The Bone Ships (The Tide Child #1)

If you liked the premise of S.W.A.T., but wished that instead of a group of cops protecting a mob boss from profit-seeking ruffians on the way to prison it was a rag-tag group of outcasts on a ship made of sea creature bones protecting the last of said sea creatures from… well, profit-seeking ruffians… I know, that was a long way to travel to compare a fine, character driven, modern-day Moby Dick to a popcorn action movie, but something about the focal point of the book being a suspenseful trek from point A to point B with chaos buzzing around it reminded me of cinematic prisoner transport, a la Kingpin in Netflix\’s Daredevil, or Coleman Reese in The Dark Knight. But enough about that. Bone Ships brings together a capable captain on a mission to prove her worth and a drunk who may have Peter Principled his way into (and out of) his captaincy. Their dynamic and relationship growth is a highlight of the book, much as Girton and Merela were in Barker\’s The Wounded Kingdom series. (If you haven\’t read that, do it immediately.) The development of Joron\’s and Lucky Meas\’ leadership would make John Maxwell proud as they progress from Position leadership to The Pinnacle, with Joron finding he is properly suited to second in command, like some NFL head coaches are better as coordinators. Much of the world-building forces the reader to pick things up on their own, as new vocabulary (or perhaps just nautical vocabulary that I\’m not familiar with) is used early and often. There are bizarre new creatures, interesting world politics, an in-depth instruction manual on the mechanics and operation of a giant crossbow, and a ship energy tracking straight out of a video game. The action sequences are furiously paced, throwing you on the deck of the Bone Ships, whether your sea legs are ready for it or not. Between The Bone Ships and Rob Hayes\’ Best Laid Plans, I didn\’t realize how much I enjoy high seas fantasy. Highly recommend.

I see, with all the reviews this book has garnered, that mine will scarcely matter. What is one more voice saying, \”I loved this book\” and \”I wish R.J.\’s world was real\” and \”Wow! I can\’t wait for the sequel\”? As brilliant as this book is, why would I waste my time like that? I have other books to read, books that might need my words of support, books that probably are not going to win all the awards and maybe kick off a new subgenre of fantasy. (Not to mention the cosplay… Oh, the cosplay!) I have spent entirely too much time on this review already. I should go make tea or something. Or check on my bees. Or sit in the dark and pretend to be on a bone ship chasing a dragon. Don\’t judge me!!!

Ships made from the bones of dead dragons, two kingdoms constantly at war, people that have a large percentage born with defects ( from possible contamination from the bones they use for their ships and living spaces? ), and a crew condemned to die on a \”black ship\” makes for a very interesting read. Apparently there is one \”dragon\” or arakeesian spotted which is a huge surprise as they are thought to be extinct and the crew of the Tide Child is sent to find it. All in all a very good book but not as good as the authors Wounded Kingdom trilogy. I had some trouble with all the made up names for normal things and would have liked to have a better understanding of the world this series exists in and these two kingdoms. With that said I\’m looking forward to the next book as I have become fond of these characters.

I picked this book up based on a recommendation from one of my favorite authors, Nicholas Eames. If you are familiar with his work, you will find that Lucky Meas could fit right in with Bloody Rose and her band. This book has all the fast-paced action, razor sharp wit, and colorful characters that I loved in Kings of the Wyld. The world building is amazing. The author is completely competent at creating new terms for a variety of things new to this world. Though strange enough to be different, the author still manages to give everything an air of familiarity. My favorite part is how the book takes the gender biases from our world and completely throws them out. It\’s not bad luck for a woman to be on a ship, in fact women make up a large portion of the ship\’s crew. A ship is referred to as a \”he\” and the captain is referred to as a \”shipwife\”,with sailors known as \”deckchilde\”. TLDR: if you love dragons, pirates, strong writing/strong characters, and grim tales of the sea, you won\’t find any better than this book.

Excellent start of a trilogy, the book is a mix of grimdark fantasy and historic age of sail. It is set in a global archipelago. The lack of iron and quality wood has forced the use of sea dragon bone and stone for warships and seige weapons. Beware, this novel has minimal exposition and requires the reader to push nearly halfway through before a clear understanding of the character motivation, plot, and setting emerges. I recomend it for fans of Ward\’s Midshipwizard, Horatio Hornblower, and similar epic fantasy.

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