The Bone Ships: Winner of the Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel (The Tide Child Trilogy, #1)

by RJ Barker

Jude Owusu (Narrator)

'Excellent . . . one of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I've seen in years'
ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY

'Brilliant'
ROBIN HOBB, author of The Assassin's Apprentice

***Winner of the Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel***

TWO NATIONS AT WAR. A PRIZE BEYOND COMPARE.

For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war.
The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.
Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war.

A brilliantly imagined saga of honour, glory, and warfare, The Bone Ships starts an epic new trilogy from David Gemmell Award-nominated RJ Barker.

'A vividly realised high-seas epic that pulls you deep into its world and keeps you tangled there until the very last word'
EVAN WINTER, author of The Rage of Dragons


'An epic tale of duty and obligation and honour, and what bravery really means . . . I can't recommend it enough'
PETER MCLEAN, author of Priest of Bones


'A viciously exciting adventure. I loved every second of it'
TASHA SURI, author of Empire of Sand


'Swashbuckling awesomeness . . . a fascinating world and a twisty plot, both rooted in characters I came to care about. A definite winner'
JOHN GWYNNE, author of MALICE


'The Bone Ships has already built up plenty of anticipation - and with good reason ... Barker's previous series, the acclaimed The Wounded Kingdom Trilogy, was a powerhouse of gritty fantasy, and The Bone Ships promises to launch one of this season's greatest, grandest dragon sagas'
NPR

• ISBN10: 1405543604
• ISBN13: 9781405543606
• Publish Date: 24 September 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Little, Brown Book Group
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 17 hours and 3 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available September 24th.

If you like a book with excellent story building, this one is for you! While never boring, this does have a slower start. Barker takes the time to create and explain an amazingly detailed world, one that is both stark yet inventive, much like the book itself.

I’ve enjoyed Barker’s previous books, so I was very excited to read this book. The fact that it’s so ship-heavy caused a bit of trepidation since, for some unknown reason, I don’t usually like books that take place mainly on ships. It could be because it often makes the book feel stifled to me. However, this book never felt small. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

The characters were so well developed that I really didn’t have one that I liked all the time. Just like real people, they all had strengths and weaknesses. The writing was superb in that way. In fact, I can only compare it to the incredible Tad Williams’ To Green Angel Tower as far as writing skill goes.

This is not a book to miss.