Always trust a mind-talking dog. Always.

The first part of the book seemed very slow, even though it was a sea adventure with pirates. The second part moved much faster for me, but there was little real excitement until close to the end. It's been many years since I read the first book, but I seem to remember enjoying it more than this one.

Good

In some ways Brian Jacques's Castaways of the Flying Dutchman trilogy is drastically different from his Redwall series, but they're more similar than is apparent at first glance. The Flying Dutchman books primarily feature human characters rather than anthropomorphized animals, but the speech patterns, battles between heroes and villains, and the passion for good vittles and great adventure are themes the two series share on an elemental level. At the start of The Angel's Command it has been only eight years since Captain Philip Vanderdecken and the crew of the Fleiger Hollander—a ship known to one and all as the Flying Dutchman—were cursed by an angel to roam the seas forever as ghosts. Ben—age fourteen when the curse was pronounced—and his black Labrador Ned were spared eternal confinement aboard the Flying Dutchman, but must wander the earth forever, ageless and homeless as they carry out the angel's mandate to do good for people in need. We catch up with the pair in the year 1628 at Cartagena, Colombia, where they happen upon a gathering of seamen at a tavern called the Rhum Tigre. Raphael Thuron, buccaneer captain of the French ship La Petite Marie, is engaged in a high-stakes game of skill and chance against Rocco Madrid, pirate captain of the Spanish Diablo. Madrid consistently bests Thuron at their game, winning large quantities of gold and diminishing the Frenchman in the eyes of his own crew, until Ned figures out he's cheating. Taking advantage of their unique telepathic link, the dog communicates the thought to Ben, who passes it along to Thuron. The captain of La Petite Marie turns the tables on Madrid, reclaims his gold, and sets out on the high seas before the Spaniard can gather his wits and stop him. Thuron insists Ben and Ned accompany him as good luck charms, for Madrid would slay Ben for his part in Thuron's reversal of fortune.

Merciless as a pirate captain has to be, Thuron adores Ben and Ned, and can see in their eyes that they are more than they appear to be. After retaking his gold from Madrid, Thuron considers a quiet retirement in France; perhaps he can emulate his brother, who chose the priesthood rather than piracy. But Madrid and his crew are hot on La Petite Marie's trail across the turbulent Caribbean Sea, hell-bent on killing the French captain for his gold. It's a battle of wills and wits between two proud buccaneers with everything to lose, but the Diablo and La Petite Marie aren't the only players. Redjack Teal, privateer captain of the English Devon Belle, orders his crew to join the fray when he spots these two handsome ships speeding away from Cartagena. Son of an esteemed British family, Captain Redjack could become enormously wealthy by seizing either ship, and his reputation as a privateer would grow by orders of magnitude. Thuron, Madrid, and Redjack are in a wild chase across the Caribbean, but only Thuron has Ben and Ned, who have already seen much in their lifetimes and whose wisdom may tip the balance in Thuron's favor. The Frenchman is faultlessly loyal to his two favored passengers, but will his allegiance save him from death so he can enjoy retirement in rural France?

"There are good men and bad men. All my life I have tried to be good, but I am no saint. Just a man who likes to help others."

—Padre Esteban, The Angel's Command, P. 73

Now traveling on land at the border of France and Spain, Ben and Ned adjust to the sudden end of their life's recent maritime chapter. Boy and dog soon fall in with a spirited teen girl named Karay and a boy of about Ben's apparent age named Dominic, who sketches faces to earn his keep. The "Facemaker of Sabada," Dominic's talent is seeing beyond external features to what resides in the souls of his sketch subjects, and not everyone is happy with what they see when he renders their likeness. What would he draw if he peered into Ben's eyes, a boy fated to remain fourteen forever, never allowed to settle down to a normal life? As a unit, Ben, Ned, Karay, and Dominic seem capable of earning a living wage in the village of Veron, but the angel did not bring Ben and Ned here for mundane reasons. Remanded into the custody of Comte Vincente Bregon, a community leader, the four wanderers learn the old man's sad story. Years ago, the comte's brother Edouard married into a family of dark magicians called the Razan. It was doomed to end badly, and after Edouard's death, the Razan abducted his son, Adamo. The comte hasn't seen his nephew in the eighteen years since; he would lead a posse into the Pyrenees to challenge the Razan matriarch, Maguda, but the family has sworn to wreak destruction on Veron should the comte ever leave in search of Adamo. Weakened and heartbroken at the loss of the only kin he had left, the comte has resigned himself to never seeing Adamo again, but Ben, Ned, Karay, and Dominic have something to say about it. The comte pleads with them not to risk their lives, but our heroes launch a daring rescue attempt, knowing the Razan would gladly slay them on sight. If they somehow gain entrance to the Razan mountain fortress, a confrontation with Maguda is inevitable; are even Ben and Ned capable of withstanding her miasmic powers? And after all that, would Adamo still be alive after decades of captivity? The angel's mission is daunting, but if Ben, Ned, and their new friends accomplish it they will leave a wondrous legacy, mysterious though Ben and Ned's role in it is sure to become in the proceeding years. Will a blue-eyed boy and his good-humored Labrador ever completely satisfy the angel's command?

This book improves considerably on the first of the trilogy, Castaways of the Flying Dutchman. Captain Vanderdecken is an eerie presence on the exotic seas; is he as close on Ben and Ned's heels as they believe, or is fear magnifying the threat in their minds? This sub-narrative adds texture to The Angel's Command. It's notable that the story takes place centuries prior to the previous book, which was set in 1896 England. The ending is quite good, a fitting picture of the legend that Ben and Ned leave in their wake as they trot the globe searching for meaning and security. I hope the trilogy's conclusion, Voyage of Slaves, allows a measure of closure to the eternal task imposed on them by the angel. I'd probably rate The Angel's Command two and a half stars; it isn't nearly so wonderful as the best of Redwall, but it's a quality read that sets up intriguing possibilities for the finale. I hope to see you there.

This trilogy is bookended by two genuinely great books and The Angel's Command feels overlooked. This is by no means a bad book, and it's at least more ambitious than the first, but there are definite issues. For starters, the pacing is all over the place. While both individual narratives are excellent, they both end a bit prematurely and the second one feels incredibly rushed. The main conflict is resolved in an utterly unsatisfying manner and everything feels hurried. The villain problem from Castaways of the Flying Dutchman is somewhat carried over here, but the antagonists in this book are for the most part more fleshed out and more compelling.

The strongest parts of the prequel were by far the characters, main and supporting, and the central idea, and that is the case here as well. Ben & Ned continue to be two magnetic, highly likable central characters that the reader can't help but root for. The new cast of supporting characters are also well-written, especially Thuron, Karay, and Dominic. The central idea of Ben & Ned being cursed and forced to live for eternity is still very much at play here, though it often takes a backseat to other plot points.

We do have to talk about the ending here, as it is a major talking point. Castaways of the Flying Dutchman had a fantastic, moving ending that caused me to give the book 4 stars instead of 3.5. Brian Jacques is a master of weaving together multiple storylines and crafting the perfect ending, as those who read the Redwall series undoubtedly know. Unfortunately, the ending for The Angel's Command was just, disappointing. Yes, it somewhat set up the future for Ben & Ned but it also was underwhelming. When Castaways of the Flying Dutchman ended, readers put the book down with a tear in their eye. When this book ended, they looked for more pages. It seems harsh, but endings do matter.

this book is one of the best books I've ever read. The angles command is the squel to the story castaways of the flying dutchman. This book picks up the story about 100 years later with Ben and his dog Den.Ben and Den are also from the first book but they were made imortal by an angle that struck down the flyind dutchman and its crew.

Very happy to have finally read this book. I have read the first one multiple times and I have even read the last one, but I've only just read this one. There is something so satisfying and right about completing a series.

Ohmigoodness I can not tell you how many times I've re-read this book. I should have bought a hard back version because my paperback is starting to really look bad! LOL This book is DEFINATLY my favorite out of the three book series.

Part of a new young adult series by the author of the Redwall Series. I picked it up primarily because the Redwall series was far and away my favorite set of books when i was younger, and I enjoyed reading this and the other books in the new series.

I liked this book. It hooks you in with a swash buckling adventure, then switches the cast and slows the pace for the second part. However, the pace picks right back up for the climax and ends on a touching note. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good adventure.

i really liked it!!! i accidently read this book before the sfirst one but still fell in love with it!!!! it is reeeeeally good!!!i think u should totally read right now! go on! read it!!

Another episode of reading random books just to have something to read. This was only marginally better than Redwall.