Voyage of the Basset facts for kids
Voyage of the Basset is an exciting fantasy book that came out in 1996. It was created by James C. Christensen, who wrote and drew the pictures, with help from Renwick St. James and Alan Dean Foster. The story is about a professor named Algernon Aisling, who lives in the Victorian era (a time long ago in history). He is a widower and has two daughters, Miranda and Cassandra. They go on an amazing adventure aboard a special ship called the Basset.
Contents
An Amazing Adventure Begins
The story introduces us to Miranda, who is sixteen and likes to be very practical. Her younger sister, Cassandra, is almost ten and loves everything magical. Their dad, Professor Aisling, teaches about mythology and legends at his university. He also believes in mysterious and magical things, so Miranda often feels like she's the only one who thinks logically!
Some people at the university, like Mr. Bilgewallow, don't believe in myths and legends. They think magical things can't be studied scientifically. Professor Aisling often dreams of a ship that could take him to places where he could find real legendary creatures.
One evening, his wish comes true! As the professor and his daughters walk by the river, they see a strange little ship. Its crew is made up of dwarfs and gremlins. One dwarf, Malachi, introduces himself as the captain of H.M.S. Basset. He tells Professor Aisling that the ship appeared because of his wishes and is ready to sail on "tides of inspiration." Professor Aisling and Cassandra are thrilled and quickly board the ship. Miranda needs a little more convincing!
Meeting Mythical Creatures
The Aislings begin a magical journey, meeting many creatures from myths who join their crew. Their first stop is an island filled with fairies. There, the fairy king Oberon and queen Titania give them gifts to help them on their way. A manticore, which guarded the fairy king and queen, joins them. So does a sphinx, who Cassandra thinks is in love with the manticore!
Next, the crew grows to include harpies, who take over the kitchen, a minotaur, and a dryad who brings her tree along!
A Tricky Situation
Things get complicated when Professor Aisling becomes too focused on finding proof for people like Mr. Bilgewallow. He steals a dragon skull from Skotos, a troll who lives on another island. He also insists on bringing the beautiful but dangerous Medusa onto the ship. This causes problems for one of the crew members, who turns to stone!
But with help from his daughters and Medusa, Professor Aisling remembers what's truly important. They all must work together against the evil trolls who are chasing them.
Breaking a Curse and Facing Trolls
To help their stone-turned friend, Sebastian, they visit the Wonderful College of Magical Knowledge. They learn that only a unicorn can break the curse. So, they set off for an island where the ogre Olaf is celebrating his birthday. They give him a deck of cards as a gift. Olaf then leads them to a forest. Miranda puts on a beautiful dress to call the unicorn, who turns Sebastian back to normal!
Suddenly, the trolls attack, wanting revenge for the stolen dragon skull. But a powerful dragon appears and defeats the trolls, burning their leader Skotos.
A Bittersweet Farewell
The heroes return to the island of fairies, where King Oberon and Queen Titania celebrate their victory. King Oberon offers the dragon skull back to Professor Aisling. But the professor, realizing he doesn't need proof of magic anymore, gives it to the dragon.
Professor Aisling then looks for an island where all the magical creatures can live together. They say sad goodbyes to their new friends. Professor Aisling, Miranda, and Cassandra return home, sad to leave their friends but happy for the amazing journey they shared.
The Book's Message
The book has a special saying: Credendo vides. This means "By believing, one sees." It's a great message about how important it is to believe in things, even if you can't always see them.
Other Stories and Movies
The Voyage of the Basset story has been adapted into other forms:
- A TV movie called Voyage of the Unicorn came out in 2001. It was shown in two parts and updated the story to modern times. Some parts of the book were changed or removed to fit the movie's budget.
- Several other books have been written based on the original story. These include Islands In The Sky by Tanith Lee, The Raven Queen by Ellen Steiber and Terri Windling (published in October 1999), Journey To Otherwhere by Sherwood Smith (August 2000), Thor's Hammer by Will Shatterly (December 2000), and Fire Bird by Mary Frances Zambreno (June 2001).
