Book Review - THE BONE SHIPS by R.J. Barker

(Title: The Bone Ships / Author: R.J. Barker / Publisher: Orbit / Publication Date: September 24, 2019)


THE BONE SHIPS is set in a world where vast seas and oceans cover the majority of its mass, hundreds of islands are scattered across it, and huge ships made from the bones of long-dead sea dragons are the primary means of transportation, war, and commerce.  We'll get back to that dragon part later, I promise!  One particular bone ship, Tide Child, is by default led by the weak and ineffectual Joron Twiner.  That is until he is forced out of his tentative role as shipwife by the renowned Lucky Meas Gilbryn.  Meas decides to spare his life in return that he become the ship's main deckhand and carry out her orders without fail.

Joron faces a huge challenge as the crew of Tide Child are made up of a surly bunch of prisoners who can't find spots on a more reputable ship.  They're not used to taking orders from anyone, especially not someone with the low self-esteem and insecurities of Joron.  His only saving grace is that Lucky Meas Gilbryn has quite a reputation of her own as a rough and battle-tested shipwife.  She gives Joron the authority to speak with her voice backed up with her ruthless punishment should the crew fail to adhere to Joron's commands.

Oh yes, about those sea dragons!  They supposedly disappeared and were completely wiped out of existence centuries earlier.  Until recent rumor revealed that there may have been one (and possibly more) spotted some leagues from Tide Child's location.  Were this to be true and Tide Child could somehow manage to kill the legendary beast, power and prestige unknown for centuries would be Lucky Meas' and Joron's prize to claim.  And perhaps a sliver of redemption for a captain and crew who have long been consigned to permanently wander the open seas for mere survival's sake.

But there are others who would also claim the sea dragon's bones as prize for their own glory.  Which means that the race is now on between warring nations and ships' crews to locate this mythical creature, and to somehow find a way to kill it utilizing limited knowledge on how to do so.  Can Tide Child fulfill its mission and bring all due honor and power that would come along with it?  Or will those who also hunt the beast get there first and spoil their plans?  The 500 or so page journey to find out the answers to these questions is just as fun as the action-packed and amazing conclusion.

I was utterly enthralled by R.J. Barker's THE BONE SHIPS and devoured it in a little over a week.  That's how great it is, as the 500 pages literally flew by and I brushed off much-needed sleep.  I loved this story, especially because it reminded me of one of my favorite Fantasy series of all-time, The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb.  This had many of the same elements that I enjoyed from that series, yet was a wholly original tome in its own right.

An aspect of this book that really appealed to me was that yes, this is a Fantasy book, but at its core its a fabulous adventure story.  The Fantasy elements are more subtly handled than the usual Fantasy offering, and the thrilling adventure of hunting a sea dragon that may or may not exist absolutely ramped up the suspense and kept me turning pages just so that I could get to the next chapter and the next and the next...

I feel like I should also quickly mention the characters and the world building which were certainly significant strengths that helped catapult THE BONE SHIPS to another level altogether.  Meas is an incredibly strong female main character and an unwavering sea captain who shows throughout the book that contrary to what her nickname implies, you ultimately make your own luck.  Joron is the antithesis of Meas and often struggles with his command of the deck crew.  However we see his character grow immensely from the first chapter to the end of the book and that is also part of the endearing qualities of this book.

Lastly, the world building is second to none.  R.J. has definitely outdone himself with this wonderfully complex world.  All the more impressive because it is such a different setting from his previous Wounded Kingdom series.  I can't say enough about how tremendous of a read this book is and I highly recommend it to lovers of all types of genres, not just Fantasy.  This is a story that will appeal to anyone who loves wonderful stories filled with deep characters, gripping adventure, and multi-layered world building.  

Comparisons to the works of Patrick O'Brian, Herman Melville, and Jules Verne are natural and somewhat appropriate.  But make no mistake, this is a totally unique and original tale that proudly stands very tall on its own.  I simply loved it from beginning to end.  The good news is that this is just the beginning of the Tide Child series with book 2 coming out in 2020. Until then, definitely pick up a copy of THE BONE SHIPS by R.J. Barker.  It will be one of the more rewarding reading experiences that you will have and an incredibly fun one as well!

(My Rating: 9/10)