“The Notorious Adventures of Nutt the Nefarious” by Seth Lewis

William Shakespeare has recently died. The King James Version of the Bible has nowbeen translated and published. A new world has been discovered by Europe. 

And John Nutt (born before 1600 and died after 1632) is ranging from eastern Canada to the western coast of England, making raids on settlements and towns and attacking ships. In short, Nutt was a pirate, one who inspired fear across the north Atlantic. He was finally captured by Sr. John Eliot in 1623, tried and found guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging.

 

Except Nutt paid the English Secretary of State George Calvert a sizeable bribe and was pardoned. As author and poet Seth Lewis would say, Nutt “nearly died.”

 

Lewis, who lives in southern Ireland and works with Irish Baptist churches, has created a short and fictional account of the famous exploits of Nutt, many of which have been lost. The Notorious Adventures of Nutt the Nefarious includes poems and stories, told over the course of a week. Aimed at children and perhaps to be read aloud to them, it is great fun for adults as well.

 

Seth Lewis

The adventures begin with an “epic poem,” which explains how Nutt found his way to the island of Timbukthree on a ship named A.Corn, after Nutt’s father Archibald Cornelius the Third. It sets the stage for the adventures to come, noting that, from early on, Nutt very nearly dies on a regular and often daily basis.

 

His very nearly dying experiences include being swallowed by a Wheel (a strange cross between a whale and an electric eel), having to replace a termite-infested main mast, a battle with the squirrelly Squire Rell, an encounter with the danger Mouth Sharks, or Marks, followed by one with the Cannibulls, or Bulls. We hold our breath as Nutt and his pirates very nearly die many times over. The story ends as it should, with the anticipation of future adventures ahead. 

 

The Notorious Adventures of Nutt the Nefarious is pure fun, filled with puns and zany adventures (including a forest of broccoli that doesn’t take kindly to visitors). It’s a treat for children and the child within us all.