The Mentirosa plows through the South China Sea. The magic of engineering has transformed the old sailing ship into an armed steamship. It is the floating home and stronghold of the Tigers of Malaysia, the ghost ship of all ghosts. On board are fifty crew members, sailors and fighters who speak all the languages of Babylon. Their captain is the Malay prince Sandokan, with his Portuguese friend Yanez de Gomara by his side - fighting against a mysterious enemy who burns down the villages of Borneo and abducts young men. Taibo's adventure novel is a tribute to the Italian author Emilio Salgari and his legendary characters Sandokan and Yanez de Gomara, who sailed the seas as pirates in the 19th century. Taibo continues their story and introduces them to fellow fighters, whose common trait is the willingness to stand up against the power of the British Empire. Salgari's heroes become in Taibo's narrative the anti-imperialist heroes of his childhood, challenging European colonialism. The historical backdrop of the adventure novel serves as a metaphor for a liberation struggle that resonates with the present. The book exhibits all the characteristics of an adventure and pirate novel. However, Taibo takes some liberties, introducing lost letters from Friedrich Engels, a survivor of the Paris Commune, or a villain from the Sherlock Holmes novels. The narrative style is never naive, traditional, or didactic, but rather infused with postmodern irony. The comedic, burlesque element adds an appealing touch to the novel: Salgari spiced with a dose of Tarantino trash. And as always with Taibo, this multi-layered and allusive novel is characterized by an unbridled joy of storytelling that makes reading a delight.