The Pirates! In an Adventure with Napoleon

Pirate Captain returns in this installment of Defoe's loony pirate yarns (The Pirates! in an Adventure with Ahab ; The Pirates! in an Adventure with Communists ), only to lose the Pirate of the Year awards. (Though Captain's beard is “fantastically glossy and luxuriant,” he has oiled himself in preparation for a swimsuit round that doesn't exist.) Smarting from his loss, Captain retreats to the island of St. Helena, where—to the chagrin of his crew, including “the pirate with the scarf,” and “the pirate who liked kittens and sunsets”—he delves into bee husbandry. Alas, geography, goats and the machinations of Napoleon Bonaparte threaten to disrupt a life of bucolic contemplation. Lovers of Monty Python and the novels of Cabin Boy star Chris Elliott will appreciate this sendup of swashbuckling sea adventures. (May)