This one was particularly difficult for me, as if I really don’t like a book I tend to put it down with the intention of coming back to it. But then I never do. I think the little lie is to keep me from feeling too guilty. Some of the books that came to mind were Stargirl by Jerri Spinelli, Tersias the Oracle by G.P. Taylor, and Murkmere by Julie Hearn.
But one book that stands out in my mind for being notoriously bad. I read it at a time when I wasn’t exactly picky about what I read, which I think is how I managed to get through it, because, really, it was horrible.
Which book am I talking about? I’m thinking Piratica by Tanith Lee.
This awkward and ungainly narrative follows Art, a girl who should rightly in boarding school, but because a canon fell on her head (or something of the like) she thinks that her mother was once a pirate queen. Surprise, surprise, her mother was actually a stage actress and probably never set foot on a boat on in her life. Art runs all over trying to find treasure, there were parrots doing something or other, a villain named Goldie Girl (really, that’s supposed to be a pirate name?), and some white haired leading man named Felix.
I think I blocked it out. I look it up recently and it said that it was supposed to be a comedy, but clearly I did not get the humour.
I remember reading it in Gr. 9 geography class all those years ago, while the teacher was talking. She looked at me and said, “Now Chelsey, I know Tanith Lee is an amazing author but you have to put the book down now.”
I remember having to literally clap my jaw shut to keep from going, “Are you kidding me, this is awful?!”
Granted I have not read any of Lee’s other books, but this one has to be the worst of them.
A lot of time has passed since I read the book, and I have no intention of actually trying to read the book again, but I was wandering the bookstore a few weeks ago and what would you suppose I passed by?
Piratica 2.
So perhaps Piratica is not the worst book ever in my mind anymore. If it follows the trend of sequels being worse than the original than Piratica 2 must be epic in its suckage.
