a German author and I read all his Zamonia novels in German first (I'm German too) and listened to two in German (Alchemasters Apprentice and City of Dreaming Books). I think I can say that Zamonia books together are my favorite books.
Nevertheless, I had my doubts, if it would be possible to translate these books accordingly, because Moers created so many new, fantastic words, creatures, locations, sciences etc. in his novels. But I have to admit, after listening the first four hours of Captain Bluebear, that the English version is nearly as good as the German one, even if I as a .

In my opinion, Captain Bluebear is the "least good" (because worst wouldn't be the right expression) of the Zamonia novels, but if you haven't read or listened to any of them yet, I would still recommend you to start with this book, because it gives you the best overview over the Zamonian world. Rumo, the City of Dreaming Books and to some extend the Alchemasters Apprentice sometimes reference to small sections of Captain Bluebear (you would still understand the story without knowing the Bluebear, but it's even more fun, if you recognize some parts from other books again).

There's one big disadvantage that comes with listening to the audio version instead of reading the actual book: You don't get see Moers drawings, which often give you a good picture of what kind of creature Moers is talking about in the respective section.
But this disadvantage is nearly offset by the great way the book is read by Mr. Pinchot. He reads very entertaining and does a great job with the voices!

Too many lists

This is a very fun story. It's read very well. my only real criticism is that the author trends to ramble on in the form of lists. A little editing can go a long way.

Hands down....

Hands down the greatest audiobooks ever. I laughed, I cried and I cringed. Bronson is a national treasure.

A fantastic fantasy for all ages

imaginative, adventurous, creative, silly, and heartwarming. this book embodies the feeling of adventure and finding your way in this world. both kids and adults of all ages should read or listen to Captain Bluebear and discover the wonderful worlds and characters inside.

One of My Favorites

How can I describe how amazing this book is? Imagine a mix of Wonderland, the Arabian Nights, Bullwinkle, John Bunyan, a touch of Lord of the Rings, and a textbook. It's a singular, irreplaceable experience. I introduce Bluebear to my friends and family at every opportunity.

A Way-out-there Really Strange Story!

I think that Walter Moers must have done too much Acid! Where else could he have come up with this outlandish book. However, it is unique, strange and humorous enough to keep one interested.

I believe that Bronson Pinchot, who is a great reader, got some help from the author on how to pronounce the fictitious names and vocabulary; I know that had I attempted to read it, it would have swamped me.

Far-out man!

Silly, enjoyable, and thought provoking

I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation of this story.
The story is very silly and reminded me of Voltaire. But with a fantastical array of non human characters.
The narrator did a good job of performing the voices of the many characters and inflections of the main character.

Very imaginative and entertaining.

Altering the story dragged at times, it was creative and entertaining. Worthy of listening to the varied adventures of Blue Bear

strange

I didn't care for the rambling. It had entertaining sections. I didn't love it but I'm glad I read it.

Fun Book

It is a little difficult to get into but I really didn’t want it to stop.