It has been a long time coming, but what R. J. Barker does in THE BONE SHIPS makes me fall in love with epic fantasy again.

The first book of the TIDE CHILD series is not as grand as some might expect. But ships made out of dragon bones? Fleets powered by strange birdmen? A culture that is based upon strong women? It all combines to create a uniquely nautical but richly flavored world.

The Hundred Isles have been plagued by war for generations. Their ships made from the bones of dragons have begun to decay and the ships have become fewer and fewer in number. Despite hunting the dragons into extinction, the war persisted in a long game of civilization-entropy.

That is, until one is found.

Quickly, both sides muster whoever can pursue and set off, because whoever catches this final dragon could win the war.

Enter Joron Twiner, captain of a black ship, those designated for criminals sentenced to die. He is willing to drink away his shame until Meas “Lucky” Gilbryn comes and claims his title, his crew, and his ship. Can he stand any more humiliation, or will Meas meet a watery end?

There is just so much to like about Barker’s first voyage into the Hundred Isles. And the best part is that there is something for any reader of fantasy. Do you enjoy food? It’s in here. Do you want naval battles? That is certainly here in spades. Do you want scenes of magical enchantment? Well, you know what? That’s even here as well.

While the story itself suffers somewhat from being the first part of a trilogy, which can be felt with some of the dangling subplot threads by the end, this book is so richly textured throughout, that I would have thought Barker had gone sailing on a ship for a month. 

The best part isn’t even the world-building in THE BONE SHIPS, but the fleshed-out characters, who I would love to catch an ale with. Joron is a magnificently flawed piece of s***, who you may end up loving by the end. Meas is a beast all onto her own, but she breaks all tropes across her knees, for the most part. And this is not even touching the crew themselves or the cranky birdmen or gullaime. All of them, while leaning on some tropes more than I would have liked, come to tempt you to join them for one more chapter. 

Is THE BONE SHIPS completely without flaws? Absolutely not, there are spaces where the pacing could have been tighter or the supporting characters richer, but the prose is just so lovely to read. Barker shines here, experienced all the more clearly as when he immerses the reader in his strange, brutal world. Strange names and customs emerge, as do names and other artifices unique to the Hundred Isles, yet they all glide past in the sea as Barker cuts through them like the skilled seamen he wants you to believe.

Just when I thought I wouldn't want to return to fantasy of any kind, THE BONE SHIPS may have completely changed my course.

R J Barker has created an extraordinary novel. It's a story of redemption and suffering, of hope and betrayal. The characters are fully developed and fascinating. What really sets it apart, I feel is the worldbuilding. The author has created a world so different from our own and yet so detailed and logical. 

There's plenty of action as the crew of a condemned ship sets off on a secret mission to find and defend the last Dragon in their world. I was sucked in to the story and fully immersed in no time. I can't wait to read more. Highly recommended.

I really loved the idea of this book. I loved the idea of ships made of the bones of dragons and the possibility of extinct dragons coming back. Unfortunately this didn't pan out the way I had hoped. The characters were okay, and the plot was fine, but I was waiting for  more action. I also didn't love the characters, and great characters make me want to keep picking up a book. Not for me, but I've liked works by this author before so I'm looking forward to what he has next!

I can see why so many people loved this book. The writing is great, the story is fun and unique. I just couldn't get into this one as much as I wanted to and that is more from my particular taste than the quality of the book. I had a hard time relating to the characters and that made it hard for me to fully invest. That is not to say this isn't a great book, it just wasn't made for me. Give it a try, you'll probably love it.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this story. I found my mind wandering while reading it and had to read the same page over and over. I would be willing to give it another shot at a different time perhaps.

While a little slow to start, the worldbuilding and characters are so, so, so much worth it. If you love stories about the sea, or about sailing on the sea, or stories about a rag-tag group of characters coming together to form a camaraderie/found family feel? This should be on your tbr list.

Oh, what a luscious, heart-rending, beautifully crafted book this is! In the world of warring island nations, the most valuable commodity – one that comprises the great war ships that grant naval supremacy – is the bones of sea dragons. The supply is limited, for the dragons are believed to be extinct, so the bones are salvaged and repurposed to for the great ships of the fleet. Then there are the black ships, the ships of the condemned and untouchable. Fisherman’s son Joron is one of those wretched souls, sentenced as “shipwife” (captain) to a black ship and determined to stay as drunk as possible. His fortunes change with the arrival of “Lucky” Meas, an extraordinary leader and daughter of the ruler, although why she might have been sentenced to a black ship, Joron has no idea. As Meas trains and then inspires the dissolute crew, Joron goes from grudging obedience to trust, even as he learns her true mission. For after centuries a sea dragon has been spotted, and the contest for its precious bones threatens to plunge the world into unending war.

There is so much to love about this book, but for me it was the language that enchanted me the most. I found myself slowing down and repeating passages just to savor them. In many senses, the narrative text itself was a character and gateway to this world.

Tide Child’s colour showed he [in this world ships are masculine] was a last-chance ship, the crew condemned to death. The only chance anyone had for a return to life was through some heroic act, something so undeniably great that the acclaim of the people would see their crimes expunged and their life restored to them. Such hope made desperate deckchilder, and desperate deckchilder were fierce. Though if any forgiveness had been offered to the dead it had not been in Joron’s lifetime, or in his father’s lifetime before him.

At some point this crew of the violent and the lost had decided that Meas could be trusted, and if she kept her side of the bargain then they would keep theirs. It was an odd thing, thought Joron, to find a purpose in such a dark place as a black ship.

Superb world-building, compelling characters, and carefully nuanced tension mark Bone Ships as a book to treasure. And there will be more – I can hardly wait!

The begging was dragging but then the action started and it was tense. All the ships and captains and islands. Missions that seemed suicidal but I don’t think that the book was for me. It didn’t catch my attention in 100%

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair review.

Happy New Year, dudes! I hope everyone’s holidays went swimmingly, and I hope you’re all rested up and ready for the new and improved Litcast of Doom! We kicked things off with a new segment, WHAT’S COMING OUT THIS WEEK, and you have another new segment, TALES FROM THE VAULT coming out this weekend, but I know what you’re all here for.

So let’s talk about THE BONE SHIPS by R.J. Barker.

Our Goodreads summary:


Two nations at war. A prize beyond compare.

For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war.

The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.

Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war.

–

If you’re unfamiliar with R.J. Barker, he also wrote the Wounded Kingdom trilogy, starting with Age of Assassins. Here, Barker takes his grounding prose and applies it to the place you need grounding most: a ship! But not just any ship – a black ship. Which, in the context of this world, means we’re never getting off.

Our protagonist, Joron Twiner, used to be the shipwife (re: the captain) of the black ship The Tide Child, where Fleet crewmen unfit to serve were sentenced instead of just being killed. And we say “used to be” because within the very few first pages, his hat, role, and some of his dignity get snatched up by “Lucky” Meas Gilbryn, of whom legends and songs are written. The novel then progresses to show us how Meas gets the crew ship-shape and out to sea, where we eventually discover her true intent: to protect the last sea dragon so no new ships can come of it, until it’s too far gone to salvage, and then take it out.

THE BONE SHIPS feed my inner desire to abandon life and go be a pirate somewhere, all while giving us a story grounded in someone who’s almost as lost as we are. We come to find that Joron was never part of the fleet, but just a simple fisherman who was sentenced to The Tide Child after killing a shipwife in a fair duel by the shipwife’s father. The only reason Joron was put in charge was his lack of ties to any singular clique in the crew – he owed no one loyalty, nor anyone to him, so he was a neutral party that could potentially run things without showing favoritism. But his background, despite being of the sea, is not of the Fleet, so we get to see how things improve and operate from his point of view.

Speaking of point of view, I mention in the podcast episode that Barker does some fiddly things in his writing. He writes from a close third person perspective, save for a few points that are like, “If only Joron had looked to see [redacted],” or “If only he knew that he was part of a legend,” etc. In any other story, it’d seem out of place or unnecessary. But here, it fits the tone well and adds to the flow of the story.

I also appreciate how the story is colored by Joron’s trauma involving the death of his father. Many times we witness him take a step back because he’s haunted by the exact circumstances of his death (in that he was ground in the hulls of bone ships), and how he has to fight past that trauma so that he can move forward. Not to say that he gets cured of it – we see it throughout most of the book – but it gives us more of an insight to who he is as a protagonist, and how it affects his decisions throughout the narrative.

I know I’m getting big and fancy here, but as a tl;dr let me say this: I love THE BONE SHIPS – the narrative does take some getting into, granted, but once you’ve gotten through the first chapter it’s like hands are pulling you deeper and deeper into the story, and I was ready to drown in it. I’d recommend THE BONE SHIPS to anyone who wants to check out some truly epic fantasy out on the high seas.

ABOARD THE BONE SHIPS is out now on your favorite podcatcher!

Aaaahhhh this book was definitely one of my top reads of 2019. It’s one of those books that does a fantastic job of using the familiar as a jumping point, and launching into a world completely it’s own. The world-building is absolutely stunning (and sorry to those in my life who had to listen to me rant about how good it was!). The characters are great, and all expectations were subverted. 

 

I really enjoyed Joron—and his growth!—but I found that I truly got invested through the other characters, Lucky Meas is the type of larger-than-life character that I really adore, and I think she’s done so well. I also got so invested in the Gullaime (y’all are gonna have to read the book if you wanna know why, but I adored it!).

 

I could continue raving about how good this book was for pages, but I’ll keep it short, it’s a book that stands out well among other fantasy books, with masterful world-building, relatable and flawed characters and a story that it’s impossible not to get sucked into. 

 

Recommended for anyone who’s a fan of fantasy, and who is a sucker for stories on the high seas (okay, let’s be honest I’m gonna be recommending this book to everyone and their dog because I think it’s that good)

Grade A high fantasy sea story.

There were so many interesting ways this story played with the societal/gender worldbuilding. It consistantly uses "women and men" instead of the reverse, and uses a generic "woman" instead of "man." There were so many little details in the worldbuilding like that that were just fascinating. 

I Also appreciate a story that commits itself to being <i>about</i> a legendary figure from the <i>point of view</i> of Nobody Special. What set this one apart is the really great character arc the narrative allowed its Nobody Special. 

The relationship between the protagonist and the famous captain was really what kept me invested through a large and sprawling plot that, in my opinion, could really have been pared down. There were several points where I was pretty lost, and had to track back until I remembered that this named character had, in fact, been introduced three chapters ago only to disappear again until now.

If you enjoy big plots that involve politics and themes about the love-hate relationship society has with the concept of war, military sff, sea stories like Aubrey/Maturin, or books with immersive worldbuilding then I recommend this book highly.

As a reviewer, I’m finding that I can’t connect well with epic fantasy. The book has solid writing but the intense length and plot lines were hard for me to connect with. This one just wasn’t for me, but I greatly appreciate the chance to review!

4 stars. Unexceptional, but a fun read. (Note that I am only reviewing the story itself, not the excerpts from other books that appear at the end.)

I enjoyed the fresh setting. I had quite enjoyed stories of the British Navy as a young girl, so mixing the high seas with fantasy was pretty great! 

And I truly loved the worldbuilding. There are so many hints of a tantalizing history buried beneath the story. And the gullaimes are some of the most unique “creatures” I’ve come across in a whole.

Unfortunately, to me, the characterization seemed somewhat lacking. I find it difficult to say exactly why, but although some of the characters were objectively interesting - Lucky Meas and Solemn Muffaz, for instance - I did not find myself as intrigued as I would have hoped. And the writing itself is less than ideal. I know that using “they” and “them” pronouns for single characters is becoming all the rage these days, but it really took away from the narrative. The use of repetition quickly grew tiring, and sometimes the phrasing was just plain awkward.

Content concerns include violence (well, it’s basically pirates, what can one expect?), confused and objectifying uses of sexuality, and some mild coarse language.

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of The Bone Ships.

Joron Twiner was a fisher in the Hundred Isles before being sent to the black ships as punishment. He was shipwife of the boneship Tide Child, until he was displaced by Lucky Meas Gilbryn.  Lucky Meas, Joron and the crew of the Tide Child are tasked with tracking down the last remaining sea dragon (for reasons that keep shifting, they either want to save it or kill it). At the end of the book there is an appendix explaining the ranks in the fleet of bone ships and in the Hundred Isles. I suggest that you read this appendix before reading the book. If I had done so, it would have prevented a lot of confusion. 


If you are expecting a rollicking sea adventure full of fire breathing dragons, look elsewhere. The sea dragon stays under water and doesn’t show up until the second half of the book, when the action picks up. It’s a good thing that I liked the author’s first fantasy trilogy, otherwise I would have given up on this book before I ever got a glimpse of the dragon. The first half of the book was a slog, with too many characters but not enough information about them. The story is told from Joron’s point of view so we never really get inside the head of anyone else, including Lucky Meas.  I missed the compelling relationship between the protagonists that made The Wounded Kingdom trilogy entertaining for me. 

The world in which this story takes place was very muddled to me. People seem to have a difficult time producing healthy children, for unexplained reasons. The Gaunt Islanders and the Hundred Islanders have been at war with each other forever, for very fuzzy reasons. Lucky Meas is perpetually cranky and Joron is perpetually insecure. There’s no levity or wit in this book, but it isn’t rough or violent enough to reach the level of grimdark. My favorite character was the Gullaime or windtalker “an avian race of magicians able to control the winds”. At least his dialogue was a relief from the “tough talk” employed by the rest of the characters. 

Two things about the book got on my nerves. First, the author refers to ships as “he” rather than “she”. Since I am accustomed to the feminine pronoun, every time I read “he” I had to stop and think who the author was talking about. I never got used to this. Second, the author is working very hard (probably too hard) for gender equality. The crew of the ship is comprised of both men and women. Once this fact is established it is not necessary to say “the women and men did X” which the author did repeatedly. Just say “the crew did X”. 

Based on his prior trilogy, I’m willing to cut this author some slack and I’ll probably read his next book, but I’m hoping for improvement.  The narration by Jude Owusu of the audiobook was very good.  3.5 star

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

In The Bone Ships RJ Barker gives us a story filled with unique world building and engaging characters. In a world where ships of war are primarily made from the bones of sea dragons, the two political powers continue to scrape together dragon bone though it has been ages since they have found any new dragons to harvest. But when news surfaces of a possible living dragon, the race is on to secure it as a military resource. 

Both the world building and characters of The Bone Ships really shine. You have this unique world that is absolutely fascinating. It's engaging and deep at every turn. You have political machinations, not only within a single country, but between and within two enemy nations. There are secrets, plots within plots, and questions of a political nature that play a role throughout the novel. It's not only the politics of the nations that are impressive, but the very flora and fauna of the world itself. The world building here is incredible, from the descriptions of foliage, to the bone ships themselves, to the islands of the archipelago, to the religion, to names for kin, names for nautical terms, Barker crafts an entirely unique world but you never feel lost and it never feels like there is an info dump. For instance, while warships are made from dragon bone, smaller fishing boats are made from hardened plants--and this has major repercussions for the plot of the book, as simple as it sounds at first glance. Barker does a wonderful job describing the colorful plants of the archipelago, helping the reader visualize a truly lush world. Of course, there are also creatures that play a role, from the sea dragons themselves to other water beasts to the bird-like gullaime. The gullaime are also the magic users of Barker's world. I loved the tidbits we learned about them and their culture, and I look forward to learning much more in future novels set in this world. Beyond the world building though, the characters are very well drawn and engaging. Barker took a risk in allowing us to see the story not through multiple viewpoint characters, or even through a single viewpoint of the captain of the ship, but rather through the eyes of the first officer. I think this makes the story more compelling because Joron has a great deal of growing to do as a person. While Meas is interesting and appropriately badass throughout the novel, she also knows who she is and how to get things done. While she is often driving the plot, seeing things through Joron's eyes allows for much more character growth. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this growth happen and seeing Joron's perspective on having his life turned upside down by Meas' arrival helped hooked me from the start. He is a flawed but likeable character, and that combination can be difficult to craft. Barker does it with aplomb. There are a bevy of side characters as well, each with their own struggles and arcs. Barker does a good job of letting us get to know them as people, but make no mistake, this is Joron's story. Meas steals the show from time to time, certainly, but Joron is still the main character. The prose itself is cinematic at points, doing a wonderful job of describing the action and creating tension during battle sequences.

I do have a couple criticisms. Because we see the entire story through Joron's eyes, there were moments when I was a little confused by the political situation. Some things were left perhaps a little too mysterious. This makes sense, since Joron doesn't know much about the plots within plots within plots that appear to be going on just under the surface. But it did mean I was left scratching my head occasionally. All the new words for sailing jargon that Barker uses can be a little confusing, at times. Not enough to fully jar you out of the story, but enough that I wasn't always certain what was being referred to. This may be more my issue, however, as I'm not overly familiar with real world nautical terms either. Finally, there were a couple places where I felt like the pacing was uneven. Actions scenes can be followed by noticeable lulls, rather than more smoothly flowing or building on one another. This is particularly true in the first half of the book, where the book begins with a slow build early and then feels like a series of mountains and valleys as you approach the middle. This largely corrects itself by the second half, and for those who don't mind the slow build, it will likely be nearly unnoticeable. For those who prefer faster builds, however, sticking with it will be rewarded.

The Bone Ships is one of the best swashbuckling fantasies I've ever read. With world building that is second to none and an engaging, flawed, and likeable main character, this is one you won't want to miss. Enjoy it and be ready for the sequel's release!

8.5/10

The Bone Ships is a unique fantasy story that I was not prepared for when I started reading it. The distinctly different but unforgettable characters, the insanely strategic plotting and planning, the plot twists and overall overwhelming moments that create this epic story, is unbelievable.

The cast of characters is great and diverse. They're each well developed, full of compelling motivations, personalities and backgrounds that set them well apart from one another. Like his magic systems, it's clear that Barker excels at creating characters with rich cultural history that is a true joy to piece together over the course of the story.

Now Barker's writing is a simple one, and by no means is this a con. In fact I adored how straight to the point it is. He didn't try to manipulate the writing to add suspense, because he's a genius who could add suspense through the plot itself. He also didn't need purple prose to express emotions. The characters' feelings hit you and you understand and sympathies with them nonetheless.  Barker is a magnificent storyteller and one that can keep your attention. From the first page through to the last his ability to craft a spectacular story that you can lose yourself in really shines through in The Bone Ships

I loved this book!

The best ships have been built with the bones of dragons. These ships have been used to fight an endless war. The ships outlived the dragons until now. There has been a dragon sighting. Both sides want to get their hands on it. Some to use for ships, some to finally stop the war.

This is one of those books that stayed with me even when I wasn't reading it. That tells me it is well worth 5 stars.

The story is fantastic. The characters are great and grow on you page after page. And I loved the gullaime!

This is my first time reading anything by this author and now I'm a big fan.

So, the story as a whole was not necessarily my cup of tea. 

Yet that did not stop me from continuing to read the story. Even if the plot sucked, Barker's writing and use of language is phenomenal. Even with the made up words, I found it fairly easy to follow along and figure out what it is he was talking about. Not only that, but Barker's descriptive writing is simple yet vivid; I had no issue at any part of the story to imagine this great ship sailing the seas, what the crew looked like while in the middle of a storm or a sea battle.

The plot itself I found simple; though I will say that Barker was able to surprise me with a plot point.

While I didn't see much character development with Meas, I saw a lot with Joron. Meas is written in a way to be a mentor to Joron, pushing him to be better, to learn how to be around the crew and gain respect and feel like he earned it. Besides Barker's writing, I think this was the other strong point of the story.

I was drawn to this book because of the title. Bone? Ships? It sounded dark, weird, and fascinating. And the mythology of the book is really interesting, and definitely lived up to my dark expectations. The sea is always a good subject for a fantasy novel because there's so much to explore there.
I particularly enjoyed the world view toward women, because it wasn't trying to say "hey look how different the world could be" the world just *was* different. The biggest example that hit me the first time I came across it very early on was "women and men." That's the way it's written, and it's so outside the norm of our society which nearly always says "men and women" and I loved it. It wasn't drastic, it wasn't trying to be in your face, it's just the way people talk. Women and men. And yet it blew my mind.
Praise aside, this book has a slow pace. We get a lot of inner monologue from Twiner, which is fine because it's his perspective, but it made the book feel really dense and long. Maybe I've just been reading too many novellas lately, but the pacing felt like it was dragging.
Overall, this is an interesting book and the bone ships are fascinating, but if you pick this up be prepared to settle in.

When I heard about this book I was excited. Ships made from dragon bones sign me up. I’ve never read anything like this before. The story is very unique. The world building was amazing. I’d recommend this book to people.