If there's one genre of media I wish was more extensive, it's pirates. Pirates are cool as - they always have been, and they always will be. Unfortunately, other than the absolutely incredible TV show Black Sails (if you haven't seen Black Sails, stop reading this immediately and go watch it - the first four episodes are a bit meh, but push through and you'll be rewarded with four seasons some of the best and most underrated TV ever created), there isn't a whole lot out there. Everyone seems to have decided that nothing else really needs to be done beyond yet another Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. In the book world, it's pretty hard to find a book about pirates that isn't just an excuse for some spicy sea romance, which is definitely not my cup of tea, or flagon of rum, if we're staying on theme. Starved for pirate content, I guess fantasy pirates sailing ships made of dragon bone will have to do...
For as long as anyone can remember, the Hundred Isles and the Gaunt Isles have been at war, raiding each other's lands on ships made from ancient dragon bones. For the first time in generations, a sea dragon has been sighted. The fate of the dragon could determine the fate of the Hundred Isles: whoever captures it will certainly win the war, but if the animal and its priceless bones can be protected... could peace be possible?
At the centre of this story lies a crew of criminals - condemned to sail a black ship, a death sentence - tasked with protecting the sea dragon. There's a pretty cool theme here - if you've already been rejected by society, is there still worth in doing the "right thing"? This centres around main character Joron Twiner, who, after trying to avenge his father's death is wrongly sentenced to captain a black ship, and sinks into an alcohol fuelled state of despair and depression, allowing his crew to do the same. Is isn't until "Lucky" Maes Gillbryn, the most famous Shipwife (captain) in the Hundred Isles appears after being condemned herself (though for what, we are yet to find out) and takes the captaincy off Joron as easily as candy from a baby, that he is forced to confront his demons and find purpose. Are Joron and his crew willing to do the morally right thing, even when the alternative could buy their way back into society and promise untold riches - but no end to war? I loved watching the development in this - not just as individual characters, but also together as a crew. Barker really captures the spirit of having to work together against the unstoppable forces of nature.
We talk a lot about world building in fantasy, but honestly it's rare to come across a fantasy that deviates too far from the "Medieval Europe with a dash of the Ottoman Empire to signify exotic" wheelhouse, and even rarer for the world itself to deviates from the basic natural laws of reality. The Bone Ships is a fantastic example of truly inventive world building. This is truly unique, even to the point where the plants aren't green - they're pink and blue, and many of the animals mentioned do not appear to have real world equivalents. The stand out point about this worldbuilding though is the matriarchal society, as well as fantastic strong female characters. Women wield the power, and the more healthy children you give birth to, the more powerful you are. The leader of the Hundred Isles holds her position because she is Thirteenbern - the mother of 13 healthy children. The matriarchal society is well thought out - and the attention to detail is great - ships are "he" not "she", and groups of people are addressed as "women and men", not "men and women". It's a storytelling choice that's still rare enough that it stands out. So much of fantasy is still entrenched in misogyny, or displays half hearted attempts at equity by having women in battle, so I have to commend Barker for this. In fact, there are great examples of diversity throughout, and representation of different skin colours, gender identities and sexualities. It's great to see fantasy finally moving away from the entrenched character tropes that have been a staple since fantasy as a genre was created.
The downside of this worldbuilding though, is the amount of info-dumping in the first half. There's so much creativity here - all the naval positions are uniquely named, as are the flora and fauna. However, while there's a glossary in the back to tell me what a Shipwife, a deckkeep and a hagshand on a ship are, I have no idea how to picture a lot of the animals - what on earth is a kivelly? Or a beakwyrm? Would it kill you to include a complete glossary? The first 30-40% is plot driven worldbuilding, so it takes a while to get to know the characters, and get to actually care about them. By the end though I was definitely starting to get attached though, and given that it ends on a minor cliffhanger and promises to dive straight into the action in book two, I feel like there is a lot of potential here.
I can't imagine I'm the only person out there starved for maritime adventure books. So, if like me, you want to imagine yourself skimming over the ocean on a beautiful three masted galleon, hoisting the sails and fighting off other ships, then this is one for you. I'm intrigued to see what the rest of the trilogy brings.
Comments