Seagulls in My Soup

These 17 loosely connected episodes of ""fictionalized fact"" are the further adventures of maritime daredevil Jones, who related his escapades in The Incredible Voyage and other nonfiction books. These tales are set in the mid-1960's in the Mediterranean, where Jones and a crew of expatriates of every stripe pursue a nautical life that seems more like an ancient mariner's than a modern sailor's. In a wood ship, with gin and other spirits flowing copiously, they have experiences that, in this wry telling, call to mind the wanderings of Ulysses. Jones and his mates encounter monsters (the human variety) and even descend into the realm of the dead (visiting a cemetery vault on Ibiza on All Saints Day). The narrative, punctuated by sea chanteys and poetry, is brisk and cheerful--even when bullets fly, we know this wayward sailor will escape. Maritime jargon contributes to this spirited work's charm but, largely unexplained, may trip up uninformed readers. (Dec.)