I rarely buy books I haven’t pre-read at the library, but I’m a sucker for pirate stories, so I took a chance on Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space), edited by Catherine Lundoff. This fun book is from Queen of Swords Press, an independent publisher “specializing in swashbuckling tales of derring-do.” |
- “Treasured Island,” by Ginn Hale, follows the adventures of a snarky marooned pirate on a living island. Best line: “I felt myself lonely and strange.”
- “The Seafarer,” by Ashley Deng, is a well-written tale set during the Ottoman Empire. It features a sorcerer ship captain and his first mate, who is “lithe as a dancer and deadly as the tides.” She can control the sea.
- Mharie West pens an adventurous tale inspired by Norse culture involving a delightful love triangle in “Serpent’s Tale.”
- The aftermath of the fall of Troy is the focus in Elliot Dunstan’s “Andromache’s War.” It has a number of historical inconsistencies (including a quote from the 17th century), but the strength of watching a war-bride transform into a pirate queen is worth the ride.
- “Rib of Man” is a rollicking feel-good adventure highlighting the “radical egalitarianism” associated with pirates by the scholar Marcus Rediker.
- “Tenari” by Micheal Merriam is a space-opera mystery. The captain and her crew discover a derelict ship carrying unexpected cargo.