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

 

(Title: Call of the Bone Ships / Author: R.J. Barker / Publisher: Orbit Books / Publication Date: November 24th / Pages: 512)

Book Blurb:

A brilliantly imagined saga of honour, glory, and warfare, Call of the Bone Ships is the captivating epic fantasy sequel to R.J. Barker's The Bone Ships.

Dragons have returned to the Hundred Isles.  But their return heralds only war and destruction.  When a horde of dying slaves are discovered in the bowels of a ship, Shipwife Meas and the crew of the Tide Child find themselves drawn into a vicious plot that will leave them questioning their loyalties and fighting for their lives.

Review: 

R.J. Barker's The Bone Ships was one of my favorite fantasy reads of last year.   It had the perfect blend of epic fantasy and maritime fiction.  The fact that the majority of the book takes place on a ship made of dragon bones was really cool and unique, definitely a breath of fresh air from the usual medieval fantasy flooding the market.  That book only served to whet my appetite for what would come next and I was extremely excited when I was able to get an early copy of the follow up CALL OF THE BONE SHIPS from publisher Orbit Books.

CALL OF THE BONE SHIPS met and exceeded all of the expectations that I had going in and broke my heart in a number of pieces as well.  Once again, the majority of the action takes place at sea and at various ports where there are rumors of a terrible slave trade taking place.  Joron and Shipwife Meas are rightfully appalled at what they suspect is going on after a gruesome discovery when they board an adrift ship carrying with it an awful stench.  Could their worst fears be true?  A plan is put in place and they quickly find themselves embroiled in something that will put them and their surrounding circle in peril the likes of which they've never experienced.

This book was a much more emotional read for me than its predecessor.  There were many parts that were tough to get through because of the subject matter.  Having said that, Barker navigates it all in such a way that yes you feel the pain, but you are also compelled to keep moving forward because you have to believe that someone is going to pay for all of the tragedy being dished out.  I really do believe that R.J. Barker just keeps getting better and part of the reason is that he's not afraid to take risks and chances in his writing.   CALL OF THE BONE SHIPS is simply another example of this in my opinion.

Where The Bone Ships was an exciting adventure fantasy, this book had a lot more mystery involved and a plot that had plenty of tension throughout.  That's not to say that there aren't moments of action fight scenes, and adventure.  Oh there are!  I'm just saying that it's a slightly different book in plot and pacing but delivers all the same when taken as a whole.  The redemption story of Joron in particular was a joy to read for me.  Here is a character who took a beating in the first book and really got tested time and time again.  In CALL OF THE BONE SHIPS we wee how that experience is changing him and his evolution is clearly happening before our eyes.

Staying with the characters for a moment, I'm still in awe of the magical creatures who can control the winds called the gullaime.  In this book they take on another prominent role and there's even a new type of species called wIndshorn that we are introduced to that are similar to gullaime in appearance but possess a very different type of magic.  Gullaime do not particularly like windshorn very much and vice-versa, that is made clear.   But for what reasons?  Just one of the many mysteries that propel this book from your normal fantasy read to something much more special in my opinion.

And I would be remiss if I talked about an R.J. Barker book without mentioning the deep and vivid world-building.  The Hundred Isles is a place that stands out in the pantheon of fantasy worlds.  The fact that this world is also inhabited by sea dragons, and other incredibly cool beasts makes it all the better.  It was truly a brilliant concept for this series to take place on the high seas because there are is always another amazing place to visit, you simply have to hop on your dragon bone ship and get there!  I said before that the setting reminded me a lot of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders series and that still somewhat holds true for me.  Yet Barker has somehow managed to make his own story very fresh and different from that one by adding a level of warfare and intrigue much higher than Hobb's series.

Just be prepared for what this book will make you feel.  The last quarter of the story absolutely broke me and stayed with me for quite some time.  I still haven't fully shaken it off actually.  If that alone isn't a reason for you to read this series, I don't know what is.   If you aren't reading R.J. Barker, you are missing out on a special storyteller who is consistently pumping out great book after great book.  CALL OF THE BONE SHIPS may be my favorite so far, but I'm sure he has something even better in store for us in the future.  One thing is certain, I will be checking publication schedules obsessively trying to find out when that next one is on the horizon.  An absolute must-read for anyone who enjoys epic fantasy with raw emotion and heart.

Rating: 9.5/10