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Scourge of the Seas of Time and Space
Outlaws. Lovers. Heroes. Villains.
With their peg legs, their parrots and the skull and crossbones flying from the mastheads of their ships, classic pirates are some of the world’s best-known and easily recognizable outlaws. Or are they? These fifteen stories spin new tales of pirates crossing dimensional barriers for revenge, fighting terrible foes in outer space and building new lives after the Trojan War. Travel to the South China Sea, then on to New York City after a climate apocalypse, then roam the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy and voyage to distant and fantastical worlds. Go with them as they seek treasure, redemption, love, revenge and more. Raise the Jolly Roger and sharpen your cutlass (or recharge your raygun) and climb aboard for some unforgettable journeys.
From fantastical adventures to YA science fiction, from historical tales to piracy in intergalactic space, Scourge of the Seas gives readers a broad range of new pirate legends. Featuring stories by Ginn Hale, A.J. Fitzwater, Geonn Cannon, Joyce Chng, Elliott Dunstan, Ashley Deng, Su Haddrell, Ed Grabianowski, Mharie West, Matisse Mozer, Soumya Sundar Mukherjee, Megan Arkenberg, Peter Golubock, Michael Merriam and Caroline Sciriha.
With their peg legs, their parrots and the skull and crossbones flying from the mastheads of their ships, classic pirates are some of the world’s best-known and easily recognizable outlaws. Or are they? These fifteen stories spin new tales of pirates crossing dimensional barriers for revenge, fighting terrible foes in outer space and building new lives after the Trojan War. Travel to the South China Sea, then on to New York City after a climate apocalypse, then roam the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy and voyage to distant and fantastical worlds. Go with them as they seek treasure, redemption, love, revenge and more. Raise the Jolly Roger and sharpen your cutlass (or recharge your raygun) and climb aboard for some unforgettable journeys.
From fantastical adventures to YA science fiction, from historical tales to piracy in intergalactic space, Scourge of the Seas gives readers a broad range of new pirate legends. Featuring stories by Ginn Hale, A.J. Fitzwater, Geonn Cannon, Joyce Chng, Elliott Dunstan, Ashley Deng, Su Haddrell, Ed Grabianowski, Mharie West, Matisse Mozer, Soumya Sundar Mukherjee, Megan Arkenberg, Peter Golubock, Michael Merriam and Caroline Sciriha.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
6 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Lundoff
52 books134 followersCatherine Lundoff’s stories have appeared in over 80 publications including Callisto: A Queer Fiction Journal, The Cainite Conspiracies, Ghosts in Gaslight, Monsters in Steam, So Fey: Queer Faery Stories, The Mammoth Book of Professor Moriarty Adventures, Tales of the Unanticipated, Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures, Farrago’s Wainscot and Best Lesbian Erotica. She is the author of Out of This World: Queer Speculative Fiction Stories and Silver Moon: A Wolves of Wolf's Point Novel (new updated edition) and the editor of Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space) , all from Queen of Swords Press.
She was also the author of two award-winning collections of lesbian erotica: Crave: Tales of Lust, Love and Longing (Lethe Press, 2007) and Night's Kiss (Lethe Press, 2009) and editor of the fantasy and horror anthology Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories (Lethe Press, 2008). She was the co-editor, with JoSelle Vanderhooft, of the sf/f anthology Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic (Lethe Press, 2011) as well as the author of the fantasy/historicals collection A Day at the Inn, A Night at the Palace and Other Stories (Lethe Press, 2011) and the novel Silver Moon. As of 2014, she also writes erotica and erotic romance as Emily L. Byrne, with stories in such anthologies as Forbidden Fruit and Best Lesbian Erotica 20th Anniversary Edition , the novel Medusa's Touch and the short story collections Knife's Edge and Desire.
She was also the author of two award-winning collections of lesbian erotica: Crave: Tales of Lust, Love and Longing (Lethe Press, 2007) and Night's Kiss (Lethe Press, 2009) and editor of the fantasy and horror anthology Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories (Lethe Press, 2008). She was the co-editor, with JoSelle Vanderhooft, of the sf/f anthology Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic (Lethe Press, 2011) as well as the author of the fantasy/historicals collection A Day at the Inn, A Night at the Palace and Other Stories (Lethe Press, 2011) and the novel Silver Moon. As of 2014, she also writes erotica and erotic romance as Emily L. Byrne, with stories in such anthologies as Forbidden Fruit and Best Lesbian Erotica 20th Anniversary Edition , the novel Medusa's Touch and the short story collections Knife's Edge and Desire.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 8, 2018
This unique book had all sorts of stories on... you guessed it! Pirates! Lol
The pirates were not always “good” pirates and were more often than not(in my opinion) accurately presented in the numerous stories . Real life pirates were/are not funny , “heart-of-gold” people men as portrayed in the never ending “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise but were ruthless, cutthroat individuals whose sole aim was to get riches or die trying.
The stories ranged from the okay, to the intriguing, weird(in a good way) and best of all, they all had one or more characters featuring on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
All in all, I enjoyed this anthology and found it a breath of fresh air from my usual types of books
*** eARC Copy Was Graciously Provided By The Publisher Via Netgalley In Exchange For An Honest, Unbiased, Review ***
The pirates were not always “good” pirates and were more often than not(in my opinion) accurately presented in the numerous stories . Real life pirates were/are not funny , “heart-of-gold” people men as portrayed in the never ending “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise but were ruthless, cutthroat individuals whose sole aim was to get riches or die trying.
The stories ranged from the okay, to the intriguing, weird(in a good way) and best of all, they all had one or more characters featuring on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
All in all, I enjoyed this anthology and found it a breath of fresh air from my usual types of books
*** eARC Copy Was Graciously Provided By The Publisher Via Netgalley In Exchange For An Honest, Unbiased, Review ***
January 1, 2020
I really enjoyed this anthology as a whole, and there are some great stories in here. They'll be coming up in individual reviews on my blog starting Sunday March 24th, 2019 (the tag, which will start working then, is here).
My personal favourites were likely "Treasured Island," (the world-building!) “Andromache’s War" (such a freaking amazing retelling) and "Search for the Heart of Ocean" (I was not expecting to squee).
Honestly, the only real complaint I had here was how many times stories felt like beginnings. Most of the time, there was enough there to enjoy them for the self-contained "prologue"-esque feeling they created, but it was a repeating theme.
My personal favourites were likely "Treasured Island," (the world-building!) “Andromache’s War" (such a freaking amazing retelling) and "Search for the Heart of Ocean" (I was not expecting to squee).
Honestly, the only real complaint I had here was how many times stories felt like beginnings. Most of the time, there was enough there to enjoy them for the self-contained "prologue"-esque feeling they created, but it was a repeating theme.
December 23, 2018
Really refreshing take on pirates in fantasy and science fiction
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
September 11, 2019
About a year ago I requested this ebook from NetGalley, however I did not get a chance to download the book before it was archived by the publisher. I reached out to the publisher two months ago and was provided a ebook copy to read and review for Goodreads and Amazon. So I went on my own voyage to get this collection of literary treasure.
Treasured Island by Ginn Hale - I was not quite sure if this took place on a alternate earth or a alien world, but I found it's moving living islands (which I couldn't help picturing as jellyfish turtles), fascinating backstory of the pirate and how such islands were grandmothers or ancestors, enchanting. Would love to read more short stories of it!
The Seafarer by Ashley Deng- Drasio's pirating of a old enemy uncovers a ship of slaves, who are taken to a magical isle and freedom - would love to know more of the backstory of the two mage pirates.
Saints and Bodhisattvas by Joyce Chng - I had the impression of Nemo's child telling me a story of falling in love with Maria, (this maybe the fault of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman comics) I enjoyed it very much.
The Doomed Amulet of Erum Vahl by Ed Grabianowski - I think this one was a bit of a cliffhanger, with the doomed amulet traded between lovers and the captain choosing to battle the evils of Erum Vahl rather than risk visions coming true...(So I do hope there's a conclusion someday!)
Serpent’s Tail by Mharie West - I adored this one about a Viking, his wife and children and their male lover fleeing together into piracy. (Wish Vikings had saved Athelstan this way with Lagertha and Ragnar!)
(An old Norse euphemism for having sex was that lovers would be “traveling together” ("samfor").
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Megan Arkenberg- Sham and Cat flee from old enemies toward a promised refuge, but not before Sham escapes the devil one last time!
Andromache’s War by Elliott Dunstan - I utterly adored this one. Andromache drowns Neoptolemus and takes his ship and crew as hers, pirating the ships of fleeing Greeks and later encountering a ruined Odysseus. I would have happily read a whole book of Andromache's travels.
Andromache in myths is taken off by Neoptolemus, who keeps her as concubine and marries Hermione, Neoptolemus also took the seer Helenus (Cassandra's twin), who is married to Neoptolemus' mother Deidamia, and after her death, and the death of her son when Hermione goes to marry Orestes - Helenus, brother of Hector, marries Andromache. It's a very strange mythology and I think Andromache’s War makes for a better ending.
Rib of Man by Geonn Cannon - The captain of the Rib of Man finds unlocked for treasure in a navigator of a looted ship. I loved how very queer and cooperative diverse community the crew and captain felt.
A Smuggler’s Pact by Su Haddrell- A pact between a witch and a swamp smuggler spells doom to a abusive captain (wish there was a sequel to this one where we see the pact enacted).
The Dead Pirate’s Cave by Soumya Sundar Mukherjee- A science fiction spin to Treasure Island's theme, but I would love to read the investor's adventures with his family of there was one day more.
Rosa, the Dimension Pirate by Matisse Mozer- Rosa crashes into Jack's boring life and the fleeing daughter of a pirate and her engineer save a world's treasure with his help.
A Crooked Road Home by Caroline Sciriha - A fascinating son of a Shadow leader and his memory of his mother may save him with the strength of songs in his people. Would love to explore more on how all this came to be...
After the Deluge by Peter Golubock - New York underwater is troubled by the pirates of it's watery streets. Although the bigger threat may be it's police...
Tenari by Michael Merriam - A former military ship turned pirate finds the ship full of children fleeing a old alien enemy mystery. Wouldn't mind reading more on how the mystery unfolds!
Search for the Heart of the Ocean by A.J. Fitzwater - This was a very cute and furry captain of a marsupial and mer ship go in search of the Heart of the Ocean, quickly getting involved with magic and kraken and affaires between stars and seas.
Treasured Island by Ginn Hale - I was not quite sure if this took place on a alternate earth or a alien world, but I found it's moving living islands (which I couldn't help picturing as jellyfish turtles), fascinating backstory of the pirate and how such islands were grandmothers or ancestors, enchanting. Would love to read more short stories of it!
The Seafarer by Ashley Deng- Drasio's pirating of a old enemy uncovers a ship of slaves, who are taken to a magical isle and freedom - would love to know more of the backstory of the two mage pirates.
Saints and Bodhisattvas by Joyce Chng - I had the impression of Nemo's child telling me a story of falling in love with Maria, (this maybe the fault of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman comics) I enjoyed it very much.
The Doomed Amulet of Erum Vahl by Ed Grabianowski - I think this one was a bit of a cliffhanger, with the doomed amulet traded between lovers and the captain choosing to battle the evils of Erum Vahl rather than risk visions coming true...(So I do hope there's a conclusion someday!)
Serpent’s Tail by Mharie West - I adored this one about a Viking, his wife and children and their male lover fleeing together into piracy. (Wish Vikings had saved Athelstan this way with Lagertha and Ragnar!)
(An old Norse euphemism for having sex was that lovers would be “traveling together” ("samfor").
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Megan Arkenberg- Sham and Cat flee from old enemies toward a promised refuge, but not before Sham escapes the devil one last time!
Andromache’s War by Elliott Dunstan - I utterly adored this one. Andromache drowns Neoptolemus and takes his ship and crew as hers, pirating the ships of fleeing Greeks and later encountering a ruined Odysseus. I would have happily read a whole book of Andromache's travels.
Andromache in myths is taken off by Neoptolemus, who keeps her as concubine and marries Hermione, Neoptolemus also took the seer Helenus (Cassandra's twin), who is married to Neoptolemus' mother Deidamia, and after her death, and the death of her son when Hermione goes to marry Orestes - Helenus, brother of Hector, marries Andromache. It's a very strange mythology and I think Andromache’s War makes for a better ending.
Rib of Man by Geonn Cannon - The captain of the Rib of Man finds unlocked for treasure in a navigator of a looted ship. I loved how very queer and cooperative diverse community the crew and captain felt.
A Smuggler’s Pact by Su Haddrell- A pact between a witch and a swamp smuggler spells doom to a abusive captain (wish there was a sequel to this one where we see the pact enacted).
The Dead Pirate’s Cave by Soumya Sundar Mukherjee- A science fiction spin to Treasure Island's theme, but I would love to read the investor's adventures with his family of there was one day more.
Rosa, the Dimension Pirate by Matisse Mozer- Rosa crashes into Jack's boring life and the fleeing daughter of a pirate and her engineer save a world's treasure with his help.
A Crooked Road Home by Caroline Sciriha - A fascinating son of a Shadow leader and his memory of his mother may save him with the strength of songs in his people. Would love to explore more on how all this came to be...
After the Deluge by Peter Golubock - New York underwater is troubled by the pirates of it's watery streets. Although the bigger threat may be it's police...
Tenari by Michael Merriam - A former military ship turned pirate finds the ship full of children fleeing a old alien enemy mystery. Wouldn't mind reading more on how the mystery unfolds!
Search for the Heart of the Ocean by A.J. Fitzwater - This was a very cute and furry captain of a marsupial and mer ship go in search of the Heart of the Ocean, quickly getting involved with magic and kraken and affaires between stars and seas.
June 26, 2019
The stories in here run the gamut from whimsical and charming to somewhat dark. They range from historical or alternate history time periods to the near and far futures. There’s even some post-apocalyptic fun in here.
This is also an excellent LGBTQ anthology. There are same-sex relationships, at least one polyamorous relationship, and a couple of trans characters. There are plenty of women pirates, as well. Most often the same-sex relationships and trans characters are depicted as right at home amongst the piratical outcasts, but in at least one case society is not so tolerant.
Hidden treasure is found and then lost again. Slaves are rescued accidentally. Dark gods and aliens attack out of the shadows. Unlikely people of all walks of life decide to become pirates, and often stick with it. Pirates fight with daggers, pistols, AK-47s, missiles, and laser cannons. They search for legendary treasures, attack for enough loot to keep themselves operational, and fight out of sheer cussedness. Locales range from wandering islands to a barrier between realms, swamps to a mysterious black temple, flooded post-apocalypse New York City, and the spacelanes.
This is the second anthology I’ve read recently that I’ve given a 5 out of 5 to, and that’s really unusual. Generally your tastes as a reader are highly unlikely to magically match up with the tastes of the editor, yet I didn’t find a single story in here that I disliked. I even loved the whimsical tale in which all of the pirates are rodents and they team up with a kraken named Agnes to go after a treasure!
The wide variety of enjoyable tales in here is so much fun to read. I highly recommend this anthology!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/06/r...
This is also an excellent LGBTQ anthology. There are same-sex relationships, at least one polyamorous relationship, and a couple of trans characters. There are plenty of women pirates, as well. Most often the same-sex relationships and trans characters are depicted as right at home amongst the piratical outcasts, but in at least one case society is not so tolerant.
Hidden treasure is found and then lost again. Slaves are rescued accidentally. Dark gods and aliens attack out of the shadows. Unlikely people of all walks of life decide to become pirates, and often stick with it. Pirates fight with daggers, pistols, AK-47s, missiles, and laser cannons. They search for legendary treasures, attack for enough loot to keep themselves operational, and fight out of sheer cussedness. Locales range from wandering islands to a barrier between realms, swamps to a mysterious black temple, flooded post-apocalypse New York City, and the spacelanes.
This is the second anthology I’ve read recently that I’ve given a 5 out of 5 to, and that’s really unusual. Generally your tastes as a reader are highly unlikely to magically match up with the tastes of the editor, yet I didn’t find a single story in here that I disliked. I even loved the whimsical tale in which all of the pirates are rodents and they team up with a kraken named Agnes to go after a treasure!
The wide variety of enjoyable tales in here is so much fun to read. I highly recommend this anthology!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/06/r...
April 18, 2022
Occasionally very charming, but of uneven quality throughout.
April 19, 2025
A wonderful crew of tales ranging from the past to the future. Maybe it's just my current mood, but I loved the bittersweet ones best...
November 25, 2018
Our latest title! 15 stories worth of piratical goodness!
January 21, 2019
A wonderful anthology of pirate stories - I REALLY enjoyed this one. A few of the stories felt like maybe prequels to novels or series, which wasn't a bad thing - I've got a bunch of new authors whose other works I'm now going to hunt down! A great variety of stories, settings, time periods from past to futuristic. All of the stories feature women and/or LGBT+ folks and there's diversity in ethnicity, location, etc. of the stories, too. These are not your granddad's or Pirates of the Caribbean pirates. There are sad stories, funny stories, wildly creative and inventive stories, and stories that quietly slip in and settle in your heart. Not a single story stayed too long - a tribute to the skill of the anthology's editor (who, disclaimer, I know (and which is how I heard about this antho)) and while all of the stories were creative, fresh, and different, none really ventured into "new weird" or slipstream; these stories stayed firmly in the entertaining and accessible arena (while I happen to love slipstream and new weird, I was on vacation while reading this and looking at the time/at the moment for something easy and quick to digest and fun to read, not something that left me scratching my head and this fit the bill). Loved it!
January 15, 2019
My nose is usually buried in non-fiction or horror, so this collection was like a vacation. ‘Scourge’ took me on a trip around the world and beyond. I didn’t really expect the pirates' life to feel so authentic; it engaged all the senses very well.
There were a few stories like ‘The Doomed Amulet of Erum Vahl’ that I’d really like to see expanded into novella or novel length books. But for the most part being able to take some time out of my day to enter the world of these varied scoundrels was a welcome escape.
Would love to see a volume 2 at some point!
There were a few stories like ‘The Doomed Amulet of Erum Vahl’ that I’d really like to see expanded into novella or novel length books. But for the most part being able to take some time out of my day to enter the world of these varied scoundrels was a welcome escape.
Would love to see a volume 2 at some point!
November 27, 2018
This collection of stories is excellent. They're fun pirate tales that come in many forms, and the stories are led by strong heroines.
May 17, 2023
I rarely buy books I haven’t pre-read at the library, but I’m a sucker for pirate stories, so I took a chance on Scourge of the Seas, edited by Catherine Lundoff. This fun book is from Queen of Swords Press, an independent publisher “specializing in swashbuckling tales of derring-do.”
My favorite stories:
“Treasured Island,” by Ginn Hale, follows the adventures of a snarky marooned pirate on a living island. Best line: “I felt myself lonely and strange.”
“The Seafarer,” by Ashley Deng, is a well-written tale set during the Ottoman Empire. It features a sorcerer ship captain and his first mate, who is “lithe as a dancer and deadly as the tides” and can control the sea.
Mharie West pens an adventurous tale inspired by Norse culture involving a delightful love triangle in “Serpent’s Tale.��
The aftermath of the fall of Troy is the focus in Elliot Dunstan’s “Andromache’s War.” It has a number of historical inconsistencies (including a quote from the 17th century), but the strength of watching a war-bride transform into a pirate queen is worth the ride.
“Rib of Man” is a rollicking feel-good adventure highlighting the “radical egalitarianism” associated with pirates by the scholar Marcus Rediker.
“Tenari” by Micheal Merriam is a space-opera mystery. The captain and her crew discover a derelict ship carrying unexpected cargo.
Overall, the collection was uneven in both theme and writing skill, but the stronger stories made it worth reading. And as the editor says in her introduction: “Pirates have always represented freedom and adventure and swordplay and many of the things I find irresistible.”
My favorite stories:
“Treasured Island,” by Ginn Hale, follows the adventures of a snarky marooned pirate on a living island. Best line: “I felt myself lonely and strange.”
“The Seafarer,” by Ashley Deng, is a well-written tale set during the Ottoman Empire. It features a sorcerer ship captain and his first mate, who is “lithe as a dancer and deadly as the tides” and can control the sea.
Mharie West pens an adventurous tale inspired by Norse culture involving a delightful love triangle in “Serpent’s Tale.��
The aftermath of the fall of Troy is the focus in Elliot Dunstan’s “Andromache’s War.” It has a number of historical inconsistencies (including a quote from the 17th century), but the strength of watching a war-bride transform into a pirate queen is worth the ride.
“Rib of Man” is a rollicking feel-good adventure highlighting the “radical egalitarianism” associated with pirates by the scholar Marcus Rediker.
“Tenari” by Micheal Merriam is a space-opera mystery. The captain and her crew discover a derelict ship carrying unexpected cargo.
Overall, the collection was uneven in both theme and writing skill, but the stronger stories made it worth reading. And as the editor says in her introduction: “Pirates have always represented freedom and adventure and swordplay and many of the things I find irresistible.”
August 12, 2019
I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley.
I found this book's collection of various pirate stories well-made. Traveling all across the world in different time periods with different characters opened my mind to the worlds of the many people who contributed to this anthology and made me want to read other works by these authors. While a variety of representation of characters were given of all sorts of backgrounds, I did feel that some of these stories could've been expanded upon and made into a novella even. Having LGBT representation was a pleasant but welcome surprise and it did made me wish there were more stories with similar content in full novel form that are enjoyable to read. Some of the characters did make me question my own notions of what a pirate truly is as a person and made me look into my own writing of pirates and reconsider certain elements I incorporated prior to reading this book that I could improve upon in the future. Overall, a solid book for pirate lovers anywhere!
I found this book's collection of various pirate stories well-made. Traveling all across the world in different time periods with different characters opened my mind to the worlds of the many people who contributed to this anthology and made me want to read other works by these authors. While a variety of representation of characters were given of all sorts of backgrounds, I did feel that some of these stories could've been expanded upon and made into a novella even. Having LGBT representation was a pleasant but welcome surprise and it did made me wish there were more stories with similar content in full novel form that are enjoyable to read. Some of the characters did make me question my own notions of what a pirate truly is as a person and made me look into my own writing of pirates and reconsider certain elements I incorporated prior to reading this book that I could improve upon in the future. Overall, a solid book for pirate lovers anywhere!
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August 12, 2019I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley.
I found this book's collection of various pirate stories well-made. Traveling all across the world in different time periods with different characters opened my mind to the worlds of the many people who contributed to this anthology and made me want to read other works by these authors. While a variety of representation of characters were given of all sorts of backgrounds, I did feel that some of these stories could've been expanded upon and made into a novella even. Having LGBT representation was a pleasant but welcome surprise and it did made me wish there were more stories with similar content in full novel form that are enjoyable to read. Some of the characters did make me question my own notions of what a pirate truly is as a person and made me look into my own writing of pirates and reconsider certain elements I incorporated prior to reading this book that I could improve upon in the future. Overall, a solid book for pirate lovers anywhere!
I found this book's collection of various pirate stories well-made. Traveling all across the world in different time periods with different characters opened my mind to the worlds of the many people who contributed to this anthology and made me want to read other works by these authors. While a variety of representation of characters were given of all sorts of backgrounds, I did feel that some of these stories could've been expanded upon and made into a novella even. Having LGBT representation was a pleasant but welcome surprise and it did made me wish there were more stories with similar content in full novel form that are enjoyable to read. Some of the characters did make me question my own notions of what a pirate truly is as a person and made me look into my own writing of pirates and reconsider certain elements I incorporated prior to reading this book that I could improve upon in the future. Overall, a solid book for pirate lovers anywhere!
February 5, 2019
This was really a mixed bag when it came to the stories. There were some I really adored and some I skipped altogether. I definitely liked the more sci-fi style one than the traditional as they were more fun and more enjoyable. The collection was a bit too full but I did appreciate the range of stories told and the queer characters portrayed.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2020
I was lucky enough to win this as a prize from the Queen of Swords Press newsletter!
Wonderful collection full of pirates and adventure, a whole lot of queer characters too, which is always great. A lot of these stories are gonna stick with me!
Wonderful collection full of pirates and adventure, a whole lot of queer characters too, which is always great. A lot of these stories are gonna stick with me!
January 12, 2019
Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space) is a speculative fiction anthology about pirates. Many of the stories veer towards fantasy, but others are solidly science fiction, involving aliens or piracy between dimensions. While the anthology isn’t explicitly LGBTQ, many of the stories feature lesbian, gay, bi, or trans pirates.
This review is going to be on the short side; I just don’t have a whole lot to say about Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space). The fifteen short stories in the anthology tended to blur together into a mishmash of pirate tropes. I didn’t hate any of the stories, but I didn’t fall wildly in love with any either.
The story I liked the most was A.J. Fitzwater’s “The Search for the Heart of the Ocean,” a sequel to “The Wild Ride of Untamed Stars,” originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I read “The Wild Ride of Untamed Stars” over the summer and found it cute and whimsical. The same holds true for “The Search for the Heart of the Ocean,” in which a dapper capybara pirate captain is out searching for a new jewel to place in the Rat Queen’s crown.
Also worth mentioning, Elliot Dunstan’s “Andromache’s War” revisits the Trojan War and the Odyessy. Andromache, the wife of Hector, is taken for a slave, but on the way back Greece, she pushes the captain overboard and manages to seize control of the crew for herself. I tend to be interested in feminist retellings of classical myths (I’m only two classes away from a classics minor), so I was glad to see “Andromache’s War” in the collection.
Judging by other reviews, I’m in the minority opinion on Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space). It probably just comes down to a matter of personal preference, and the anthology may appeal more to readers with a stronger interest than me in pirates.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
Review from The Illustrated Page.
This review is going to be on the short side; I just don’t have a whole lot to say about Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space). The fifteen short stories in the anthology tended to blur together into a mishmash of pirate tropes. I didn’t hate any of the stories, but I didn’t fall wildly in love with any either.
The story I liked the most was A.J. Fitzwater’s “The Search for the Heart of the Ocean,” a sequel to “The Wild Ride of Untamed Stars,” originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I read “The Wild Ride of Untamed Stars” over the summer and found it cute and whimsical. The same holds true for “The Search for the Heart of the Ocean,” in which a dapper capybara pirate captain is out searching for a new jewel to place in the Rat Queen’s crown.
Also worth mentioning, Elliot Dunstan’s “Andromache’s War” revisits the Trojan War and the Odyessy. Andromache, the wife of Hector, is taken for a slave, but on the way back Greece, she pushes the captain overboard and manages to seize control of the crew for herself. I tend to be interested in feminist retellings of classical myths (I’m only two classes away from a classics minor), so I was glad to see “Andromache’s War” in the collection.
Judging by other reviews, I’m in the minority opinion on Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space). It probably just comes down to a matter of personal preference, and the anthology may appeal more to readers with a stronger interest than me in pirates.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
Review from The Illustrated Page.
October 5, 2021
These were fun. "Rosa, the Dimension Pirate" was my favorite.
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December 23, 2019Pirates? Across timelines, universes, galaxies? Plus people of color, lots of women, and so so many queer people? Oh hell yeah, that is what I am talking about! The stories are vibrant and showcase the talents and styles of many different authors and many different backgrounds. There was so many women that I actually would have to stop and blink a few times when I tallied up the pirate crews in my head. Even good pirate stories (I love you Black Sails) usually run short on women. Or I have been reading and watching the wrong stories.
The short stories are a great way to have many roliking adventures, though there are a few that I would like to see more of, or get full length novels.
The short stories are a great way to have many roliking adventures, though there are a few that I would like to see more of, or get full length novels.
September 5, 2022
What's not to love about pirates?
November 25, 2018
I must admit I was expecting slightly longer short stories going in. I prefer stories that are at least 25-30 pages, whereas I believe this collection averages about 14. So while the stories in this collection were well written they just weren't a good match for me.
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November 25, 2018Review forthcoming.
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