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Pathfinder Tales #14
Pirate's Honor
Rough Seas
A pirate captain of the Inner Sea, Torius Vin makes a living raiding wealthy merchant ships with his crew of loyal buccaneers. Few things matter more to Captain Torius than ill-gotten gold—but one of those is Celeste, his beautiful snake-bodied navigator. When a crafty courtesan offers the pirate crew a chance at the heist of a lifetime, it's time for both man and naga to hoist the black flag and lead the Stargazer's crew to fame and fortune. But will stealing the legendary Star of Thumen chart the corsairs a course to untold riches—or send them all to a watery grave?
From award-winning author Chris A. Jackson comes a fantastical new adventure of high-seas combat and romance set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
For a look at all the Pirate's Tales seires within the Pathfinder universe click here.
A pirate captain of the Inner Sea, Torius Vin makes a living raiding wealthy merchant ships with his crew of loyal buccaneers. Few things matter more to Captain Torius than ill-gotten gold—but one of those is Celeste, his beautiful snake-bodied navigator. When a crafty courtesan offers the pirate crew a chance at the heist of a lifetime, it's time for both man and naga to hoist the black flag and lead the Stargazer's crew to fame and fortune. But will stealing the legendary Star of Thumen chart the corsairs a course to untold riches—or send them all to a watery grave?
From award-winning author Chris A. Jackson comes a fantastical new adventure of high-seas combat and romance set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
For a look at all the Pirate's Tales seires within the Pathfinder universe click here.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
14 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Chris A. Jackson
90 books192 followersFrom the sea to the stars, Chris A. Jackson’s stories take you to the far reaches of the imagination. Raised on the back deck of a fishing boat and trained as a marine biologist, he became sidetracked by a career in biomedical research, but regained his heart and soul in 2009 when he and his wife Anne left the dock aboard the 45-foot sailboat Mr Mac to cruise the Caribbean and write fulltime.
With his nautical background, writing sea stories seemed inevitable for Chris. His acclaimed Scimitar Seas nautical fantasies won three consecutive Gold Medals in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards. His Pathfinders Tales from Paizo Publishing combine high-seas combat and romance set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Not to be outdone, Privateer Press released Blood & Iron, a swashbuckling novella set in the Iron Kingdoms.
Chris’ repertoire also includes the award-winning and Kindle best-selling Weapon of Flesh Series, the contemporary urban fantasy Dragon Dreams, as well as additional fantasy novels, the humorous sci fi Cheese Runners trilogy of novellas, and numerous short stories.
To learn more, please visit jaxbooks.com.
With his nautical background, writing sea stories seemed inevitable for Chris. His acclaimed Scimitar Seas nautical fantasies won three consecutive Gold Medals in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards. His Pathfinders Tales from Paizo Publishing combine high-seas combat and romance set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Not to be outdone, Privateer Press released Blood & Iron, a swashbuckling novella set in the Iron Kingdoms.
Chris’ repertoire also includes the award-winning and Kindle best-selling Weapon of Flesh Series, the contemporary urban fantasy Dragon Dreams, as well as additional fantasy novels, the humorous sci fi Cheese Runners trilogy of novellas, and numerous short stories.
To learn more, please visit jaxbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 21, 2013
This is another in the long line (16 and counting) of Pathfinder Tales. This time, the action takes place on the seas as we meet Captain Vin Torius, a pirate with a heart. A general take on Robin Hood, Vin and his lovable crew do not rob and pillage any old ship on the sea. No. They only steal from thieves themselves. And spend a great deal of time concocting some pretty complex plans to deceive the thieves and get the loot. The crew is a veritable Star Trek conglomeration of races who not only work well together, but also respect one another (we should all learn from this crew). There is the moon naga Celeste, the half-orc Grogul, the elf Thillion, and the gnome Snick to go along with the human Captain Torius. (And as best as I can tell, they are all NG characters...maybe CN, but definitely NOT evil...)
The story was interesting and kept my attention; it focused on the crew being set up and accused of stealing an artifact that they did not, in fact, steal and the complicated plan they enacted to pay back the merchant who set them up in the first place. And as the story centered around the moon naga (a very large snake creature with a human female head) polymorphing into a human female and learning how to seduce the merchant, it remained entertaining, and definitely PG-13, so no worries about inappropriate content for the kiddos. Mr. Jackson is a sailor himself, and it showed with the nautical details included in the book; I must admit, I was impressed with his knowledge of sailing ships and then I saw that he lives on a yacht full time.
In all, I found the book to be well-written and the characters three dimensional. The story was complex enough that it kept my interest. As with most of the Tales books, it helps to understand the Pathfinder world (which, fortunately, I do), but I do not believe that it is extremely necessary. The book and story was not a literary feast, but, rather, a pretty nice snack. And, really, with the Pathfinder Tales, that is all I am looking for.
The story was interesting and kept my attention; it focused on the crew being set up and accused of stealing an artifact that they did not, in fact, steal and the complicated plan they enacted to pay back the merchant who set them up in the first place. And as the story centered around the moon naga (a very large snake creature with a human female head) polymorphing into a human female and learning how to seduce the merchant, it remained entertaining, and definitely PG-13, so no worries about inappropriate content for the kiddos. Mr. Jackson is a sailor himself, and it showed with the nautical details included in the book; I must admit, I was impressed with his knowledge of sailing ships and then I saw that he lives on a yacht full time.
In all, I found the book to be well-written and the characters three dimensional. The story was complex enough that it kept my interest. As with most of the Tales books, it helps to understand the Pathfinder world (which, fortunately, I do), but I do not believe that it is extremely necessary. The book and story was not a literary feast, but, rather, a pretty nice snack. And, really, with the Pathfinder Tales, that is all I am looking for.
October 15, 2013
Chris Jackson does an admirable job conveying live on a ship, and obviously knows a lot about sailing. Unfortunately, as a whole, the book didn't sit well with me. As part of the Pathfinder Tales line, I had certain expectations about the tone of the book, that it would be focused on high adventure. Instead, this is more of a pirate romance/caper, with more emphasis on the romance.
Pirate captain Torius Vin is pretty atypical for a pirate. He's much more focused on not doing things pirates are known for, such as killing except when no other choice is left, and not taking slaves. I can understand this overall to make a more appealing protagonist for the book, but then Torious also seems willing to put his love life above his pirating life, which stretches my suspension of belief. I want a pirate captain that's ruthless, even if his heart is in the right place - more of a Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or a character from the pulp adventures of the 20s and 30s, who's not afraid to pursue his goals with unwavering nerves of steel, not a wishy-washy indecision.
Then, on top of this, the characters make all sorts of silly, if not stupid assumptions. They're betrayed in the beginning, so it must have been their informant who sold them out. Even though this is a world of magic, and they have a diviner on their crew even, they never once consider that someone used magic to discover what they were up to, or for that matter, even a non-magical spy eavesdropping on things. Fortunately, the author doesn't entertain these options either, so their assumption turns out to be true. There are several parts of the book that are like this, and it was very discordant with the world of Golarion and what magic using adventurers would know as possibilities.
Finally, there's several sub-plots about drug addiction in the book. While in and of itself there's nothing wrong with that as a topic, it again seemed odd for a pirate adventure story to have 2-3 subplots about drug addiction.
While some of the book was fine, it didn't leave me feeling satisfied. Here's hoping a proper pirate adventure will at some point be part of the Pathfinder Tales line.
Pirate captain Torius Vin is pretty atypical for a pirate. He's much more focused on not doing things pirates are known for, such as killing except when no other choice is left, and not taking slaves. I can understand this overall to make a more appealing protagonist for the book, but then Torious also seems willing to put his love life above his pirating life, which stretches my suspension of belief. I want a pirate captain that's ruthless, even if his heart is in the right place - more of a Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or a character from the pulp adventures of the 20s and 30s, who's not afraid to pursue his goals with unwavering nerves of steel, not a wishy-washy indecision.
Then, on top of this, the characters make all sorts of silly, if not stupid assumptions. They're betrayed in the beginning, so it must have been their informant who sold them out. Even though this is a world of magic, and they have a diviner on their crew even, they never once consider that someone used magic to discover what they were up to, or for that matter, even a non-magical spy eavesdropping on things. Fortunately, the author doesn't entertain these options either, so their assumption turns out to be true. There are several parts of the book that are like this, and it was very discordant with the world of Golarion and what magic using adventurers would know as possibilities.
Finally, there's several sub-plots about drug addiction in the book. While in and of itself there's nothing wrong with that as a topic, it again seemed odd for a pirate adventure story to have 2-3 subplots about drug addiction.
While some of the book was fine, it didn't leave me feeling satisfied. Here's hoping a proper pirate adventure will at some point be part of the Pathfinder Tales line.
April 19, 2021
The complex relationship between Celeste and Torius is just amazing.
December 21, 2017
Bookworm Speaks!
Pathfinder Tales: Pirate’s Honor
by Chris A. Jackson
****
Acquired: Amazon.com
Series: Pathfinder Tales
Paperback: 400 Pages
Publisher: Paizo Inc (May 14, 2013)
Language: English
Subject: Fantasy, Gaming
****
The Story: A pirate captain of the Inner Sea, Torius Vin makes a living raiding wealthy merchant ships with his crew of loyal buccaneers. Few things matter more to Captain Torius than ill-gotten gold-but one of those is Celeste, his beautiful snake-bodied navigator. When a crafty courtesan offers the pirate crew a chance at the heist of a lifetime, it's time for both man and naga to hoist the black flag and lead the Stargazer's crew to fame and fortune. But will stealing the legendary Star of Thumen chart the corsairs a course to untold riches-or send them all to a watery grave?
The Review: Pirates have been a mainstay of fiction for nearly as long as there have been pirates in the real world. Long John Silver and Captain Blackbeard are practically part of modern day mythology and eye-patched, peg legged figures have been staples of books, toys, video games, movies and much more. The downside to this, is that it can take a bit more effort for prospective creators
The best thing about this book is how it takes many familiar aspects of pirate lore and yet give them a distinctive level of detail that sets it apart from many other ‘traditional’ tales of the Seven Seas. It is refreshingly diverse tale in its story as well as characterization and settings.
People of Color Characters: Check.
Strong Female Characters: Check!
A Non-traditional Romance: Check!
A culture that is not based entirely on Western Culture: Check!
This book hits all the right marks and makes into a clear step in the right direction for writers of fiction while maintaining enough familiar threads to engage long time readers. There is plenty of swashbuckling, high seas action to sate any reader familiar with pirate lore but it takes itself in its own direction that makes it unique. This book takes place in a region of Golarian, the world that Pathfinder takes place in, called the Inner Seas. Unlike a lot of other pirate fiction which is more or less inspired by the pirates of the Caribbean, this book takes a great amount of inspiration from Arabic culture. Torias and other characters are often described as wearing turbans and kaftans and other such garbs and the main antagonist of the final third is described as having dark skin along with other inhabitants of his realm. The importance of diversity in literature cannot be understated.
One of the best aspects of the entire novel is the relationship between Celeste and Torias Vin. For starters, while interspecies relationships are not exactly new territory for speculative fiction writers, this one is one of the first where Bookworm one where it was explicitly between a human and distinctly non human character. In this case, a lunar naga in the form of Celeste. For those unfamiliar with the world of Pathfinder, Lunar nagas do not have arms and manipulate objects with magic. They are nocturnal, venemous and can shape shift for brief periods of time. As one could expect, this would create some sharp divisions in a relationship. Celeste is very strong and memorable as a character who possess a certain innocence about her alongside her badass magical skills.
Other memorable female characters are the courtesan Vreva Jhafae and the gnome Snick. These and other characters really make this story and each one had a distinctive voice that could be recognized regardless of the context. Just hearing these characters talk to each other was entertaining on its own.
This book is not afraid to tackle some important issues that readers can take with them into the real world. What constitutes a healthy relationship is one of them. Without giving too much away…there is a real crisis in the relationship between Torias and Celeste that can leave the reader on the edge of their seats. It doesn’t feel like the forced contrivance that so often plaques fictional romances, it actually feels like something that would crop over the course of such a relationship. While Bookworm did enjoy such a plot thread, they can see how some readers would not be so enthusiastic. Indeed, at times Bookworm did want to get back to the action and not awkward conversations between the pirate and the snake lady. We came here for swords and magic not relationship drama. Thankfully, it is only a single part of a very wide ranging story with plenty of action.
The theme of addiction and its devastating consequences is a central theme to this novel. Drugs crop up fairly frequently in speculative fiction but rarely does addiction. The text is not afraid to confront such things in manner that feels realistic rather than preachy. Major kudos to the author for daring to touch upon such a sensitive issue.
The plot as whole suffers from perhaps a few too many character perspective and plot threads that really makes the story a bit of mess. The author may have a little trouble making up their mind about what kind of story they were meaning to tell. It comes together by the end of the first act but it all comes out as a bit wobbly on its feet. The narrative was struggling to balance the various plot points. While it succeeds in the end, it did not come off as particularly graceful. The characters and action create enough suspense to keep Bookworm engage but at the same time, Bookworm was telling the story to get on with it and wrap up
The Final Verdict: The best part in reading this novel is that it does not require intimate knowledge of the Pathfinder Universe. This novel can stand on its own as action-packed seafaring adventure with colorful characters that anyone can enjoy.
Rating: Four Cutlasses out of Five
thecultureworm.blogspot.com
Pathfinder Tales: Pirate’s Honor
by Chris A. Jackson
****
Acquired: Amazon.com
Series: Pathfinder Tales
Paperback: 400 Pages
Publisher: Paizo Inc (May 14, 2013)
Language: English
Subject: Fantasy, Gaming
****
The Story: A pirate captain of the Inner Sea, Torius Vin makes a living raiding wealthy merchant ships with his crew of loyal buccaneers. Few things matter more to Captain Torius than ill-gotten gold-but one of those is Celeste, his beautiful snake-bodied navigator. When a crafty courtesan offers the pirate crew a chance at the heist of a lifetime, it's time for both man and naga to hoist the black flag and lead the Stargazer's crew to fame and fortune. But will stealing the legendary Star of Thumen chart the corsairs a course to untold riches-or send them all to a watery grave?
The Review: Pirates have been a mainstay of fiction for nearly as long as there have been pirates in the real world. Long John Silver and Captain Blackbeard are practically part of modern day mythology and eye-patched, peg legged figures have been staples of books, toys, video games, movies and much more. The downside to this, is that it can take a bit more effort for prospective creators
The best thing about this book is how it takes many familiar aspects of pirate lore and yet give them a distinctive level of detail that sets it apart from many other ‘traditional’ tales of the Seven Seas. It is refreshingly diverse tale in its story as well as characterization and settings.
People of Color Characters: Check.
Strong Female Characters: Check!
A Non-traditional Romance: Check!
A culture that is not based entirely on Western Culture: Check!
This book hits all the right marks and makes into a clear step in the right direction for writers of fiction while maintaining enough familiar threads to engage long time readers. There is plenty of swashbuckling, high seas action to sate any reader familiar with pirate lore but it takes itself in its own direction that makes it unique. This book takes place in a region of Golarian, the world that Pathfinder takes place in, called the Inner Seas. Unlike a lot of other pirate fiction which is more or less inspired by the pirates of the Caribbean, this book takes a great amount of inspiration from Arabic culture. Torias and other characters are often described as wearing turbans and kaftans and other such garbs and the main antagonist of the final third is described as having dark skin along with other inhabitants of his realm. The importance of diversity in literature cannot be understated.
One of the best aspects of the entire novel is the relationship between Celeste and Torias Vin. For starters, while interspecies relationships are not exactly new territory for speculative fiction writers, this one is one of the first where Bookworm one where it was explicitly between a human and distinctly non human character. In this case, a lunar naga in the form of Celeste. For those unfamiliar with the world of Pathfinder, Lunar nagas do not have arms and manipulate objects with magic. They are nocturnal, venemous and can shape shift for brief periods of time. As one could expect, this would create some sharp divisions in a relationship. Celeste is very strong and memorable as a character who possess a certain innocence about her alongside her badass magical skills.
Other memorable female characters are the courtesan Vreva Jhafae and the gnome Snick. These and other characters really make this story and each one had a distinctive voice that could be recognized regardless of the context. Just hearing these characters talk to each other was entertaining on its own.
This book is not afraid to tackle some important issues that readers can take with them into the real world. What constitutes a healthy relationship is one of them. Without giving too much away…there is a real crisis in the relationship between Torias and Celeste that can leave the reader on the edge of their seats. It doesn’t feel like the forced contrivance that so often plaques fictional romances, it actually feels like something that would crop over the course of such a relationship. While Bookworm did enjoy such a plot thread, they can see how some readers would not be so enthusiastic. Indeed, at times Bookworm did want to get back to the action and not awkward conversations between the pirate and the snake lady. We came here for swords and magic not relationship drama. Thankfully, it is only a single part of a very wide ranging story with plenty of action.
The theme of addiction and its devastating consequences is a central theme to this novel. Drugs crop up fairly frequently in speculative fiction but rarely does addiction. The text is not afraid to confront such things in manner that feels realistic rather than preachy. Major kudos to the author for daring to touch upon such a sensitive issue.
The plot as whole suffers from perhaps a few too many character perspective and plot threads that really makes the story a bit of mess. The author may have a little trouble making up their mind about what kind of story they were meaning to tell. It comes together by the end of the first act but it all comes out as a bit wobbly on its feet. The narrative was struggling to balance the various plot points. While it succeeds in the end, it did not come off as particularly graceful. The characters and action create enough suspense to keep Bookworm engage but at the same time, Bookworm was telling the story to get on with it and wrap up
The Final Verdict: The best part in reading this novel is that it does not require intimate knowledge of the Pathfinder Universe. This novel can stand on its own as action-packed seafaring adventure with colorful characters that anyone can enjoy.
Rating: Four Cutlasses out of Five
thecultureworm.blogspot.com
March 9, 2015
This is actually more a 2.5 star book.
I enjoyed reading it but I must admit that I did not care for most of the main characters. And I also was not really sold on the whole love drama in here.
Other then that, it is a nice pirate story with Golarion trappings on it. Some scenes in here gave me ideas for some roleplay sessions, and I think that is a nice quality in a roleplay game tie in novel.
I enjoyed reading it but I must admit that I did not care for most of the main characters. And I also was not really sold on the whole love drama in here.
Other then that, it is a nice pirate story with Golarion trappings on it. Some scenes in here gave me ideas for some roleplay sessions, and I think that is a nice quality in a roleplay game tie in novel.
June 9, 2013
I can honestly say I have never read anything like this. A pirate in love with a snake-like creature who gives the pirate her poison and eventually gets him addicted? One of a kind truly. All in all a very one of a kind book.
*Won from Goodreads Giveaway*
*Won from Goodreads Giveaway*
May 15, 2022
Chyba wyrosłem z takich lektur - no nie mogłem skończyć. Niby piraci w świecie fantasy to samograj, to ale jednak nie.
March 27, 2021
3.5 stars
In terms of the overall story, Captain Vin is a swashbuckling pirate with a... Somewhat heart of gold. With his snake lady girlfriend and his crew of misfits they get up to hijinks and adventure.
When the book is hitting these notes, I think it's a tonne of fun. And in the beginning I was enjoying the action, the pirate nature, the world as well I thought to be very cool. I should mention, never played a table top rpg, most fiction based on ttrpg Im reading cuz I like the video game adaptions. Really in the beginning, the book was a 4 star immediately, I was having a lot of fun. But in my opinion the book story has some drawbacks. Not necessarily the plot itself, you should roughly know what you're getting into. It's not innovative, nor is that what I wanted.
Anyway, let me first preface this by saying, this is not an assumption of critique of the author's own values or morals or views, simply how characters ect came across to me.
One of the characters is a courtesan. Our main character is sort of a chauvinist in general but his view of prostitution is so bizarre, he hold utter contempt for her in a way that didn't jive for me. Shes a really fun character, and she doesn't seem to respond to the disrespect in a way I found believable. It's implied Captain Vin has a reason for his hatred or sex workers, alongside his I guess reasonable reasons for finding her untrustworthy. But it just grated on me so bad over and over, and I thought the reveal would make it make sense, and it doesn't. In fact, it made all those grating scenes more grating in retrospect, because the reveal is meant to put him into perspective and we understand his behaviour and it was just like"... That's the reason he hates her so bad lmao wtf" but played serious.
My other issue is just the romance between him and Celeste is in general, pretty bad. Most fantasy romance is, but it's actually a huge part of the book. I think you could argue it's somewhat of a romance novel in parts. It's not necessarily that the relationship is bad, there's interesting stuff on paper it's just executed in such a juvenile way. I could feel my eyes rolling into the back of my head, at just the way she almost always capitulates to his point of view, and the dialogue is written like an after school cartoon.
Everything else outside of these two points, I had a lot of fun with. It gets real dark at times, which I didn't expect. The story is mostly really.light hearted. Banter between characters. The moments of bleak realism in the world I found really intriguing and we'll implemented. Not many of the characters are beyond the fun 2D cut outs, but they're just fun side interactions. And the characters who do get emotional depth, are in general pretty decent.
The reviews for the subsequent books are quite a bit better. I will definitely read them when in the mood for some piratey fantasy.
Edit: I just thought of something. Why didn't Celeste ever consider that the only reason Ehkan was being nice to her was because of the Charm spells she was using to influence him? I just realized how ridiculous those few chapters are. the entire plan gets uprooted and then she realizes later he is actually garbage and it was just the influence of the spell... when that was the entire point of the plan lmao
In terms of the overall story, Captain Vin is a swashbuckling pirate with a... Somewhat heart of gold. With his snake lady girlfriend and his crew of misfits they get up to hijinks and adventure.
When the book is hitting these notes, I think it's a tonne of fun. And in the beginning I was enjoying the action, the pirate nature, the world as well I thought to be very cool. I should mention, never played a table top rpg, most fiction based on ttrpg Im reading cuz I like the video game adaptions. Really in the beginning, the book was a 4 star immediately, I was having a lot of fun. But in my opinion the book story has some drawbacks. Not necessarily the plot itself, you should roughly know what you're getting into. It's not innovative, nor is that what I wanted.
Anyway, let me first preface this by saying, this is not an assumption of critique of the author's own values or morals or views, simply how characters ect came across to me.
One of the characters is a courtesan. Our main character is sort of a chauvinist in general but his view of prostitution is so bizarre, he hold utter contempt for her in a way that didn't jive for me. Shes a really fun character, and she doesn't seem to respond to the disrespect in a way I found believable. It's implied Captain Vin has a reason for his hatred or sex workers, alongside his I guess reasonable reasons for finding her untrustworthy. But it just grated on me so bad over and over, and I thought the reveal would make it make sense, and it doesn't. In fact, it made all those grating scenes more grating in retrospect, because the reveal is meant to put him into perspective and we understand his behaviour and it was just like"... That's the reason he hates her so bad lmao wtf" but played serious.
My other issue is just the romance between him and Celeste is in general, pretty bad. Most fantasy romance is, but it's actually a huge part of the book. I think you could argue it's somewhat of a romance novel in parts. It's not necessarily that the relationship is bad, there's interesting stuff on paper it's just executed in such a juvenile way. I could feel my eyes rolling into the back of my head, at just the way she almost always capitulates to his point of view, and the dialogue is written like an after school cartoon.
Everything else outside of these two points, I had a lot of fun with. It gets real dark at times, which I didn't expect. The story is mostly really.light hearted. Banter between characters. The moments of bleak realism in the world I found really intriguing and we'll implemented. Not many of the characters are beyond the fun 2D cut outs, but they're just fun side interactions. And the characters who do get emotional depth, are in general pretty decent.
The reviews for the subsequent books are quite a bit better. I will definitely read them when in the mood for some piratey fantasy.
Edit: I just thought of something. Why didn't Celeste ever consider that the only reason Ehkan was being nice to her was because of the Charm spells she was using to influence him? I just realized how ridiculous those few chapters are. the entire plan gets uprooted and then she realizes later he is actually garbage and it was just the influence of the spell... when that was the entire point of the plan lmao
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2018
I liked this way better than I expected. Game-world fiction has an understandably bad reputation for being shoddy work. There are other entries in the Pathfinder Tales series that confirmed that reputation for me. However, there are some standouts that are fun, and worth the read if you play in the Pathfinder universe. This novel... this one might be worth a read for any fantasy/romance/action/pirate/adventure fan, even if you've never heard of the Pathfinder RPG.
It was fast paced and fun. There were swashbuckling moments of derring-do that would have fit well in an Errol Flynn movie. There were convoluted heist plans that the team carries out in Ocean's 11 style. There was, unexpectedly, a romance. In fact, the best character in the book was female and non-human, and I felt she was pretty well rendered. What I really appreciated about the romance aspect was that it pulled some of the usual tensions of romance novels from weird thievery/heisty situations that cropped up.
For anyone who cares, the romance was non-explicit, but I would say the story is PG-13 at least, because there is discussion of the sex-trade, and sexual activities are discussed in broad strokes. There are scenes in which people are caught getting sweaty together. There are also, unexpectedly, descriptions of drug use, discussions of addiction, and deliberate manipulation of others using drugs.
One small complaint is that some of the character development and relationship issues could have been fleshed out a bit more.
Similarly, I feel like the captain did not do enough to acknowledge the worth of
Over all, they covered some subjects I never would have expected from a game-based action/adventure novel. So there's a lot of kudos there. And it was just a fun, quick read. I laughed out loud about some of the zany capers, and some of the by-play between comedic sidekicks. Also, it's a great ensemble pieces, with diverse characters contributing a wide-range of skills. Very inspiring when anticipating a role-playing game, because RPGs are like the best kind of ensemble-cast adventure. That said, unlike some other RPG-based games, I didn't feel like the combat scenes were left to die-rolls or that I was just reading the hackneyed recap of someone's actual game.
Not for everyone, but a fun read if you want action/adventure, or like pirate stories, or want to read a fluffy book about a really exotic romance.
It was fast paced and fun. There were swashbuckling moments of derring-do that would have fit well in an Errol Flynn movie. There were convoluted heist plans that the team carries out in Ocean's 11 style. There was, unexpectedly, a romance. In fact, the best character in the book was female and non-human, and I felt she was pretty well rendered. What I really appreciated about the romance aspect was that it pulled some of the usual tensions of romance novels from weird thievery/heisty situations that cropped up.
For anyone who cares, the romance was non-explicit, but I would say the story is PG-13 at least, because there is discussion of the sex-trade, and sexual activities are discussed in broad strokes. There are scenes in which people are caught getting sweaty together. There are also, unexpectedly, descriptions of drug use, discussions of addiction, and deliberate manipulation of others using drugs.
One small complaint is that some of the character development and relationship issues could have been fleshed out a bit more.
Similarly, I feel like the captain did not do enough to acknowledge the worth of
Over all, they covered some subjects I never would have expected from a game-based action/adventure novel. So there's a lot of kudos there. And it was just a fun, quick read. I laughed out loud about some of the zany capers, and some of the by-play between comedic sidekicks. Also, it's a great ensemble pieces, with diverse characters contributing a wide-range of skills. Very inspiring when anticipating a role-playing game, because RPGs are like the best kind of ensemble-cast adventure. That said, unlike some other RPG-based games, I didn't feel like the combat scenes were left to die-rolls or that I was just reading the hackneyed recap of someone's actual game.
Not for everyone, but a fun read if you want action/adventure, or like pirate stories, or want to read a fluffy book about a really exotic romance.
August 3, 2021
Well... that was an okay read. I mainly picked this up for the promise of pirates, and while it does deliver a bit of that, the majority of this book is a long revenge con with a romance tossed in. Side-plots of hating courtesans, drug addiction (at least 3), and haggling with merchants abound. The one real pirate battle we got early on was about all there was, alas.
Also, this story had quite the strong undercurrent of misogyny that made it difficult to read. I have a lot of opinions about that, but most of those I vented in my reading updates so I'll leave them out of my review. Needless to say, I'm not a fan.
I don't think I'll continue this series. The authors tone is just not for me.
Also, this story had quite the strong undercurrent of misogyny that made it difficult to read. I have a lot of opinions about that, but most of those I vented in my reading updates so I'll leave them out of my review. Needless to say, I'm not a fan.
I don't think I'll continue this series. The authors tone is just not for me.
May 19, 2020
Hadn't realised it was a D 'n' D novel kind of thing until I'd started reading it, but it's quite good (quite good in it's own right, not because I'm treating it as a D 'n' D novel). The characters feel quite well drawn (and better than many D&D kind of novels) and its a fun read with little chance of real risk to the characters (spoilers!). An easy read (read in three days, couldn't put it down at the end) but far from dumb.
March 1, 2023
I'm a Pathfinder enthusiast and rpg player. I read dozens of books based on D&D and Pathfinder and I think Chris Jackson took good time to study the settings and its spells. In many other books I often think that authors just had a general fantasy story and found a world to "syphon" its fans.
Concerning the story, I loved the atypical pirate adventure, the courtesan tricks and the love relationship. I would not change anything in this book, five stars!
Concerning the story, I loved the atypical pirate adventure, the courtesan tricks and the love relationship. I would not change anything in this book, five stars!
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September 11, 2025This nautical fantasy was a lot of fun to read, and takes place entirely aboard ship or in port towns. It's got plenty to keep the reader's interest: pirates, naval battles, sea monsters, magic, a crazy revenge conspiracy, a love triangle involving a naga, shapeshifting, and tons more. There was a surprising amount of emotional exploration, providing depth to an already fun pulpy nautical fantasy.
September 6, 2017
If you're a fan of fantasy, pirates or the Pathfinder mythos you'll have a good time, I promise. It's a fun, quick paced heist story with a assemble cast of colorful characters. It reminded me of the feeling I got when reading the Dragonlance novels when I was younger. Give it a read.
March 19, 2018
Absolutely loved this book!
It is the best pirate book I have read ever.
The characters are interesting and the Sailing knowledge and lingo sounds spot on.
The best part is the Captain's battle with addiction. It was very realistic.
It is the best pirate book I have read ever.
The characters are interesting and the Sailing knowledge and lingo sounds spot on.
The best part is the Captain's battle with addiction. It was very realistic.
October 22, 2020
I bought this for rollicking pirate action. Instead I got clumsy, angsty romance with substance abuse themes. Romance I am more than OK with; angst is not my bag. And I generally prefer it better written, with more likeable characters. This was pretty hard to actually finish.
December 12, 2024
I usually don’t write DNF reviews. Most of the time I plan on getting back to the book, finishing or re-reading it to give it another chance. I don’t think I’m interested in doing that with Pirate’s Honor.
I was 75% through when I lost hope in this story taking a turn for the better.
It is not simply a bad book, there are layers to it, so I will try to expand upon those so prospecting readers will know what they’re getting in to. I’ll get in to some minor plot spoilers (I’ll tag the major ones) in order to convey the problems I have with them.
First, let’s get some positives out of the way. The writing is pretty good, the pacing of the story evenly and well done. There’re multiple arcs building tension and delivering. The characters, while not all likeable, are mostly fun and well written. The cast isn’t too big (though there’s a decent number of side-characters in the pirate crew), so the ones that are focused on are decently detailed.
While action is in no way the focus of the story, there are some very nice maritime battles and even some zombie pirates!
Now, these things kept me reading on, hoping that the bad parts would be resolved as part of the story.
So let’s take a look at these. Many of these themes find their origin in traditional sword&sorcery writing, but try to be approached in a more mature way and fail in that. I am usually okay with sexual escapades in my fantasy, but I just don’t think it was done well here and it makes me wonder at the motives of the author.
First and foremost, this is a romance story, and one with heavy, abusive themes that only partially get acknowledged by the characters and often get glorified by the narrative.
There’s multiple love triangles and all of them are unhealthy, harmful relationships in their own way.
At the center there is the relationship between the two main characters, Celeste the Moon Naga and navigator of captain Vin. It is a literal toxic relationship in which the captain is addicted to the Naga’s venom and the Naga is constantly jealous and trying to change herself to please the captain.
These things get worse and worse as the story progresses. The captain’s addiction becomes a blatant parallel to heroin abuse and the Naga gets more desperate to not be herself in order to be more human for the captain, turning to a spell to transform herself. It’s a co-dependent, abusive relationship yet it is presented as a thing to root for.
One of the other major problems in the narrative is how woman and female sexuality are treated throughout. Prostitution is generally treated with disdain by both the author and the characters, yet the narrative revels in detailing seduction, arousement and submission at every moment it can. It’s this last bit that probably vexed me the most. Throughout the story, most woman are judged by and primarily described by their attractiveness, there is a very heavy sexual objectification going on. The plot revolves around the Naga making herself more attractive to men and at one point is even told that all men (except our special captain) enjoy submissive and weak woman.
Later in the plot
It might well be that the issues these characters have; the drug abuse, the toxic relationships, the hypocritical world views, might be resolved (in part) at the end of the story. Yes, they are acknowledged, might eventually get resolved in this, or one of the later books, but there was little hinting at that and these issues were often presented in alluring and, frankly, sickening ways.
I applaud Jackson for tackling these subjects in a novel like this. I just wish they were handled better.
The fact I was disturbed by these characters and their fall into their vices and problems makes them quite real. If only the writing didn’t bask in them so much and there was a hint of these people addressing and working on their issues.
So no, I’ll probably not return to this book or series. It is not what I was looking for, it is not handled in a way that makes me trust the author.
I was 75% through when I lost hope in this story taking a turn for the better.
It is not simply a bad book, there are layers to it, so I will try to expand upon those so prospecting readers will know what they’re getting in to. I’ll get in to some minor plot spoilers (I’ll tag the major ones) in order to convey the problems I have with them.
First, let’s get some positives out of the way. The writing is pretty good, the pacing of the story evenly and well done. There’re multiple arcs building tension and delivering. The characters, while not all likeable, are mostly fun and well written. The cast isn’t too big (though there’s a decent number of side-characters in the pirate crew), so the ones that are focused on are decently detailed.
While action is in no way the focus of the story, there are some very nice maritime battles and even some zombie pirates!
Now, these things kept me reading on, hoping that the bad parts would be resolved as part of the story.
So let’s take a look at these. Many of these themes find their origin in traditional sword&sorcery writing, but try to be approached in a more mature way and fail in that. I am usually okay with sexual escapades in my fantasy, but I just don’t think it was done well here and it makes me wonder at the motives of the author.
First and foremost, this is a romance story, and one with heavy, abusive themes that only partially get acknowledged by the characters and often get glorified by the narrative.
There’s multiple love triangles and all of them are unhealthy, harmful relationships in their own way.
At the center there is the relationship between the two main characters, Celeste the Moon Naga and navigator of captain Vin. It is a literal toxic relationship in which the captain is addicted to the Naga’s venom and the Naga is constantly jealous and trying to change herself to please the captain.
These things get worse and worse as the story progresses. The captain’s addiction becomes a blatant parallel to heroin abuse and the Naga gets more desperate to not be herself in order to be more human for the captain, turning to a spell to transform herself. It’s a co-dependent, abusive relationship yet it is presented as a thing to root for.
One of the other major problems in the narrative is how woman and female sexuality are treated throughout. Prostitution is generally treated with disdain by both the author and the characters, yet the narrative revels in detailing seduction, arousement and submission at every moment it can. It’s this last bit that probably vexed me the most. Throughout the story, most woman are judged by and primarily described by their attractiveness, there is a very heavy sexual objectification going on. The plot revolves around the Naga making herself more attractive to men and at one point is even told that all men (except our special captain) enjoy submissive and weak woman.
Later in the plot
It might well be that the issues these characters have; the drug abuse, the toxic relationships, the hypocritical world views, might be resolved (in part) at the end of the story. Yes, they are acknowledged, might eventually get resolved in this, or one of the later books, but there was little hinting at that and these issues were often presented in alluring and, frankly, sickening ways.
I applaud Jackson for tackling these subjects in a novel like this. I just wish they were handled better.
The fact I was disturbed by these characters and their fall into their vices and problems makes them quite real. If only the writing didn’t bask in them so much and there was a hint of these people addressing and working on their issues.
So no, I’ll probably not return to this book or series. It is not what I was looking for, it is not handled in a way that makes me trust the author.
November 28, 2015
Pirate's Honor is a Pathfinder book, based in the world and lore of the tabletop RPG game. As a player of Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons, it felt like coming home. I have to be honest, even as a tabletop gamer, I never really found much drive to read books set in the gaming worlds. It wasn't until meeting Chris that I decided to give a game book a whirl.
I am glad I did. I was always afraid that reading gaming books would make me cringe, that it would be stunted, just a clear attempt of a writer to narrate their own game campaign. WOW, was I wrong. I should have known better.
Pirate's Honor had adventure, dialogue, well-fleshed-out characters, and was just plain a joy to read (or have read to me, as I listened through Audible). Sure, I sort of expected fights to be awkward... but I was wrong about how that would go, too. This book was ridiculously exciting, and was nothing like reading, watching, or playing Pathfinder itself. It was a novel first, a gaming world second. THAT was a winning move for me.
I love how Jackson really thinks of his readers. He's a subtle writer, giving the reader hints of insight into future events and conflicts with just enough advance notice for you to guess at what's going to happen. He encourages the reader to think, to try and figure out things, before you realize what's really happening. Sometimes, I was even right. But he manages to keep me surprised along with his characters, and that is just plain brilliant. And he gives an ending that satisfies. I am ready to dig into the next one!
I am glad I did. I was always afraid that reading gaming books would make me cringe, that it would be stunted, just a clear attempt of a writer to narrate their own game campaign. WOW, was I wrong. I should have known better.
Pirate's Honor had adventure, dialogue, well-fleshed-out characters, and was just plain a joy to read (or have read to me, as I listened through Audible). Sure, I sort of expected fights to be awkward... but I was wrong about how that would go, too. This book was ridiculously exciting, and was nothing like reading, watching, or playing Pathfinder itself. It was a novel first, a gaming world second. THAT was a winning move for me.
I love how Jackson really thinks of his readers. He's a subtle writer, giving the reader hints of insight into future events and conflicts with just enough advance notice for you to guess at what's going to happen. He encourages the reader to think, to try and figure out things, before you realize what's really happening. Sometimes, I was even right. But he manages to keep me surprised along with his characters, and that is just plain brilliant. And he gives an ending that satisfies. I am ready to dig into the next one!
November 27, 2014
A short-take:
"Pirate's Honor" is a fantasy tale that combines maritime fiction a la the Hornblower books with swords and sorcery. The combination works well and the resulting adventure is good fun.
More thoughts:
I often wonder, when reading genre fiction, why so many plots hinge upon a conflict of massive consequence--usually some version of saving the world. What about the smaller stories involving a smaller cast caught up in personal vicissitudes that feel no less pressing to those involved?
Chris Jackson offers a story based upon the latter idea, and I greatly respect his decision to go smaller with the plot while leaning on a shared world to provide a colorful setting. "Pirate's Honor" is a good example of how a writer can leverage a shared world while providing a flavor unique to his background. Jackson obviously knows a thing or two about sailing ships, and he writes exciting naval engagements augmented by the presence of magical beings and devices. A risky gambit against a pursuing navy already makes for a good hook; throw in a human-sea-creature hybrid boarding party and magical combat, and you have the makings of something unique and awesome.
This book is my first in the Pathfinder series, and it provided the adventure and fun that other readers claim to enjoy from the series. I am definitely up for more titles.
"Pirate's Honor" is a fantasy tale that combines maritime fiction a la the Hornblower books with swords and sorcery. The combination works well and the resulting adventure is good fun.
More thoughts:
I often wonder, when reading genre fiction, why so many plots hinge upon a conflict of massive consequence--usually some version of saving the world. What about the smaller stories involving a smaller cast caught up in personal vicissitudes that feel no less pressing to those involved?
Chris Jackson offers a story based upon the latter idea, and I greatly respect his decision to go smaller with the plot while leaning on a shared world to provide a colorful setting. "Pirate's Honor" is a good example of how a writer can leverage a shared world while providing a flavor unique to his background. Jackson obviously knows a thing or two about sailing ships, and he writes exciting naval engagements augmented by the presence of magical beings and devices. A risky gambit against a pursuing navy already makes for a good hook; throw in a human-sea-creature hybrid boarding party and magical combat, and you have the makings of something unique and awesome.
This book is my first in the Pathfinder series, and it provided the adventure and fun that other readers claim to enjoy from the series. I am definitely up for more titles.
May 5, 2014
Something about this book didn't grab me as much as the last Pathfinder novel I read, Death's Heretic. Most of the time, the story's primary threat simply didn't seem that threatening, nor worth the effort that was put in. Obviously, there are rouses and deceptions at play, but the first half of the story grabbed me more than the second.
Even though it sounds like I'm being fairly negative, I did enjoy the experience. I love the Golarion world and this story passed through several areas I find particularly interesting, such as Rahadoum and Osirion.
Even though it sounds like I'm being fairly negative, I did enjoy the experience. I love the Golarion world and this story passed through several areas I find particularly interesting, such as Rahadoum and Osirion.
June 3, 2013
a fun fantasy adventure novel.
torius vin is a pirate captain on the ship stargazer. his crew is a motley mix of human and not human including a gnome, a half orc, and a naga. they're down on their luck when when the courtesan vreva offers torius a job stealing a priceless relic. it seems like their luck has turned until they are betrayed and must fight to turn their finances and recoup their losses.
torius vin is a pirate captain on the ship stargazer. his crew is a motley mix of human and not human including a gnome, a half orc, and a naga. they're down on their luck when when the courtesan vreva offers torius a job stealing a priceless relic. it seems like their luck has turned until they are betrayed and must fight to turn their finances and recoup their losses.
October 24, 2013
Fast-paced, unique character heritage and background, with an engaging and exciting storyline!
Pirate memes on the internet are amusing, but I've never felt any real pull to read, play in, or watch anything pirate-related outside of that. It was happenstance that I bought the book, and I opened it with low expectations. Which quickly blossomed into very high ones that defied disappointment as the story developed.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good adventure story!
Pirate memes on the internet are amusing, but I've never felt any real pull to read, play in, or watch anything pirate-related outside of that. It was happenstance that I bought the book, and I opened it with low expectations. Which quickly blossomed into very high ones that defied disappointment as the story developed.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good adventure story!
January 5, 2015
Very fun pirate story set in the Pathfinder world of Golarian. As a DM and player I always enjoy these books for the stories set in a world I know but haven't fully explored. More enjoyably, this story had pretty interesting characters and character development - with some enjoyable twists and turns.
May 30, 2013
Good fun - felt good to channel my inner RPG nerd! A great ensemble gets this character-drive piece over the line for me. Pirates, rogue shenanigans, double-cross and triple-cross! What more do you need?
October 12, 2014
This is a nice bit of Mind Candy, fun, but not nutritional; however, it did show surprising depth in places, and handled issues of addiction and interspecies love affairs with surprising insight. I was pleasantly surprised. Check my full review Pirate's Honor
December 2, 2013
A fantastic nautical tale, with a sparkling cast of main characters and secondary characters. I really like how the author integrated magic into the story—not just handwaved to "make it work" but really thoughtful approach to all aspects of the setting. Well done—when's the next one?
March 17, 2016
the characters were decent, and the writing good, but the plot overcomplicated and underinteresting. i'll be happy to give the next pirate's book a go if it doesn't involve a heist, or all the drug addiction-slavery-romance angst.
September 10, 2013
Nice read, but didn't really feel like a pirate story.
July 8, 2013
This was a very fun pirate story--great characters, fun villians, and an epic final battle--an easy summer read that I likely enjoyed a lot more than I should have!
July 9, 2013
This was an amazing book that continued to pull me along enthralled until the last epic scene of the book. Highly recommended!
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