Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collections
Publication
Dutton Children's Books (2004), 288 pages
Description
A bump on the head restores Art's memories of her mother and the exciting life they led, so the sixteen-year-old leaves Angels Academy for Young Maidens, seeks out the pirates who were her family before her mother's death, and leads them back to adventure on the high seas.
User reviews
LibraryThing member sara_k
Piratica by Tanith Lee is a swashbuckling tale of piracy. Artemesia is, at 16, a student at a hoity-toity girl's school when a bump on the head brings her back memories of life aboard a pirate ship. Artemesia's mother was a pirate queen known as Piratica and Arty sailed with her and her band of
The journey is buffeted by different plot winds: there seems to be a traitor on board, Piratica was not the pirate Arty thought she was, there is a rival girl pirate who does not live by Piratica's genteel rules chasing after the ship for her own reasons, and the British Navy is on a mission to bring the new Piratica to justice.
This is a quick moving, engaging story which called up lots of energy from me for the characters and plot. I was pulled directly into the story and swung this way and that as her life changed and she worked her way to a clear view of who she was. While there are idiotic adults, they are not the norm (sort of like real life) and while Artemesia's father is a sexist idiot over concerned with what other people think and how much he can control people associated with him there are concerned and justice minded adults who look at the individual rather than at the generalization.
At the end, one character gets away with evil because she acts simpering and girly and appeals to the gender limitations of the social era. This is not fair but it does sometimes happen in real life. Appealing to those mores/limitations does not make her a happier person, though it saves her life, and it doesn't change who she was as a pirate. She has ruled through fear and abuse of power and has no friends or allies among the other pirates.
Show More
pirates getting gold and treasure. Piratica is famous not only for her great treasure but for her morality; she wins through trickery and will not kill or sink ships. Arty escapes from school, seeks out the pirate crew (now advertising coffee), steals a ship, and sets out on her piratical career. The journey is buffeted by different plot winds: there seems to be a traitor on board, Piratica was not the pirate Arty thought she was, there is a rival girl pirate who does not live by Piratica's genteel rules chasing after the ship for her own reasons, and the British Navy is on a mission to bring the new Piratica to justice.
This is a quick moving, engaging story which called up lots of energy from me for the characters and plot. I was pulled directly into the story and swung this way and that as her life changed and she worked her way to a clear view of who she was. While there are idiotic adults, they are not the norm (sort of like real life) and while Artemesia's father is a sexist idiot over concerned with what other people think and how much he can control people associated with him there are concerned and justice minded adults who look at the individual rather than at the generalization.
At the end, one character gets away with evil because she acts simpering and girly and appeals to the gender limitations of the social era. This is not fair but it does sometimes happen in real life. Appealing to those mores/limitations does not make her a happier person, though it saves her life, and it doesn't change who she was as a pirate. She has ruled through fear and abuse of power and has no friends or allies among the other pirates.
Show Less
LibraryThing member humouress
Art Blastside had been born and bred to a life on the High Seas. Her mother was the famous lady pirate, Molly Faith, known as Piratica, whose code of honour saw that she never took a life. Art could remember Molly carrying her on deck during a storm and telling her "Don't ever be afraid of the sea.
So what was sixteen year old Artemesia now doing balancing books on her head, at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens?
Set in a parallel universe where England is a republic, and France is a monarchy, this story is full of swashbuckling adventure, and not just one, but three pirate queens. Not to mention a highwaywoman. There are chases and fights, mystery and derring-do, and, of course, a pirate treasure hunt.
This story grabbed my attention and held it through a rollicking, roller coaster of a ride, with the plot twists and turns coming thick and fast from the beginning to right at the end. I liked the capable young heroine and her determination to follow in Piratica's footsteps, even when she found herself in the middle of a rather unusual adventure.
The plot was tightly woven (though it does have its share of coincidences to help it along) and the adventure would appeal to both genders across a wide age group. However, younger readers (8-10) might find the more formal Regency style used in speech a little difficult.
Show More
She's the best friend our kind have got", just as a great, green salt wave swamped the decks and soaked them. But Molly had died on board her ship, the Unwelcome Stranger, when a canon exploded, and Art had been rescued by her father.So what was sixteen year old Artemesia now doing balancing books on her head, at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens?
Set in a parallel universe where England is a republic, and France is a monarchy, this story is full of swashbuckling adventure, and not just one, but three pirate queens. Not to mention a highwaywoman. There are chases and fights, mystery and derring-do, and, of course, a pirate treasure hunt.
This story grabbed my attention and held it through a rollicking, roller coaster of a ride, with the plot twists and turns coming thick and fast from the beginning to right at the end. I liked the capable young heroine and her determination to follow in Piratica's footsteps, even when she found herself in the middle of a rather unusual adventure.
The plot was tightly woven (though it does have its share of coincidences to help it along) and the adventure would appeal to both genders across a wide age group. However, younger readers (8-10) might find the more formal Regency style used in speech a little difficult.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Artemesia doesn't fit into the staid life of the boarding school she's in and she goes in hunt of her mother. When she finds the acting troupe her mother was with she whips them into shape and makes real pirates of them. Fun and amusing.
LibraryThing member the1butterfly
Tanith Lee's Piratica took me a while to get into, but at this point I am going for the second book. If you like pirates, you might really go for it.
LibraryThing member Ysabeau
Girl Pirates!
And Tanith Lee is one of the best fantasy/YA writers ever.
And Tanith Lee is one of the best fantasy/YA writers ever.
LibraryThing member KatieLovett
This is a charming, beautifully-written piece of not-quite historical fiction. Piratica, which contains nothing supernaturally bizarre, is only a fantasy novel in that its setting isn't EXACTLY like our own world--but it's close enough. It's a high seas adventure which, though improbable in some
Show More
ways, is a fun, lighthearted read. Show Less
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
Absolutely splendid from start to finish! Adventure, comedy, romance, mystery, crazy parrot, this has it all. By my lord's armchair!
LibraryThing member gbjefferso
Art, while trying to balance books on her head at the fancy girls' school suddenly fell and hit her head. When she awoke she remembered her past life, she didn't belong at this fancy school, she was a pirate. Art escaped the school and headed for her old life and embarked on a daring tale of
Show More
adventure upon the sea. Entertaining and fast paced with lots of fight scenes; however, the language was somewhat flowery and may lose some students. Would be a useful read fo history teachers to reinforce some historical concepts. Show Less
LibraryThing member elizabethholloway
This is a great adventure book with compelling and descriptive action scenes and the intrigue of a hidden treasure. The characters are endearing, and Art's desire to transcend the traditional expectations of women makes her particularly empathetic. the ending is rivting and action-packed.
LibraryThing member _Zoe_
I picked up this book both because I enjoy pirate stories and because the title promised educated, intelligent writing. "Piratica" is a lovely Greek-inspired word that clearly means "things concerning pirates", a neuter plural, and it obviously seemed a fitting title for a book like this. In my
So, I went into this book with high expections. These expecations were perhaps built on a somewhat flimsy foundation, especially since I had had mixed experiences with Tanith Lee before. I had read and quite enjoyed one of her YA books when I was a youth myself, and this had prompted me to pick up one of her adult books as well. If only I had known the word "whore", I might have realized from the back cover that that book wasn't for me. I remember that there were some pretty shocking scenes of a young boy forced into prostitution, but over time I had partially dismissed my negative impressions of that book, convincing myself that I was traumatized only because my youthful naiveté had left me entirely unprepared for such adult content.
Fast-forward 10 to 15 years, when I came across this book for $1 at a sale. I figured I could give Tanith Lee another chance, since this was another YA one and I had liked her YA work before. Plus, I was caught by the allure of the title.
Ultimately, though, it was the title that betrayed the book, and I didn't get very far at all before I had to put the book down in disgust. It may seem like a trivial thing, but I just couldn't stand to read on after it was revealed that Piratica is the name of a women. It's just utterly inappropriate. How could I keep turning the pages when I would be forced to encounter a woman named "things concerning pirates"?
Lame names had already seemed to be the order of the day, with a city called Lundun to indicate that we weren't quite in the real world. That was okay, though, because at least it didn't scream of ignorance and misuse of language. I expect an author to have a good command of English, and at least to avoid using words based in other languages if they have no idea of the implications. But this book, while seeming to promise a certain level of erudition, turned out to be a false friend. The hint of Greek was there only to be abused. Expecting further cruel torture of undeserving words in the pages to come, I set the book down and have finally concluded that I won't be picking it up again.
Show More
mind, such a weighty title for a YA novel promised a mock-serious style and a good deal of fun.So, I went into this book with high expections. These expecations were perhaps built on a somewhat flimsy foundation, especially since I had had mixed experiences with Tanith Lee before. I had read and quite enjoyed one of her YA books when I was a youth myself, and this had prompted me to pick up one of her adult books as well. If only I had known the word "whore", I might have realized from the back cover that that book wasn't for me. I remember that there were some pretty shocking scenes of a young boy forced into prostitution, but over time I had partially dismissed my negative impressions of that book, convincing myself that I was traumatized only because my youthful naiveté had left me entirely unprepared for such adult content.
Fast-forward 10 to 15 years, when I came across this book for $1 at a sale. I figured I could give Tanith Lee another chance, since this was another YA one and I had liked her YA work before. Plus, I was caught by the allure of the title.
Ultimately, though, it was the title that betrayed the book, and I didn't get very far at all before I had to put the book down in disgust. It may seem like a trivial thing, but I just couldn't stand to read on after it was revealed that Piratica is the name of a women. It's just utterly inappropriate. How could I keep turning the pages when I would be forced to encounter a woman named "things concerning pirates"?
Lame names had already seemed to be the order of the day, with a city called Lundun to indicate that we weren't quite in the real world. That was okay, though, because at least it didn't scream of ignorance and misuse of language. I expect an author to have a good command of English, and at least to avoid using words based in other languages if they have no idea of the implications. But this book, while seeming to promise a certain level of erudition, turned out to be a false friend. The hint of Greek was there only to be abused. Expecting further cruel torture of undeserving words in the pages to come, I set the book down and have finally concluded that I won't be picking it up again.
Show Less
LibraryThing member amobogio
Brilliant, funny, sweet... I can't say enough good things about this book. If I had a daughter she'd grow up to be a pirate, just like Art(emesia).
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
I was really excited when this book came out. I fully expected to totally love it - Lee is one of my favorite authors, so.. Lee and pirates? How could it go wrong?
I'm not quite sure, but somehow it does.
Set in a 'slightly parallel world' in 1802 (which basically means that place names are spelled
Undaunted, Artemisia, taking the name Art Blastside, convinces the actors to steal a ship, and embark on an adventure in search of treasure - which, unfortunately, is already being sought by some 'real' pirates.
Lee usually excels at creating a dreamlike atmosphere in her work, but in this book, the events are more absurdist than dreamlike. It's obviously not supposed to be realistic - but somehow I wanted the narrative to have more internal logic than it did. Maybe it was just my mood.
I was also just rather annoyed by the issue of "Is Artemisia crazy or not...?" It was sort of like I kept wanting the book to just settle down into being the silly adventure romp for teenagers that it's being marketed as - but these quirks and kinks kept coming up distractingly. Which sound like it might be interesting - but I didn't find it so.
I'm not quite sure, but somehow it does.
Set in a 'slightly parallel world' in 1802 (which basically means that place names are spelled
Show More
wrong: the river Thamis flows through Lundun, for example), 'Piratica' gives us a young woman named Artemisia, who, while studying deportment at her girls' school, falls and hits her head. After this blow, Artemisia experiences a rush of memory that convinces her that before her father locked her away in the school, she was a pirate, sailing the seven seas with her captain mother, Piratica. Inspired, she runs away from school and finds her mother's old compatriots - who turn out to be members of an acting company who had put on a successful play about pirates.Undaunted, Artemisia, taking the name Art Blastside, convinces the actors to steal a ship, and embark on an adventure in search of treasure - which, unfortunately, is already being sought by some 'real' pirates.
Lee usually excels at creating a dreamlike atmosphere in her work, but in this book, the events are more absurdist than dreamlike. It's obviously not supposed to be realistic - but somehow I wanted the narrative to have more internal logic than it did. Maybe it was just my mood.
I was also just rather annoyed by the issue of "Is Artemisia crazy or not...?" It was sort of like I kept wanting the book to just settle down into being the silly adventure romp for teenagers that it's being marketed as - but these quirks and kinks kept coming up distractingly. Which sound like it might be interesting - but I didn't find it so.
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2003
Physical description
288 p.; 6.3 inches
ISBN
0525473246 / 9780525473244
Local notes
A bump on the head restores Art's memories of her mother and the exciting life they led, so the sixteen-year-old leaves Angels Academy for Young Maidens, seeks out the pirates who were her family before her mother's death, and leads them back to adventure on the high seas.