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Mocklore Chronicles #1
Splashdance Silver
Kassa Daggersharp has just heard word that her dad's dead and she's heir to a vast silver treasure-trove from the famous Splashdance pirate ship.
But in grand pirate tradition, the last will and testament of Vicious Bigbeard Daggersharp doesn't actually say where the silver is. And to add to Kassa's woes, everyone – from legendary royal champion and pin-up boy Aragon Silversword to the the Emperor Lady Talle – seems to be trying to find and claim the silver for themselves.
This hilarious story of the race for the Splashdance silver is about pirates and politics, treasure and traitors, epic adventures, magical mysteries, nearly-true-love and things which glint in the night.
But in grand pirate tradition, the last will and testament of Vicious Bigbeard Daggersharp doesn't actually say where the silver is. And to add to Kassa's woes, everyone – from legendary royal champion and pin-up boy Aragon Silversword to the the Emperor Lady Talle – seems to be trying to find and claim the silver for themselves.
This hilarious story of the race for the Splashdance silver is about pirates and politics, treasure and traitors, epic adventures, magical mysteries, nearly-true-love and things which glint in the night.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 2013
163 people want to read
About the author
Tansy Rayner Roberts
133 books314 followersTansy Rayner Roberts is a fantasy and science fiction author who lives in southern Tasmania, somewhere between the tall mountain with snow on it, and the beach that points towards Antarctica.
Tansy has a PhD in Classics (with a special interest in poisonous Roman ladies), and an obsession with Musketeers.
You can hear Tansy talking about Doctor Who on the Verity! podcast. She also reads her own stories on the Sheep Might Fly podcast.
Tansy has a PhD in Classics (with a special interest in poisonous Roman ladies), and an obsession with Musketeers.
You can hear Tansy talking about Doctor Who on the Verity! podcast. She also reads her own stories on the Sheep Might Fly podcast.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 7, 2020
DNF @ 44%
I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn't do it. This author's Musketeer Space book is absolutely amazing so I was hoping for something similar but this just did not capture my attention. I can definitely see how she tried to break some tired fantasy tropes and make them fun but overall it just didn't push the envelope far enough for me and also I had a lot of trouble remembering who was who in the myriad cast of characters. Also this is kind of nitpicky but again there are SO MANY characters in this and it really kept throwing me off that we have main characters named Daggar and Daggersharp. The characters weren't even similar but it just kept messing my brain up while reading.
I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn't do it. This author's Musketeer Space book is absolutely amazing so I was hoping for something similar but this just did not capture my attention. I can definitely see how she tried to break some tired fantasy tropes and make them fun but overall it just didn't push the envelope far enough for me and also I had a lot of trouble remembering who was who in the myriad cast of characters. Also this is kind of nitpicky but again there are SO MANY characters in this and it really kept throwing me off that we have main characters named Daggar and Daggersharp. The characters weren't even similar but it just kept messing my brain up while reading.
February 29, 2016
I've started this book at least twice in the past, getting about 10% into the Kindle edition each time. Third time's the charm, and I've finally finished it.
It was a long haul, though. I would read five or ten pages and set it aside, day after day. While I was never reluctant to pick it back up, it didn't hold my attention until I was three-fourths of the way through.
Splashdance Silver is full of Event, briskly paced, with new characters and settings showing up constantly. While character and scene-setting/world-building are a couple of my favorite things in fantasy novels, the characters here were largely ciphers. I couldn't tell one of the two "handsome young betrayers" from the other 'til a good ways in, for example. I never got a good idea of where one setting was situated in relation to the rest. The humor feels stiff and forced a lot of the time, too.
But at that 75% mark, it felt like the narrative was more comfortable with itself, and I got more comfortable with it too, reading the last fourth in a day and chuckling several times. The novel went out on a good note.
In her afterword, Ms. Roberts tells us that she was inspired by Pratchett and Hambly. While she's no Pratchett, we have to remember that she was nineteen years old when she wrote this book. (And also remember that Pratchett himself wasn't much of a Pratchett early on.) The love for her influences shines through, which I found charming.
Two stars isn't bad. It's okay! Ms. Roberts has written several novels since this first one, and I wouldn't mind picking up another to see how far she's come in the meantime.
It was a long haul, though. I would read five or ten pages and set it aside, day after day. While I was never reluctant to pick it back up, it didn't hold my attention until I was three-fourths of the way through.
Splashdance Silver is full of Event, briskly paced, with new characters and settings showing up constantly. While character and scene-setting/world-building are a couple of my favorite things in fantasy novels, the characters here were largely ciphers. I couldn't tell one of the two "handsome young betrayers" from the other 'til a good ways in, for example. I never got a good idea of where one setting was situated in relation to the rest. The humor feels stiff and forced a lot of the time, too.
But at that 75% mark, it felt like the narrative was more comfortable with itself, and I got more comfortable with it too, reading the last fourth in a day and chuckling several times. The novel went out on a good note.
In her afterword, Ms. Roberts tells us that she was inspired by Pratchett and Hambly. While she's no Pratchett, we have to remember that she was nineteen years old when she wrote this book. (And also remember that Pratchett himself wasn't much of a Pratchett early on.) The love for her influences shines through, which I found charming.
Two stars isn't bad. It's okay! Ms. Roberts has written several novels since this first one, and I wouldn't mind picking up another to see how far she's come in the meantime.
October 11, 2014
I have read this book many times, but recently decided to re-read it. It never fails to entertain me, and it reminds me of a Terry Pratchett book, which is probably the highest compliment I could give. Plus it made me laugh out loud on a bus full of people...
May 6, 2009
What could I possibly say about this book that would do it justice? It's an undiscovered gem in my opinion. Funny, intricate and exciting - Kassa and her band of merry pirates are such a wonderful team of misfits in a world for misfits. I really enjoyed this, and need to get my hands on the second book - Liquid Gold - which is only available from the author herself! www.tansyrr.com
November 26, 2012
Magical. Such detail. A bloody blast.
January 26, 2014
This is part of my contribution to the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2014, and also my Australian Writers Challenge 2014. For the latter challenge this is my "author's debut" book.
I decided to read this book, as I have another of Tansy Rayner Roberts books on my list for later on this year, and I was interested to see what her first book was like.
I know my rating is quite different to most of the other ones, and I was a bit hesitant about writing this review because I have quite mixed feelings about this book.
The Good. There is no doubt that Tansy Rayner Roberts is a clever and eloquent writer. That was clear right from the beginning of the book. Her use of language and ability to write a good sentence were never in doubt. I also understand other reviewers' comparisons to Terry Pratchett (to a certain extent), because in Splashdance Silver, she has taken fantasy tropes and cliches and built a story out of them. Having said that, I arrive at the not so good.
The Not So Good. Where the comparisons to Terry Pratchett (one of my favourite authors) fall down is in the character development and plot line. This book has so many characters that I was struggling to keep them all straight. For a long time I didn't know who the main protagonist/s were. As a result, I didn't really care much about any of them. Normally, I can't wait to get back into a book once I've started. With this one, I kept not really wanting to get back into the story because I wasn't really certain what the story was. About 75% of the way into the book I started to get a sense of the plot, and and by the end I was mildly interested to see where the next books might go. They certainly won't be at the top of my reading list but they definitely haven't fallen off it.
Like I said, mixed feelings, awkward review. I'll be interested to see what my next book from Tansy Rayner Roberts is like. I have heard good things.
I decided to read this book, as I have another of Tansy Rayner Roberts books on my list for later on this year, and I was interested to see what her first book was like.
I know my rating is quite different to most of the other ones, and I was a bit hesitant about writing this review because I have quite mixed feelings about this book.
The Good. There is no doubt that Tansy Rayner Roberts is a clever and eloquent writer. That was clear right from the beginning of the book. Her use of language and ability to write a good sentence were never in doubt. I also understand other reviewers' comparisons to Terry Pratchett (to a certain extent), because in Splashdance Silver, she has taken fantasy tropes and cliches and built a story out of them. Having said that, I arrive at the not so good.
The Not So Good. Where the comparisons to Terry Pratchett (one of my favourite authors) fall down is in the character development and plot line. This book has so many characters that I was struggling to keep them all straight. For a long time I didn't know who the main protagonist/s were. As a result, I didn't really care much about any of them. Normally, I can't wait to get back into a book once I've started. With this one, I kept not really wanting to get back into the story because I wasn't really certain what the story was. About 75% of the way into the book I started to get a sense of the plot, and and by the end I was mildly interested to see where the next books might go. They certainly won't be at the top of my reading list but they definitely haven't fallen off it.
Like I said, mixed feelings, awkward review. I'll be interested to see what my next book from Tansy Rayner Roberts is like. I have heard good things.
July 26, 2011
Light. Silly. Fun.
Many, many genre jokes and digs.
Tasmania's answer to Terry Pratchett I think. :)
Many, many genre jokes and digs.
Tasmania's answer to Terry Pratchett I think. :)
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November 1, 2015Comic fantasy in the mould of early Pratchett.
May 26, 2016
Pirates, witches and raining fishes. Need I say more?
January 8, 2024
(5.5/10) This book has plenty of good qualities; as far as Pratchett-inspired writing goes, it's self- and genre-aware, fairly witty, and just strikes a pleasantly whimsical tone, not giving into the need to be unendingly cynical or grim. However, for my personal taste, the whimsy is a couple of levels more than I can handle. Things in this plot just happen in an unending barrage, as the author shows off this or that uniquely explained piece of lore that is about to get in the characters' way, with no time to breathe. It doesn't leave a lot of space for many things to feel consequential, since every consequence is at risk of being undone a moment later.
August 21, 2018
The debut novel from Tansy. It is a different view of pirates and witches from a reluctant heroine who can be either. A fascinating story built from the ground up. I read this for the first time when it was new, and I have read it a number of times since. Very enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2018
Tansy's first book and it shows. Still, if you like early Pratchett, you'll love this.
March 21, 2020
I would summarise this as fantasy fun.
May 3, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's funny, anachronistic, the characters' voices are all strong. Going into the other two, without hesitation.
July 7, 2024
So much fun!
July 4, 2017
Splashdance Silver is a delicious high fantasy comedy. It's set on the tiny island of Mocklore where high fantasy tropes make everyone's lives more interesting, occasionally by cutting huge swatches of destruction through them. Kassa Daggersharp, the daughter of the infamous Pirate King, has just learned that her father is dead and now she is now expected to take up his responsibilities of terrorizing and looting, and while she's at it, lay claim to the giant pile of treasure he hid somewhere.
This book is written in the style of Terry Pratchett, which is not a bad thing. It has the same joyful randomness and affection for the very things it parodies. Yes, you will laugh yourself silly at its version of chivalrous romance and epic adventure, but at the heart of this story is a deep love for the source material.
Kassa herself has the dangerous potential to be a Mary-Sue (if you don't know what that is, Google it), being a golden-eyed girl who has two amazing destinies pulling at her, but just wants to be an 'ordinary' tavern dancer. Not to mention having a dead dad, steaming sexual tension with the designated 'bad boy', and a dark secret in her past. Also, she can sing.
She avoids Mary-Sue territory by being immature, bad tempered and fixated on her wardrobe. But not in a jerkass way. She's like the version of you that just got dragged out of bed at five o'clock on a Sunday morning to do chores someone else already promised to do. She's not very enthusiastic, will commit violence if you push her too far, but by god, if she's going to do it, she's going to do it in style. It also helps that when humiliation rains down on her rag-tag crew of misfits (as it does several times) she's not spared in the slightest.
I won't say too much on the crew, to avoid spoilers. However, I did enjoy her cousin Daggar's unapologetic cowardice and vague concern about her antics, while Aragorn was most fun when he and Kassa were snarking at each other. The antagonist, Talle, is the villain we all wish we could be. Self-possessed, scheming, with an excellent PR manager, she enjoys the perks of villainy to their fullest.
Splashdance Silver is a wonderful romp and I highly recommend it.
This book is written in the style of Terry Pratchett, which is not a bad thing. It has the same joyful randomness and affection for the very things it parodies. Yes, you will laugh yourself silly at its version of chivalrous romance and epic adventure, but at the heart of this story is a deep love for the source material.
Kassa herself has the dangerous potential to be a Mary-Sue (if you don't know what that is, Google it), being a golden-eyed girl who has two amazing destinies pulling at her, but just wants to be an 'ordinary' tavern dancer. Not to mention having a dead dad, steaming sexual tension with the designated 'bad boy', and a dark secret in her past. Also, she can sing.
She avoids Mary-Sue territory by being immature, bad tempered and fixated on her wardrobe. But not in a jerkass way. She's like the version of you that just got dragged out of bed at five o'clock on a Sunday morning to do chores someone else already promised to do. She's not very enthusiastic, will commit violence if you push her too far, but by god, if she's going to do it, she's going to do it in style. It also helps that when humiliation rains down on her rag-tag crew of misfits (as it does several times) she's not spared in the slightest.
I won't say too much on the crew, to avoid spoilers. However, I did enjoy her cousin Daggar's unapologetic cowardice and vague concern about her antics, while Aragorn was most fun when he and Kassa were snarking at each other. The antagonist, Talle, is the villain we all wish we could be. Self-possessed, scheming, with an excellent PR manager, she enjoys the perks of villainy to their fullest.
Splashdance Silver is a wonderful romp and I highly recommend it.
April 20, 2013
I picked this book up at the Lifeline Book Fair in the stuff all you can in bag for $15. It is what you will call, lets take a chance on this book ad see where it goes. I did not know the author was Australian or lived in Tasmania. What I did know was the cover made me think the book might be funny and the blurb told me it was about 'pirates and politic, treasure and traitors, epic adventures...'
What the book is about is a complete mish-mash of genres, ideas, worlds all thrown down into a novel. You are given the opportunity to try and make some sense from this author's expansive imagination. The world that has been created is vivid and believable. The characters are all unique and just out there. It is a wonderful place that has been created and a really interesting story.
The disappointment is that this book has been heavily edited with too much trying to be crammed into 386 pages. I felt that there could have been a bit more time spent drawing the richness of the world out in greater detail. There is also a lot of characters who do are not necessarily given enough page time to fully realise who and what they are about.
This was a nice surprise, a book that is a little out of left field but the madness keeps you enthralled.
What the book is about is a complete mish-mash of genres, ideas, worlds all thrown down into a novel. You are given the opportunity to try and make some sense from this author's expansive imagination. The world that has been created is vivid and believable. The characters are all unique and just out there. It is a wonderful place that has been created and a really interesting story.
The disappointment is that this book has been heavily edited with too much trying to be crammed into 386 pages. I felt that there could have been a bit more time spent drawing the richness of the world out in greater detail. There is also a lot of characters who do are not necessarily given enough page time to fully realise who and what they are about.
This was a nice surprise, a book that is a little out of left field but the madness keeps you enthralled.
November 30, 2014
This was an unexpectedly enjoyable read. I only really picked it up because the cover reminded me of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and the blurb was promising but one can't always trust blurbs. In the end it was only $6.50 and I thought "Why not?", which I am really grateful for. Thank you me for being so perceptive!
This really was a fun read. The events were chaotic and we meet some very interesting folks. Our main cast of dubious sorts were Kassa, daughter of a Pirate King and a Pirate witch, Silversword, the kind of gentleman who you'd better off already putting the knife in your back to save him time, and Jaggar, a rather money hungry chap with a frugal nature. Those were the original three at least. The story didn't go at all how I anticipated it might and ended not as I thought it would. Which of course leaves me needing to find the second book in the series and reading onward because the ending is worse than a cliff hanger in that things are resolved and yet more things need answers to! So let's see where I can get Liquid Gold, shall we?
This really was a fun read. The events were chaotic and we meet some very interesting folks. Our main cast of dubious sorts were Kassa, daughter of a Pirate King and a Pirate witch, Silversword, the kind of gentleman who you'd better off already putting the knife in your back to save him time, and Jaggar, a rather money hungry chap with a frugal nature. Those were the original three at least. The story didn't go at all how I anticipated it might and ended not as I thought it would. Which of course leaves me needing to find the second book in the series and reading onward because the ending is worse than a cliff hanger in that things are resolved and yet more things need answers to! So let's see where I can get Liquid Gold, shall we?
December 9, 2017
Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
To be safe, I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
To be safe, I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
Want to read
April 16, 2012
June 12, 2011
A fun read!
May 4, 2017
This book still contains my all time favourite opening. And to think I only picked it up in the book store because of its cover. I read the first page and brought it on the spot
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews