The Bone Ships
R. J. Barker
Orbit
Paper $15.99
ebook $9.99

I really liked The Bone Ships. It is a nautical fantasy set about warfare, redemption, loyalty, and honor. It’s also the first book of a trilogy, and I’ll be reading the next two books when they come out.

The Hundred Isles and the Gaunt Islands have been at war for centuries, fighting with ships made from the bones of great sea-going dragons.

The last dragon was killed over a generation ago. The bones are becoming a more and more scarce commodity. But a dragon has been spotted…

Joron Twinner has been given, or rather sentenced to, the command of the Tide Child, a black ship. This is not an honor. Black ships are ships of the dead. The bones making them up are painted black, and only the outcasts, the rabble, and the troublemakers serve on one.  It’s a death sentence, a slow one.  One on a black ship, death is almost the only way off.

His command is taken from him in combat by one of the most decorated and revered captains in the Fleet. We’re not told exactly why Lucky Meas is in disgrace. It turns out she’s working with the nobleman who sentenced Joron to the Tide Child. They are working with a group from the Gaunt Islands to try to end the perpetual state of war.  Their mission is to keep the dragon alive until it has completed it migration, then kill it so its bones can’t be used by either side to make more warships.

They’re going to have their work cut out for them.

One of the things I liked about this book was that the crew was ethnically diverse, and Joron is black.  These things were mentioned but not made a big deal of. In other words, the author could have make identity politics a central part of the story but didn’t.

There is plenty of action and intrigue in The Bone Ships, as well as a few surprises.  It’s a fun and engrossing read, with a colorful cast of characters, and I don’t mean skin color. Even the supporting characters have personalities.

Check this one out.  You’ll be glad you did.