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The True and Accurate Log of the Sand Ship Uncertainty
"The excellent characters, smooth pacing, and surreal imagery were a delight... a must-read for those who enjoy [eldritch horror] fantasy." -Fantasy-Faction
Reality is an uncertain thing. It shifts and warps without the taming yoke of human agreement to bind it in place, especially near the twisting chaos that is Nightmare. As Keeper of Days for a band of pirates, Teivi Nishiir maintains the log of the sand ship Uncertainty, holding back the world’s insidious influence by recording the crew’s deeds. She knows the cruelty of the desert. She has sailed into Nightmare and sung her defiance to the corrupting aberrations that make the boldest pirate hunters balk.
But even Nightmare is nothing beside a comrade’s betrayal.
A deadly secret lurks among the Uncertainty’s latest plunder, one that pirates and kings alike will kill for. With the Uncertainty thrown into chaos, fleeing friends and dodging fleets, Teivi’s quill won’t be enough to keep her crew from a sandy grave. If she can stay one step ahead, she might have a chance to achieve everything she’s ever dreamed of. So long as she’s willing to pay the price in blood.
Reality is an uncertain thing. It shifts and warps without the taming yoke of human agreement to bind it in place, especially near the twisting chaos that is Nightmare. As Keeper of Days for a band of pirates, Teivi Nishiir maintains the log of the sand ship Uncertainty, holding back the world’s insidious influence by recording the crew’s deeds. She knows the cruelty of the desert. She has sailed into Nightmare and sung her defiance to the corrupting aberrations that make the boldest pirate hunters balk.
But even Nightmare is nothing beside a comrade’s betrayal.
A deadly secret lurks among the Uncertainty’s latest plunder, one that pirates and kings alike will kill for. With the Uncertainty thrown into chaos, fleeing friends and dodging fleets, Teivi’s quill won’t be enough to keep her crew from a sandy grave. If she can stay one step ahead, she might have a chance to achieve everything she’s ever dreamed of. So long as she’s willing to pay the price in blood.
- GenresFantasy
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2022
7 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 25, 2022
3,5*
*** Reading this for SPFBO, this is just *my personal* opinion, the group verdict might be very different! ***
This book might divide readers a bit, by a twist I've rarely seen. Some will love it exactly for that, and some might not like it.
It's a mix of fantasy, pirates, and: Eldritch Horror.
The last part is probably why it didn't hit home for me as well as it would do for other readers. I don't usually read horror, because what is supposed to be an eerie, even scary scene usually bores me. I don't know if this is because of my aphantasia, and a lot of the setting being conveyed via visuals, or if it just isn't my cup of tea.
Anyway, this part of the book not working for me, made some of the parts that took part near or even in "The Nightmare" just felt long and drawn out to me. I don't think it's badly written, but I can't really judge it, as it's simply not my cup of tea. Here's a little snippet so you can see for yourself.
As this is an intrinsic part of the world building as well, me not loving it did have repercussions throughout the whole plot, characters and structure. If you like that sort of thing however, it might just be why you love it all the more!
The other side of this was interesting even to me, as the accumulated belief in something does make it (more) real in the world. That sort of thing wouldn't work in a more settled fantasy world, and I quite enjoyed the way "legends" shaped reality here.
The book did have a few other outstanding bits, that kept me reading till the very end, despite this. Mainly a good mystery, and female characters with their own goals, dreams and motivations. I liked how this world full of soldiers, pirates and poor people caught in between just didn't really care about what's between your legs. It's important how well you fight, and how much you simply refuse to give up!
The main character was a good hook for me, as she is in no way perfect, or even a hero. She's also not a villain though, and we don't really know how everything will go down. And I certainly did not predict the end of her character ARC, and yet it didn't feel shoehorned or rough either.
One more gripe, which made me round down was the sheer amount of bodies dropping everywhere and all the time. Not for the gore or violence, I don't mind that. But because at some point I just couldn't suspend my disbelief in how the ship could even still function well, with all the casualties both in material and personnel. Yes, it's frequently said how it all seems to be glued by haphazard repairs and belief, but it just got a tad over the top. Or three.
All in all it was an engaging read, and definitely something very different, which is always a plus!
*** Reading this for SPFBO, this is just *my personal* opinion, the group verdict might be very different! ***
This book might divide readers a bit, by a twist I've rarely seen. Some will love it exactly for that, and some might not like it.
It's a mix of fantasy, pirates, and: Eldritch Horror.
The last part is probably why it didn't hit home for me as well as it would do for other readers. I don't usually read horror, because what is supposed to be an eerie, even scary scene usually bores me. I don't know if this is because of my aphantasia, and a lot of the setting being conveyed via visuals, or if it just isn't my cup of tea.
Anyway, this part of the book not working for me, made some of the parts that took part near or even in "The Nightmare" just felt long and drawn out to me. I don't think it's badly written, but I can't really judge it, as it's simply not my cup of tea. Here's a little snippet so you can see for yourself.
His flesh joined seamlessly with a pair of barrels, raw twists of skin and meat and bone flowing into the gentle contours of the precious wood. Blood dripped from long tears where the melding had taken its toll. Half his face was stretched far to one side, melding into an inhuman fusion with one of the barrels' hoops; the other half was contorted in unimaginable agony.
As this is an intrinsic part of the world building as well, me not loving it did have repercussions throughout the whole plot, characters and structure. If you like that sort of thing however, it might just be why you love it all the more!
The other side of this was interesting even to me, as the accumulated belief in something does make it (more) real in the world. That sort of thing wouldn't work in a more settled fantasy world, and I quite enjoyed the way "legends" shaped reality here.
The book did have a few other outstanding bits, that kept me reading till the very end, despite this. Mainly a good mystery, and female characters with their own goals, dreams and motivations. I liked how this world full of soldiers, pirates and poor people caught in between just didn't really care about what's between your legs. It's important how well you fight, and how much you simply refuse to give up!
The main character was a good hook for me, as she is in no way perfect, or even a hero. She's also not a villain though, and we don't really know how everything will go down. And I certainly did not predict the end of her character ARC, and yet it didn't feel shoehorned or rough either.
My company for the evening rolled out of the bed and scrambled beneath it with startling fluidity, as though this sort of thing happened to him regularly. My head was pound ing, but adrenaline and the prospect of an ugly death did a great deal to reduce the hangover's urgency, if not its sting. I grabbed my weapons instead of my clothes and went for the door.
One more gripe, which made me round down was the sheer amount of bodies dropping everywhere and all the time. Not for the gore or violence, I don't mind that. But because at some point I just couldn't suspend my disbelief in how the ship could even still function well, with all the casualties both in material and personnel. Yes, it's frequently said how it all seems to be glued by haphazard repairs and belief, but it just got a tad over the top. Or three.
All in all it was an engaging read, and definitely something very different, which is always a plus!
September 17, 2023
Teivi Nishiir is the Keeper of Ink on the pirate sandship Healthy Dose of Uncertainty. Alongside another ship, she and her crewmates have looted one of the royal ships of the clock-keepers and stolen a powerful weapon … and that’s just the start of their trouble.
For starters, I loved the world building. Civilization consists of isolated outposts in a vast swirling desert, punctuated by a creeping darkness known as Nightmare, that corrupts both mind and body of anyone it touches. Scarcity of resources is an ever-present threat, currency consists of glass touched by the Harrow, Nightmare’s antithesis. The “magic” system consists of Legends, stories built around personalities where the very reputations of a leader’s invulnerability or luck actually impart those attributes. Belief is a key concept in the world. Overall, the world is well-thought out and engaging.
Teivi is a fascinating protagonist. She’s driven, motivated, and capable … and not flawless. She has to overcome her mistakes and moments of overconfidence, which make her all the more relatable as she develops. The young girl Sev, who Teivi befriends, also has a good character arc. The plot is full of action scenes that are gripping and enjoyable. In terms of pure enjoyment, this one hit all the marks.
The book is not perfect. Aside from Teivi and Sev, I don’t feel like we get to know a lot of the characters very well, and the primary antagonist’s actions at the finale were a little murky. Though the denouement was very well done, I felt like the story’s ending was a bit rushed.
But those are nitpicks on my part. Uncertainty is a really fun, action-filled journey, and I think this book is criminally under-appreciated and under-exposed. If you like action fantasy, unique worlds, and relatable main characters, I can’t recommend this one enough.
For starters, I loved the world building. Civilization consists of isolated outposts in a vast swirling desert, punctuated by a creeping darkness known as Nightmare, that corrupts both mind and body of anyone it touches. Scarcity of resources is an ever-present threat, currency consists of glass touched by the Harrow, Nightmare’s antithesis. The “magic” system consists of Legends, stories built around personalities where the very reputations of a leader’s invulnerability or luck actually impart those attributes. Belief is a key concept in the world. Overall, the world is well-thought out and engaging.
Teivi is a fascinating protagonist. She’s driven, motivated, and capable … and not flawless. She has to overcome her mistakes and moments of overconfidence, which make her all the more relatable as she develops. The young girl Sev, who Teivi befriends, also has a good character arc. The plot is full of action scenes that are gripping and enjoyable. In terms of pure enjoyment, this one hit all the marks.
The book is not perfect. Aside from Teivi and Sev, I don’t feel like we get to know a lot of the characters very well, and the primary antagonist’s actions at the finale were a little murky. Though the denouement was very well done, I felt like the story’s ending was a bit rushed.
But those are nitpicks on my part. Uncertainty is a really fun, action-filled journey, and I think this book is criminally under-appreciated and under-exposed. If you like action fantasy, unique worlds, and relatable main characters, I can’t recommend this one enough.
March 17, 2022
the Uncertainty
Great read that was hard to put down.
In my mind I used characters from Black Sails and the Walking Dead.
I kept seeing real wooden pirate ships bs sand crawlers except when the writer had scenes in the engine room or descriptions of battle damage.
I would like to know what exactly is Nightmare and where did it come from?
Great read that was hard to put down.
In my mind I used characters from Black Sails and the Walking Dead.
I kept seeing real wooden pirate ships bs sand crawlers except when the writer had scenes in the engine room or descriptions of battle damage.
I would like to know what exactly is Nightmare and where did it come from?
October 5, 2025
This was fun fantasy!! What if the collective human perception of the world *actually* shaped it? Sand pirates navigate the ever-changing world, plundering from authoritarian rulers of cities while refusing to conform. as told through the perspective of a new log keeper, the book is a tale of adventure, survival, betrayal, and loss.
February 23, 2022
As the dedication hints, this is a weird one. I appreciated the ambiguity of whether specific Legends were supernatural or reputational. I loved the exploration of this desert archipelago through morally ambiguous pirates.
June 8, 2022
Read as Judge for SPFBO8 - a review will be forthcoming. This is my personal rating and as I am part of a team, others may rate it differently
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews