Call of the Bone Ships by R.J. Barker

Hooo boy, this one is action-packed. Not only that, but Joron has largely come into his own, despite his multiple injuries. It honestly feels as though this were several books, rather than just one. Just so much to digest. And so good, on top of it.

I find it really interesting that war is apparently the only thing keeping The Hundred Isles and the Gaunt Isles going. They appear to not have the resources to keep it going, though, since we really have no idea what happens on land, I can’t really be sure of it. Just seems like the sea doesn’t provide enough to go around. This society is just odd to me. Even a hint of peace is taken as the worst and something to be destroyed. Maybe it’s a power thing, just seems crazy pants to me.

Call of the Bone Ships definitely highlights the pirate-y nature of The Tide Child series. There’s a lot more actual pirate-ing happening here. A bit more magic at play, too. The foreshadow of the end really being THE END of The Hundred & Gaunt Isles.

I really enjoyed this, I just don’t have a lot of thoughts about it. Looking forward to the next one.

Fancast Corner

Okay, I don't normally do this and I'm not sure how often I will be doing it but... I had an idea for who should play Meas Gilbryn if this series ever gets a live-action adaptation. In my head, I see Abigail Thorn, the actress who plays Sharako Lohar in House of the Dragon. I think she'd make a great Meas.

The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker

I’m not generally into the seafaring genre. I think the last books I read that took place on a boat was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which actually mostly takes place on the islands the Dawn Treader stops at. That said, I did really enjoy The Bone Ships.

I was apprehensive, at first, of the way we’re just dumped into this world. Nothing is explained as far as the society or the setting. Joron is our POV character and he’s not super observant, as far as describing the settings. However, being immersed in this world this way I think actually helped. I might not have a super accurate view of how the ship looks or the society works, but I know enough.

The fantasy elements here are interesting. I would like to know a bit more about how corpselights work, despite how gruesome they most definitely are. I find the gullaime really neat and would definitely love to know more about how these bird-like creatures work. Definitely seems like we’ll be getting more of keyshan in the follow books, so I’m looking forward to seeing that. I’m interested in knowing how intelligent they actually are. It seems a bit up in the air, to be honest, but also makes sense given how big they are compared to humans.

I grew to enjoy Joron as a character. His growth was gradual and realistic, I think. I also quite like Meas. She’s just the sort of person Joron needed in his life, as well as the sort of captain the Tide Child clearly needed.

The Bone Ships is a fun… not exactly a romp, but not-not one either. Somewhere between a pirate adventure and a military-ship-thing. The pacing was good, the characterization was good, the story itself was good. I’d say the only thing really lacking was description of settings, but, given the way the story is told, that’s not really a big issue.

Favorite Lines

“The fleet often calls for the impossible from us poor souls, hagspit upon them who give out orders not knowing what they mean.” - Bonemaster Coxward

“And it diminishes no commander to learn from those which know more. Weak commanders dare not ask. Strong commanders know no fear of learning.” - Meas Gilbryn