R.J. Barker’s previous work, the Wounded Kingdom trilogy, was one of my best recent discoveries, so that once I learned of this new novel, the start of another series, I was beyond eager to read it: once the book became available through the Orbit newsletter I wasted no time in requesting it, and abandoned the story I was reading then in favor of this one.

If the world presented in the Wounded Kingdom is a desolate one, with huge extensions of the land made barren by the indiscriminate use of magic, and people often living on the doorstep of starvation, the one depicted in The Bone Ships is far bleaker and disheartening, not so much because of any environmental concerns, but rather because of the inhabitants’ customs and attitude.

This is a world where seas cover most of the surface, what little land there is formed by groups of islands whose dwellers have split over time into two factions in constant war with each other, a conflict whose origins seem to have been forgotten but that still goes on because of the ingrained hatred between opponents. Where seas rules, wars are fought with ships, and here they are built with the bones of dragons for their strength and buoyancy, but now that the dragons have been hunted to extinction, what few bones remain are prized above all else. As for the people, islanders’ customs decree that anyone born with a physical defect, or from a mother who died in childbirth, is tainted with weak blood and cannot be part of the dominant class, while any firstborn child is always offered in sacrifice and set on a ship as a corpselight – a concept that still gives me chills no matter how many times I read it.

The overall darkness of the background is the main reason I struggled at first with The Bone Ships: I now understand, with hindsight, that the author was setting the stage for the story and that it was important for us readers to see where the characters came from and what made them what they are, but still the first few chapters seemed to drag and what I pictured in my mind’s eye was all in drab, unappealing sepia tones. I know I am not the most patient individual in the world, and that I need to feel an instant connection with a story and its characters to truly enjoy a novel, so I can offer this little morsel of advice: if you get that same disheartening impression, just keep going, because your perseverance will be more than rewarded.

Joron Twiner used to be a fisherman but now circumstances have made him an outcast, and as is the customs of the Isles he’s been assigned to one of the Black Ships, the ships of the dead – vessels that are old and ill-maintained, and whose crews are destined to serve and die for the good of the Isles. Joron is made shipwife (i.e. the captain) of the Tide Child, one of the black ships, a despondent and drunken captain who asks nothing of his equally miserable crew but to be ignored as he ignores them, until the day in which ‘Lucky’ Meas Gilbryn, a famous boneship shipwife now fallen in disgrace, challenges him for the captaincy of the Child and vows to shape him and the rest of the complement into a crew worthy of respect. Meas has been given a mission: what could possibly be the last dragon in the world has been sighted, and the Tide Child tasked with the difficult – and maybe impossible – mission to secure it and in so doing possibly change the balance of war. Success might even mean the lifting of the sentence that condemned them all to a ship of the dead.

From here on the story blends two separate threads, the breath-taking adventure of the search for the Arakeesian – the fabled dragon – and the characters’ journey from a motley band of uncaring individuals to a cohesive, proud crew. The sea voyage itself is a joy to follow, with vibrant descriptions that turn the strong sea breezes, the smell of the salty spray and the creak of the ship’s bones into almost physical experiences, enhanced by the exotic terms used to describe the vessel’s sections or the crew’s roles – as an example, a ship, contrary to normal usage, is referred to as “he” and therefore the captain becomes a “shipwife”, irrespective of gender. And then there are the strange, dangerous sea beasts that mean certain death for any sailor fallen overboard, or the weird avian creature, the gullaime, who summons the winds to fill the ship’s sails, not to mention the dragons themselves, creatures of beauty and grace who seem to possess an uncanny intelligence.

Unsurprisingly, characters remain the strong point of the story though, even when they require some time to make themselves understood and appreciated: Joron is a prime example of this instance, because of his initial attitude, the certainty of his worthlessness, the lack of interest in others beyond the misery he wrapped around himself. And yet there is a small part of him that wants to believe, that is kindled by Meas’ rough handling and blazes into confidence – in himself first and then in the crew, in the sense of belonging and mutual loyalty that the shipwife can inspire in each and every one of them, teaching them they can be much more than the sum of their parts. It will be fascinating to see where his journey will lead him as the story progresses, and how far he will travel from the morose young man wasting his days in idleness and drink.

But of course it’s Meas who held the greater part of my attention: strong, capable and with an abrasive demeanor that goes well with her scruffy appearance and hides a keen mind and an iron will, but also a capacity for understanding and compassion she keeps under tight control – although at times it surfaces together with one or her rare smiles. A true creature of the seas, she lives for and breathes with her ship and crew, and through her example – that of a woman born to the highest rank and now lowered to the captaincy of a Black Ship – they learn how to take pride in their accomplishments and the fulfilment of their duty. She is called “Lucky Meas” and at some point we learn how she gained that nickname, and yet what she teaches her people is that their fame, their luck if you want, is not something they can expect to be given, but must take - earn - for themselves. A character larger than life at time, perhaps, but one I will enjoy meeting again in the next books.

I would like to close this review by mentioning the beautiful images – miniatures in truth - decorating the beginning of each chapter, that add a special quality to the story itself, and to advise you to keep your eyes (and ears…) open for the arrival of Black Orris. You will know what I mean once you get there ;-)

If you are already fans of R.J. Barker’s works, you will enjoy this; if you are not… what are you waiting for?

I received an arc of The Bone Ships from NetGalley. This book was amazing and I can not wait for book two. I love how the author writes, the world building in this book is so well done. I would definitely recommend this book to people.

Currently on Goodreads:

I received a free e-arc of this book provided by the publisher - Orbit via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Quick Summary: 
This story is set in an archipelago society called The Hundred Isles, where the people make ships out of the bones of long-extinct dragons (arakeesians...as they are called in the book), in order to make war with their Gaunt Island neighbors. 

This book follows the character of Joron Twiner, who is second in command on a ship of the dead, people who have been condemned to death, under Lucky Meas, who is the daughter of the ruler of the Hundred Isles. Though she, like all members of their crew, has also been sentenced to death. 

They learn that an arakeesian has been spotted and set out on a quest to find it. 

Review: 
I really enjoyed reading this book, and will be posting a full review closer to the release date: September 24, 2019.


I have scheduled my video review for September 18, 2019 at the attached link, and will be adding the transcript below to my Goodreads review. (At such time, I will likely also post it to Instagram and Amazon, but I don't have links to those yet.)


Scheduled Review:

Character:

The main character is Joron Twiner. I absolutely loved this character. He had a really interesting backstory that was interesting and relevant to the plot of the book and created complications that I wasn’t really expecting. And I really liked that about his character. I also really liked his character growth. At the beginning of the novel, he was still a boy, at nineteen years old, but he grows into a well-trained officer. I also really like the decisions and choices that he makes because he is very loyal but at the same time, he is ethical about what he is doing and how he thinks. He’s just all about a good person, and I loved reading from his perspective.

Then we have the character of Lucky Meas, and she is a very interesting character. I didn’t actually like her. I feel like she was one of those characters that I was supposed to like but I didn’t. She is arrogant and goes out of her way to teach Joron lessons, which I understand he had a lot to learn but at the same time, it felt a little patronizing at times. But overall I did enjoy her as a character, but that is probably because I tend to enjoy unlikable characters.

Dinyl was probably my favorite character in this book. I really loved his character arc and his interactions with Joron in particular. I especially love where his character arc ended, and I’m excited to see how it continues in the next book.

The last character that I would like to mention is the gullaime, which is kind of like a bird that can control the wind. The gullaime really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it as a character. I loved how it thinks and it’s own backstory. I loved every second of that.

Generally, overall, I think the characters were really well developed. I enjoyed the development of these characters, especially Joron and Dinyl, and I’m definitely excited to see what happens in the next book with these characters.


Plot:

The plot is not the type of plot that I would typically read. I generally enjoy overly complex, politically driven plots that you are always trying to guess what is going to happen but almost never get it right. In this book, while there is politics at play, I feel like it is a relatively simple plot. There is a lot of action, which while I do love action, it is not usually my favorite part of a story. And there are a lot of simple plot twists, though the ending did get me, which I really enjoyed.

Also, I do think that the development of the crew and their cohesiveness was a little too easy. The beginning of the novel hints at complications with different factions within the crew, which do come to pass. But they just didn’t have the impact that I was hoping for.


Worldbuilding:

I think that for most readers the world building is what will make or break this book. I love the deep, intense World Building in the Bone Ships.

I love the way the author portrays the world building. He doesn’t lay it all out for the reader. He reveals the world in subtle pieces. It kind of feel like you were just dropped into this foreign world and have to figure it out as you go along.

I loved the different maritime names, Shipwife for captain, then Deckkeeper, Deckholder and so on. I also really loved that it is a matriarchal society, in which fertility is extremely important. So, women are the rulers but it is the women with the most children that are like the higher nobility. And the overall ruler is the Thirteenbern because she has had thirteen children (and who also happens to be Meas’ mother, which is a complication that I loved!)

There are just so many intricate details throughout the story that I loved.

That being said, I can completely understand how the world building might be difficult to some people. I definitely consider this advanced level high fantasy. I personally love really well built words that just kind of toss you in and make you figure it out. But if you don’t read a whole lot of high fantasy, then this one might be a little more difficult. Because it has incredibly in-depth world building and there is very little explanation of anything.


Writing Style:

I didn’t have a whole lot of opinions on writing style. I really enjoyed the way that the actions scenes were written. I feel like I could really understand Joron’s emotional state during those scenes.

I just have one tiny pet peeve. It’s going to sound really petty. But the author makes it a point to use the phrase “Women and Men” as opposed to “Men and Women”. Which I understand it is a matriarchal society, while we are a patriarchal society so while we put men first they put women first. I don’t think that I would have had an issue with this if it didn’t happen so often. But every time I saw it, it kind of took me out of the story, because I was so used to it being the other way around, and I would have to pause for a second before diving back in. It is such a wordy phrase. And I felt like there were occasions that “the people”, “the crew”, or “each person” which are shorter and less jarring could have been used instead and I could have been a little more invested in the story instead of caught up in the words.



Overall, I definitely enjoyed reading and give this book 4 stars. I’m excited to read more books by this author and see where the rest of this series goes.

This book started off well for me and I was looking forward to getting hooked, but in the end, I had difficulty connecting with it. I liked the premise and world-building, but the lack of character-building kept me from sinking in. Once the plot really kicked into gear in the second half, I almost completely lost interest because I wasn't invested in the characters. Also, I wasn't expecting military tactics and strategy, but there were a couple large chunks of that towards the end and it threw me out of the story. As much as I liked the world-building, I'm not sure whether I'll continue with this series.

A fast-paced action adventure, this opening gambit in The Tide Child Trilogy was hard to put down. In The Bone Ships Barker has crafted a vibrant stage with captivating characters, all while avoiding the tedium too-often inherent in the introduction of a strange world. While the tale may not be ground-breaking, ultimately The Bone Ships steers clear enough of cliché that it remains highly entertaining.

I love the ideas that this author as for his story's.
I love his firts trilogy and couldn't believe that it was a debut. And this one was really.cool, but for me it wasn't better than his first series.

The.writing is good, the story as a nice fast pace and I liked the characters. Can't wait for more of this author.

3.7/5 ✨

The premise of this book was interesting (hello sea dragon!) and the world is quite a bit different from the ones in which we find the usual sea-farers. I actually didn't like the world much (see "corpselights"), but neither did one of the MCs, so that just means the world was well-built.

The story starts with plenty of action, but not much of the plot is revealed until about 1/4 through the book, so I felt a little lost until then. And there are unfamiliar ship-related terms that took a bit to get used to.

But after that point, the story itself sailed along pretty predictably, full of crew-building, ship-fixing, and battles at sea, and kept my attention.

I did feel myself skimming over the in-depth descriptions of the mechanics of the battles, like pages devoted to how to shoot one of the ship's bows.

All in all, an entertaining story in a unique world. Thanks to Orbit and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for my review.

Wow! I loved this book! The world building was amazing, and this is the first book I thoroughly enjoyed that had anything to do with ships. Some of the terms and events confused me a bit; but one beautiful thing about this novel is how unique it is. There was action, awesome adventures, dragons and just a wonderful story I enjoyed getting lost in. The book was a but bigger than what I normally read, but I went through it fast because I could not put it down. I definitely recommend this book for those who love unique fantasy worlds. I am now interested in more books from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Argh. The Bone Ships! How to review this? Let's start with the beginning, where we are thrown in with Joron, a drunk shipwife who has absconded from his ship to drown his regrets in alcohol, and Meas, who finds him and fights him for his role on said ship. Great opening - I was right in there. In fact, much of the tale is fantastically done, and I can't fault the author for character development, a glorious mythical creature, great battles and exciting adventures. All of that is here. Where RJ Barker lost this reader occasionally was in the terminology. They are not sails, they are wings. There are deckholders, deckkeepers, shipwives, and boats are male. Which, ok, I suppose if the first sail like thing you see is a wing, you would call them wings. If you are ruled by a woman, ships might be male and captains might be shipwives. But there is the bern, the berncast, the kept. Gullaime, coursers, Skearith! I found myself stumbling on all the new terminology built into this world, and it was delivered as though I should have enough context to figure it out. It took me a while. And perhaps that is a fault of mine.

So I give this high scores for being well built, well written with the caveat that it is slightly rough with its plethora of new terms for the reader. The character development, like I said - fantastic throughout. My one recommendation for those reading? Look briefly at the glossary at the end prior to starting. Just dip your toe in. Then go on, meet Joron. Meet Meas. Learn of the Gullaime, who I loved, and the wyndwyrm. I think you'll like it. I don't think you'll be sorry. In the aftermath of reading, even as I type this review, I think, "OK, the kept makes sense, really, considering the women lead society." Even now I start to understand, dear author, what you were doing. When the next one comes out, I will read it. But I may reread this one first, with my mind ready for the wave of it all.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

the bone ships (R.J. Barker)

Title: the bone ships

Author: R.J. Barker

Publisher: Orbit Books

Publication Date: TODAY!! (paperback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0316487962

Source: NetGalley

I had been meaning to check out this author's books for quite some time.  Well when I saw this gorgeous cover, I knew the day had come.  Sea dragons mateys!  I was not disappointed.

This is a slow burn type of fantasy with a ton of world building.  The plot doesn't really pick up until about the half way mark.  But the ships!  The ships!  They are made out of the bones of the sea dragons of long ago.  There be two opposing island nations that have been raiding and warring with each other for centuries.  At the center of that fight be the bone ships because whoever has the most ships has the upper-hand (Arrrrr!).  But each ship lost at sea be a huge travesty because there be no more dragons.  Bone and the bone ships be at the center of trade and politics.  Bone supplies be ever dwindling.

Joron Twiner be the shipwife on a black bone ship called the Tide Child.  These black ships are crewed by the condemned whose lives are forfeit.  They crew the ship and fight for the navy until the Hag calls them home to the deep.  Joron is an unfit, dastardly drunken cur who fled his duty to both the ship and the navy.  He drowns in grog until one day Lucky Meas Gilbryn shows up to duel his ship away.  Joron doesn't stand a chance.  He believes his life is over but is surprised when Meas offers him a position as the deck keeper, basically the second in command, instead. 

The easy living is no more as Meas is a fierce shipwife who be determined to whip her unsavoury crew into shape.  But this be no simple task.  The ship has been severely neglected, the crew is sullen, and Joron is hardly great leadership material.  It should be a losing proposition.  But there are battles to be fought and when a potential sea dragon be sighted it's all hands on deck!  A storm be a brewin'.

Personally I love fierce female captains (biased I know!) and I also love redemption stories.  Watching Meas whip her crew into shape and watching Joron learn and step into the role he has been given is delightful.  Meas is a crafty b*tch and I approve.  Give no quarter!!  I also particularly love the windtalker, a Gulliame, an avian magic creature who controls the winds.  I wish I could be friends with the Tide Child's windtalker and commandeer her to me own ship!

While there be tons of naval terminology and history in this book which was well done and loved, I will admit that it did seem to take a bit too long for the sea dragon to make its appearance.  I was impatient.  The dragon also didn't get nearly enough page time.  But what ye did see of it be awesome.  The pace of this book was also a bit uneven despite the sea battles and such.  Overall the pace was slow, if engaging, and the scenes didn't always flow well.  But by the time I be finished, I certainly wanted to know what happens next!

If ye like sea dragons (and who doesn't?) then I do suggest ye get yer greedy hands on a copy.  Heave ho, me hearties!  Yo ho!

So lastly . . .

Thank ye Orbit Books!

Side note: I still be planning to read the author's Wounded Kingdom trilogy!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

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.

To visit the author’s website go to:

R.J. Barker - Author

To buy the novel go to:

the bone ships - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Epic! Great world building and unlike anything I’ve read before. I love the whole concept of the bone ships. By the end of the book I felt like part of the crew of the Tide Child. I look forward to book two.

For generations, the people of the Hundred Isles have used the bones of slain ancient dragons to build their ships to fight in an endless war. Although, the dragons have all disappeared, the battle for supremacy has raged on between the two great nations. Now, the first dragon in centuries has been spotted, and the race is on to capture it and turn the tide of power in their favor. For whoever can capture the dragon, not only wins the glory but the war as well. Despite such an interesting premise, I was bored throughout this entire book. Nothing about the plot, characters, or writing interested me at all. I just found it so dense and slow. There wasn't technically anything wrong with the book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

This is the first book I’ve read by RJ Barker. I liked the premise - Joron and Lucky Meas meet aboard the ship Lucky Tides and pursue a sea dragon. The world building was rich but the writing style was too filled with jargon and the first 15% of the book was hard to get into for me. I would like to give the author another try (I have heard good things about the Wounded Kingdom trilogy) but would rate this at 3 stars.

The world-building in RJ Barker's The Bone Ships: The Tide Child #1 is original and bold. Barker has created a new world, full of detail, history, and culture for this series.

In the world of the Hundred Isles, ships have been built from the bones of sea dragons--white, gleaming ships, equipped with corpse lights. But there are also black bone ships, captained and crewed by condemned criminals. And Joron Twiner finds himself on Tide Child, a black ship, in retaliation for killing the son of a powerful official in a duel.

Joron Twiner presents an intriguing protagonist as he gradually grows from an angry, depressed, nineteen-year-old and begins to question the rules and history of his society. I found this particularly interesting as the growth is slow and not readily accepted as Joron clings to the traditions he has been raised to accept.

Lucky Meas takes command of the Tide Child from Joron and not only allows him to live, but gives him second in command. Lucky Meas has been Shipwife (captain) of one of the most famous of the bone ships and has become a legend for her courage and skill in battle. How did she become condemned to a black ship? Whatever the reason, Meas is a leader and she is able to get both ship and crew into shape through force of will.

Meas, Joron, and the crew of the Tide Child are in search of the last sea dragon and the attempts to protect it or kill it.

(At the end, there is an appendix ranks in the Fleet and the Hundred Isles that (in my opinion) should have been at the beginning to help the reader adjust to this new world. Definition of the bern, berncast, Fleet ranks, etc. would make entering the world easier.)

I had not read RJ Barker before, but as soon as I finished The Bone Ships (knowing it would probably be a year's wait before the next in the series comes out), I ordered Age of Assassins, the first in Barker's Wounded Kingdom trilogy. Which lets you know how much I liked the book and the author. I literally put my Kindle on large print and walked while reading--mostly inside because adding the heat index to 98 degrees make walking outside too damn hot.

Read in August; blog review scheduled for Sept. 2.

NetGalley/Orbit Books
Fantasy/Adventure. Sept. 24, 2019. Print length: 512 pages.

The Bone Ships is book one of a new fantasy series. Don’t be thrown about by the concept of a handful of warriors chasing after the world’s last sea dragon. This is not a children’s book. It is a bold, exciting, adventure that is dark, gritty, and ruthless. At first, it may be difficult to enter this world because the prose - the incredible prose - is filled to the brim with terminology that is unfamiliar and customs and history that are often only hinted at. Nevertheless, this is a book with a great payoff. It is well worth the time to dig into this.

It is a fantasy world where almost all the action is naval in character. Two great warring island nations do battle on glorious ships made of dragon bone. And, the dragons 🐉 are gone for three generations now so any hint of dragon bone is more valuable than gold. Nothing else that ships can be built with floats like this bone. And, there are all kinds of bows, crossbows, and siege engines mounted on these boneships.

To be a part of the dragon bone fleet is to have the values of duty, loyalty, honor, and bravery. But, alas, our hero, Joron Twiner, rides not on a magnificent fleet ship, but on a black ship of death manned only by condemned prisoners, the Tide Child. He is in command- sort of - on a drunk more like it while his sailors let the ship rot in a forgotten bay.

Those looking for a strong female lead will look no further than Lucky Meas, the toughest, most ornery, sea captain to ever sail the however many seas they have there. Meas takes Joron and his motley crew and turns them into the most tenacious crew to ever sail.

This is a book chock full of action and all kinds of fascinating creatures, particularly the Gulliame (or windtalker) who can fill the ship’s sails with wind. And, the giant sea serpents and of course, the sea dragons, mightiest of all, who are referred to as Keyshan or Wakewyrm.

The biggest problem is that the sequel is not due out till Fall 2020. It’s going to be a long wait.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.