Captain Commando Saves the Whales and more! (The Adventures of Captain Commando Book 3)

Well, I've got to give Philip Jose Farmer points for creativity, if nothing else. At the tail-end of this book, he even brews up a good old-fashioned adventure. But somehow, the overall effect here is. Long story made short: Farmer's story picks up where Melville's left off. Ishmael, having survived Ahab's mad quest for the white whale, is headed home on the good ship Rachel.

But somehow, the Rachel slips through some kind of worm-hole in time. Sea level has dropped hundreds of feet below its present level. The moon is closer to the earth. Whales have sprouted wings and taken to the skies, where they are pursued by whalers in flying ships. Much of the remaining wildlife likewise resides in the skies.

The Rachel literally falls from the sky, crushing a sky-ship and killing all on board both vesselsexcept two. Those two are Ishmael and a woman named Namalee. Namalee takes up with Ishmael and teaches him her language and the ways of her people. Ishmael takes up with Namalee's people, whose city has been destroyed by a rival city; those foreign invaders have stolen Namalee's people's sacred idols.

Ishmael leads Namalee and a band of her people to this other city in an attempt to steal back their sacred idols. There's a great swipe-and-chase involving a "Stone Beast" and an ensuing airship battle.

Namalee and Ishmael become lovers. Ishmael declares that the two rival peoples should unite as one. If my review seems a bit. Farmer has crammed 10 pounds of info into a 5-pound bag. He describes wondrous characters, creatures and places at a breakneck pace.

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Some are merely alluded to and never mentioned again. He takes a truly intriguing character, Namalee, and develops her back-story to a fascinating pointthen shoehorns her into a stereotypical 'damsel-in-distress' role and leaves her there. I know one has to suspend disbelief with fantasy fiction, just go with the flow. But this book doesn't have a flowit has white water rapids. At times, I felt overcome by a storm of information. The first half mirrors the glacial pace of Melville's novel. Then, around page or so, the speed picks up with the 'stealing back the idols' segment.

The result is a bizarre hybridnot unpleasant, but not wholly satisfying, either. My two main criticisms are pacing and content. I believe this book could've been improved drastically if Farmer had doubled its length, taken a bit more time to fully explore the world he created in it.

Either that, or he should've left out some of the myriads of details he stuffed between these two covers. Closer focus on Namalee and Ishmael as a couple would've been better, too.

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Philip Jose Farmer is rightfully known as a visionary among science fantasy writers. But vision requires focus and structure. Farmer has written a shelf full of s-f classics. Apr 07, Jeffery rated it really liked it. I was honestly expecting to read a tale of the Wold Newton family. He could have created any other John Carter-style hero fit the bill. Brave guy from our world transported to a strange world, becomes a hero, saves the known world, marries the princess — how many times have you read that? Farmer, however, is not copying anyone. His fading earth has regressed.

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Then it struck me, why Ishmael? John Carter types are doers. Ishmael is a scholar, a thinker, an observer. Do you have to have read Melville to get it? The astute reader will understand Ishmael in the end. There are references to Queequeg and his coffin, Ahab, even Typee. That was just like icing on the cake for this reader. From start to finish, The Wind Whales of Ishmael is an exciting, fun read. Jun 06, Joshua rated it it was ok.

The 2 star rating may be a bit harsh, as my expectations were probably too high. What I wanted from this book was Moby Dick set in the distant future. What I got was what most Melville readers thought they were getting when they read him in the 's - a ripping adventure tale.

Ishmael is the protagonist - but he is definitely not the same Ishmael we see in Moby Dick. It felt like there were a lot of anachronisms as well, though I didn't bother chasing them down. While Farmer makes clear that h The 2 star rating may be a bit harsh, as my expectations were probably too high. While Farmer makes clear that his natives are like Melville's "natives" reflections of and commentary on the white man they are far more superficial.

Readers looking for a fun Sci-Fi novel will still enjoy it. Fans of Melville's rich allegory who are looking for a new twist or extension of the novel will be disappointed. Jan 22, Tom Bechtel rated it really liked it. When I first started reading this book I thought to myself, "This guy is on acid or something just as wicked". But after reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and still occasionally replay of some of the events that took place in this book. Really liked it when I read it growing up. Have to read it again to comment though. Sep 20, Dan Sihota rated it did not like it.

This book, The Wind Whales of Ismael, was given to me by a work colleague of mine who is a huge fan of science fiction. My one star rating may seem a little harsh, but I really did not enjoy this book, and had it been a little longer in length, I doubt I would have finished it. However, this is not to say this is a bad book or it is badly written, the simple fact is I just couldn't get into it.

Although this book is categorised as science fiction, it is really a fantasy story, one where we follow This book, The Wind Whales of Ismael, was given to me by a work colleague of mine who is a huge fan of science fiction. Although this book is categorised as science fiction, it is really a fantasy story, one where we follow the adventures of the main protagonist, Ishmael, a whaler, who gets transported to a different world a future earth where flying ships hunt flying whales.

But this world also contains many strange insect-like beings intent on killing everything in their path. Our hero finds himself rescuing a damsel in distress, who turns out to be the daughter of a local chief, and then he helps this group wage war against their enemies. I know this book is sort of a sequel to the classic, Moby Dick, and it's possible if I had read Moby Dick then I might have been a little more interested in following the adventures of Ishmael.

I think my main problem with this book is that the story seems to be told from a distance, as a result, it's very difficult to get close to any of the characters and fully understand them. And as the story is set in a world full of all kinds fantastical things, it's not easy trying to visualise what's going on at times, a little more description may have helped. Without any kind of explanation, it's difficult to understand how someone could get transported to a world which couldn't be more different than his own, and yet he managed to adapt so easily and so quickly. Had the story been told in the first person narrative then it might have provided a little more insight into what the main character was thinking, allowing the reader to better understand him.

The story could have benefited from a little more dialogue between the main characters to help the reader better understand them.

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I might have enjoyed the reading experience a little more had there been an attempt to include any elements of humour, and given the cultural differences the main character is faced with this seems like it would have been such a natural thing to include in the story. I completely understand that I am not a member of the target audience this book is aimed at, and someone who enjoys fantasy adventure stories may enjoy this book a lot more than I did. My final thoughts on this book, I just didn't get it.

Jul 20, Rachael rated it it was ok. It started off really strongly - if a bit slow. Excellent world building, full of great detail. But after plodding along at a slow pace, suddenly in the last third of the book it switches to a breakneck pace and feels like some sort of pulp action novel. Also, I was more than a bit disappointed to see the whole thing turn into a white savior type story. The female character of Namalee was excellent and strong, but as soon as the novel switched into action-mode she became a damsel in distress wit It started off really strongly - if a bit slow.

The female character of Namalee was excellent and strong, but as soon as the novel switched into action-mode she became a damsel in distress with not much to do other than fall down stairs and scream. It was interesting to read one of Farmer's lesser known works, but maybe it's lesser known for a reason? May 07, Wol-vriey rated it it was amazing.

Similar to 'The Stone God Awakens,' in that the hero is transported to an unbelievable future, but without the former's evolved-from-animals humans. Still a crazy ride though. One of those books where the sheer adventure is justification enough. Nov 23, Jose rated it really liked it.

I have never read a Farmer book before but the world building was incredible. However he kept the fiction light with sparse dialogue. Going to have to read that now. Jun 25, Jens Rushing rated it it was ok. Now whales fly and he hunts them in flying ships. But he must beware the Purple Beast of Stinging Death! The rare sequel that surpasses the original.

Apr 03, Webcowgirl rated it it was ok. This is not my kind of science fiction. That said it may inspire me to read Moby Dick. A future of sequel to "Moby Dick" with Ishmael cast through time to the far future where he encounters a world unlike the one he left and struggles to survive,. Nov 06, Scott rated it it was ok. I felt the storyline was a little thin. Maybe I was expecting something more along the lines of Farmer's Riverworld series.

An easy read, though. Nov 21, Sarah rated it it was ok Shelves: I couldn't get interested in the story.

Abandoned Mascot

The writing was heavy on description and a little dead. He was one of the most prolific Science Fiction writers of all time: He wrote iconic series The World of Tiers, Riverworld , and terrific standalone novels: Giant, gelatinous beasts as big as thunderheads that destroy cities, sky sharks, the end of the world… You get the picture. This book is actually a merger of two of my favourite sci-fi subgenres: What can I say more of this lean drink of transdimensional water? This is a niche piece, and certainly not canon, but fun, and I really mean it: Mar 11, Johnny rated it liked it Shelves: This classic work of science fantasy does what Farmer loves to do: Yours truly avoided the book for many years.

He was replaced by Ronald McDonald in They were replaced with the "I'm lovin' it" campaign due to decreased popularity. Despite McDonaldland being discarded, the characters still appear in the kid's sections of restaurants. A Hotter and Sexier Hamburglar was briefly brought back in to promote a new burger. In the s McDonald's began to try and do away with Ronald McDonald due to the controversies surrounding the company marketing junk food towards children. He's been replaced by an animated Happy Meal box for now. Hostess snack cakes had an array of long-gone mascots, each of whom assumed the shape of their respective product.

The Frito Bandito was the mascot for Fritos corn chips from Most sources say that he was abandoned due to the obvious political incorrectness of the character, though others say that most Mexicans liked him see also Mexicans Love Speedy Gonzales. He has since been retired. Cap'n Crunch had a bunch of other mascots he shared the box with until the 80s. The cereals then dropped the secondary mascots and just kept the Cap'n. Cookie Crisp went through a handful as well: In some countries, Chip is replaced with a panther mascot.

The bubble gum brand Malabar used Mr. He tends to hated by nostalgics. In , Duracell's mascot was the Duracell Bunny. In the commercials featuring him, he was one of the many similar battery-operated drum-playing rabbits that ran on different batteries. One by one, the bunnies would wear down, except the one powered by the Duracell Battery. Although he continues to be used in Europe and Australia and has long since moved on from drum-playing, instead participating in sporting events , Duracell failed to renew the US trademark, and as a result, lost it by In , Energizer's mascot was Mark "Jacko" Jackson.

His ad campaign lasted from to in the US, but was more popular in Australia, and lasted a few years longer there. He was even going to have a Christmas Special at one point. In the original G1 line from the s, Firefly was the unofficial mascot. G2 didn't have one due to being unpopular outside of Europe. Ever since G3, Pinkie Pie has been the mascot that is featured on most merchandise being pink and bubbly , despite Twilight Sparkle being G4's main character.

Sega's first mascot was the ship from Fantasy Zone , Opa-Opa, however eventually it was replaced with the protagonist of Alex Kidd. Alex Kidd was an average platformer series however never became that successful, especially outside of Japan. Alex has appeared in a few cameo roles over the years but hasn't received a new game since the Mega Drive era. Opa-Opa was Sega's first official mascot, but their first unofficial mascot was Professor Asobin , a Funny Animal rabbit who showed up in manuals for SG games to offer advice to the players.

He was later replaced with Alex Kidd as well. Microsoft intended for Blinx to be their mascot for their new Xbox franchise of gaming consoles. Blinx was a cute Mascot with Attitude cat meant to attract younger gamers. The game however ended up bombing. Blinx was a Stillborn Franchise with only one sequel. The Xbox's flagship title instead ended up being Halo , with its main character Master Chief becoming the Xbox mascot. Master Chief helped solidify the view of Xbox as a console for older audiences, in contrast to Sony's and especially Nintendo's more family-friendly images.

Unlike its competition, the Playstation brand doesn't have a concrete mascot baring a Japanese-only cat mascot. It instead has a series of popular characters who all work as mascots, some official and some unofficially. Most of these mascots only last a few years before being demoted: He was an incredibly popular character in both western countries and Japan a rare feat for a western character and was created as a Kid-Appeal Character to get younger gamers to buy a Playstation.

Crash's time as a mascot only lasted a few years though. Naughty Dog lost their rights to the franchise right when the Playstation 2 was being released. Crash Bandicoot became a multiplat series afterwards before fading after the release of Mind Over Mutant in It was revived in the s but is still multiplat. Spyro the Dragon came out a few years after Crash and shared its status as a mascot, albeit to a far lesser degree.

Similarly to Crash Bandicoot , it only lasted three main titles under its creators before they moved on due to wanting to make a main character who could use guns. It became mutiplat and eventually faded after the The Legend of Spyro Continuity Reboot , with only cameos in Skylanders which was conceived as a Spyro MMO before becoming a separate franchise afterwards.

Lara Croft of Tomb Raider fame was largely seen as a Playstation mascot, however the first title was actually multiplat. It was only after a deal to make the next few games exclusive to Playstation that it gained a reputation as a Playstation mascot. This status as a mascot lasted until the main titles began releasing on non-Playstation platforms, along with the decline in the series' popularity. Parappa The Rapper was a brightly coloured, kid-friendly rhythm title.

It received a spinoff, a sequel on the PS2, and even an anime but couldn't quite become the main Playstation mascot. Despite the fact he hasn't had a new title in years bar rereleases , Parappa pops up every once in a while nevertheless, such as appearing in Playstation All Stars Battle Royale.

LittleBigPlanet 's protagonist, Sackboy, was the mascot of the Playstation 3 but dropped off with the Playstation 4. Knack was a failed attempt at a mascot for the PS4. The game didn't have a positive enough reception to become popular. Pikachu, a more gender-neutral but equally cute character, however ended up surpassing it as the mascot at the last minute. Red from the Pocket Monsters manga the longest-running adaptation of the series owns both a Clefairy and a Pikachu as a reference to how Clefairy was the original mascot. Slider was the original mascot of Animal Crossing franchise.

The fourth title, Animal Crossing: New Leaf , introduced the protagonist's secretary, Isabelle. Isabelle quickly became a Breakout Character and surpassed K. Slider as the series' mascot, though he is still prominently featured in merchandising. Capcom had various mascots during its history: He has gone on to appear in many of Capcom's fighting games, including Marvel vs.

Mega Man is now considered to be Capcom's mascot, because of the large amount of games in the franchise and the popularity of the franchise. Ryu, from Street Fighter , could also be considered one of Capcom's mascot, but Ryu is more thought of as the face of the Street Fighter franchise. The Yashichi is an item that appears in many of Capcom's games. Usually, it acts as health restoration or a power-up. It is a red circle that has something resembling a pinwheel on it. The Yashichi was first in Capcom's very first game, Vulgus , as an enemy, and has gone on to appear in Mega Man and many other games albeit with a more helpful role.

Oswald was on his way to becoming an iconic cartoon character like Felix the Cat , however Disney lost the rights to Oswald after creating only a few shorts for him. Oswald continued to have shorts written by others however they weren't as popular as Disney's and Oswald was discontined by the s.

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They were hits and would soon eclipse Owald and Ortensia. Mickey ended up becoming the most iconic cartoon character within a few decades. Almost a century after Walt Disney lost the rights to Oswald, the Disney company brought him back and revived him with the video game Epic Mickey. He, his wife, and their many children have appeared in cameos since then, and are even face-characters at Disney theme parks.

The early shorts first introduced Bosko, a similar blackface style Everyman character, though, like Oswald, creators and rights led to the character being traded to a rival animation company, MGM. The later character, Beans the Cat was intended to be the next attempt at a mascot, but his sidekick Porky Pig trounced him in popularity. Porky's mascot status lasted for a while until the staff eventually conceived a smartalec Karmic Trickster by the name of Bugs Bunny , who quickly surpassed Porky in popularity and became the face for Looney Tunes from there on out.

Compare Chuck Cunningham Syndrome. Can be a result of Breakout Character. GEICO has a tendency to hedge betting on their mascots' viability: There's a whole slew of abandoned, legitimate on-the-box cereal mascots if you dig deep enough. I just got the ball rolling. The franchise was originally slated to have Clefairy as the mascot, but it was changed at the last moment — presumably to appeal to a broader worldwide audience. In the early '70s, Hardee's fast-food restaurants had animated characters Speedy Mc Greedy who always tried to steal Hardee's "Huskees" burgers and Gilbert Giddyup a sheriff who was out to catch the former.

Note on the cereal mascots: It's true that some cereals have had multiple mascots come and go over the years — Cocoa Krispies alone has had at least 5. But that's not counting all the mascots who represented a single cereal product, only to be abandoned with the product. Both products came and went in the '70s. And let's not forget the eponymously-named mascots from the discontinued "Monster Cereals": Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy though the latter might not have been an official monster cereal. It's given a nod in King Of Fighters 99 where the monkey sometimes appear in Terry's win poses.

They used to have Captain Commando as their old time mascot, but they shifted their attention towards Ryu of Street Fighter instead. If the Trix rabbit was discontinued but Trix were still sold without him, that'd be worthy of this trope. If Smacky Jacks had Randolph the Gopher as a mascot from , then stopped being produced in , that'd also be worthy of this trope.

Abandoned Mascot - TV Tropes

For examples like Sugar Rice Krinkles whose mascot was Krinkles the clown this was real , this wouldn't qualify because the cereal ended production with him on the box. Mayor McCheese wouldn't really qualify because he shared a very broad spotlight and was hardly on anything outside the commercials. Incidentally, this brings to mind Cinnamon Toast Crunch had three bakers, Wendell whose name was canonical, as well as Bob and Quello whose names' origins are apocryphal but are likely fan-based. In , Bob and Quello were retired from both the box and all advertisements. Wendell himself has been replaced by the Crazy Squares mascot since , and can be presumed retired aside from occasional acknowledgements on General Mills' blogs and social media.

Mascot for Fritos corn chips from Most sources say that he was abandoned due to the obvious political incorrectness of the character, though others say that most Mexicans liked him see also [[Mexicans Love Speedy Gonzales]]. Capcom had various mascots during its history. He has gone on to appear in many of Capcom's fighting games, including Marvel Vs Capcom. The Yashichi was first in Capcom's very first game, Vulgus , as an enemy, and has gone on to appear in Mega Man 1 and many other games albeit with a more helpful role.