The Bookwyrm's Review of Dark Seas End by Richard Nell
Author: Richard Nell
Length: 275 Pages
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Rating: 9/10 Stars
This review is part of the Dark Seas End Blog Tour, which will conclude tomorrow, June 4, on Out of This World Blogspot. Be sure to check it out as well.
SYNOPSIS
Feared pirate and scoundrel ‘Lucky’ Chang has a dirty secret: he loves his crew, and would die to protect them. As he’s dragged from prison to face the dark sea and a dangerous new world, he just might have to.
Zaya, warrior and skald from the land of ash, knows she has a destiny. Having left her homeland with only a knife and a dream of adventure, she finds herself captured by pirates. To discover her fate, and become a hero from the book of legends, she must first survive the sea.
With a monstrous pilot as guide, and an ex-assassin as captain, Chang, Zaya, and the crew of the mighty Prince sail into uncharted waters. There they may find new lands and wealth, as well as glory beyond their dreams, or nothing but their doom.
Set in the same epic world as the award winning Kings of Paradise...this new series from author Richard Nell can be read on its own, or as a continuation of the Ash and Sand trilogy.
REVIEW
When I was offered the chance to read this, I didn't really know what to expect. Not having read the Ash and Sand Trilogy, I was unfamiliar with the author's writing style, other than hearing it was "grimdark". What does that mean? Does it mean it has unredeemable villains as characters that you really don't care about? Anti-heroes? Or maybe scoundrels forced into situations though desperate circumstances and having to get a job done by any means necessary, a la the Black Company. For my tastes, It turns out more like The Black Company.
Usually I'll break down the characters first in a review, but this time, I'm going to mention world building first, because that world building sets the stage in such a way that its integral to the characters. Realizing there is a whole trilogy setting the stage for it, I was surprised just how deep the author chose to make this books world building. Starting from the empire of the islands, we get an idea just how large this world is, as we realize they had been in a war not too long ago with a group of Northerners that they had never expected to be able to reach them. We get introduced to some of the main characters in jail, awaiting the King's justice for piracy in a world where piracy is more and more of the noble's privateer variety, and sea wolves are almost gone. Freed from that prison, they take a journey across an ocean to the edge of the map and beyond, finally reaching a land of unfamiliar people.
You can tell the author took a lot of the inspiration for this land from Mexico and Central America, and the Spanish invasions. We see a land of great pyramids and city states, but also a land of subjugated tribes, looking at those cities with loathing, having to do with the religious practice of human sacrifice for their devourer god. That does, like it did in the Americas, tend to unite people against the oppressive rule of those city states, as it does here. With multiple POV's, we get to see life inside the great city-state as well as the tribal lands under their thumb. We also get a peak at the magic they have, allowing them things like the gift of languages, and ability to tame even the biggest predators. Not exactly fireballs and magic missiles, but useful all the same. You really get immersed into this world throughout the story. We even get a fairly deep look into the culture and norms, and the clash between the newcomers and natives, something sadly lacking in so many books.
The characters are such an interesting group. A group of pirates, who, except for the captain and first mate go by job titles, not by names, so as not to attract the goddess of the seas attention. Pirates who look to their captain, Lucky Chang, for leadership, and for that, he treats them like he would family, because in a real sense, they are. Then there is Zaya, a woman from the land of Ash far to the North, a trained Skaal (bard), who ends up running into the last person she ever expected, the great shaman of her people, called Ruka, on the ship with the pirates he and his companion Eka sprung from jail, and are now sailing across the ocean. Her father was Ruka's Skaal during his conquering days, so she thinks fate has led her to this point. Ruka is such an enigma, but in the best way, as his struggle with his own personal demon is slowly revealed throughout the story, in some pretty intense ways, and his arc has such a big impact on the story as it's revealed what he's dealing with.
The skills Zaya has learned in life, languages and fighting, are put to the test, as the violent land they end up in changes drastically for her, as she is captured and enslaved with Ruka. We see an interesting character arc for her here, as what I took to be a bit of Stockholm Syndrome is just revealed to be practicality and biding her time.
We also get to meet Yakat, a prince and general of the main city state, and see his struggles as his past comes back to haunt him as a priest of the devourer god maneuvers for revenge on him in the most personal way possible, and Yakat struggle with the demands of duty to his king and duty to his children as a father. How this arc progresses is so intense, you really get drawn into his decision making and anguish, because no matter what, he will hurt someone, either his father the king or himself.
This is definitely a book I can recommend. While it has grimdark elements, its much more a story of redemption for a large portion of the characters. There is a lot of action and some great storytelling, with revelations about characters really keeping you into the story.
About Richard Nell
Richard Nell concerned family and friends by quitting his real job in 2014 to 'write full-time'. He is a Canadian author of fantasy, living in one of the flattest, coldest places on earth with his begrudging wife, who makes sure he eats.
His books mix his love of history and ideas with the epic glory of fantasy, because reality could use some sprucing up. He's the author of dark, epic fantasy Kings of Paradise and Kings of Ash, and a new gritty flintlock series starting with The God King's Legacy. He hopes you like them.
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