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Mar 14, 2009

Sheila rated it:

The stories I liked I really really liked...particularly "Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake" by Naomi Novik (awesome, awesome heroine) and "A Cold Day in Hell" by Paul Batteiger, where the ocean froze over at the turn of the 17th century and ships catch the wind but slide on skates.

I read Araminta out loud to a friend, and was intrigued by the different way I understood the story, speaking it instead of reading it to myself. It made everything more immedia More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 01, 2010

Margaret rated it:

I resisted buying this for a long time, because I am really not a short story person and thus don't usually get along well with anthologies, but eventually I broke down and bought it. It turned out to be rather a mixed bag: some really good stuff, especially near the beginning and the end, but some I was less enthralled by (and a couple I frankly skipped, after reading a page or two and not being hooked).

I really liked Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette's "Boojum", about a li More...

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Sep 21, 2009

Barbara rated it:

In the VandeMeer Anthology pirates have moved into space and beyond, chartering the vast unknowns while making their livelihood at what they know best. Within these covers is the perfect pirate story for any reader, presenting classic and unique stories of buccaneers sailing the seas of the cosmos.

Boogum by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette – This is about piracy in space with unusual cargo taken from a captured freighter and a semi-sentient spaceship with Captain Black Alice wh More...

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Nov 24, 2010

Margaret rated it:

Fast Ships, Black Sails is a pirate-focused anthology that has some wonderful tales in it. This anthology spans the range of the past, future, and even pirates with fur over more than their chins. I could not name a favorite as I almost always found the next story as captivating as the previous, and only one story did not resonate with me at all, but it may very well be the favorite for someone else. The stories were sweet, creepy, thoughtful, and just down right strange, held together by a love More...

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May 23, 2009

Cynthia rated it:

I meant to write this review with the book in my hands, which is really the only way I can properly review any anthology. Alas, the volume had to be returned to the library before that happened (and before that, Sam was enjoying it). As it is, some stories just didn't register strongly enough for me to remember them.

On the other hand the stories I do recall were really, really good, and if I could rate them on their own they'd get 4s and 5s.

I'd read Elizabeth Bear and Sar More...

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May 17, 2009

Res rated it:

A collection of speculative pirate stories -- not without flaws, but far better than average.

Highlights:

Naomi Novik's "Araminta, or the Wreck of the Amphidrake," a marvelous age-of-sail-with-sorcery story where the plucky heroine, instead of being rewarded only with a chance to vanish into a stifling marriage with the man she likes rather than the one she hates, actually gets the life you'd wish for her.

Katherine Sparrow's "Pirate Solutions," More...

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Apr 14, 2011

Deanna rated it:

I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I just didn't.

I felt like the book was filled with what the editors considered shining, irresistible jewels - that had nothing in common. From slapstick in-jokes to steam punk. I started to skip stories. I dreaded coming to the ends of stories, because then I'd have to start something completely different. It was like the editors picked the most original stories, the ones that took the biggest risks - but didn't make sure those were More...

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Mar 05, 2009

Jen rated it:

Yar! I am now convinced that I will develop a time machine. When I do, I will go back in time a couple of years and tell the editors of this collection exactly what they need to include to make me the most happy. That's the most likely explanation for the sheer awesome contained in these pages.

There are sky pirates, space pirates, computer pirates, and ship pirates. There are people hunting them, people using them, and people becoming them. The stories are consistently well-wri More...

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May 26, 2009

Julia rated it:

An anthology of short stories about pirates past, present and elsewhen. Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette’s story “Boojum” takes place on a living pirate space ship. “Skillet and Saber” by Justin Howe is about the cook's mate on a pirate ship. “The Nymph’s Child” by Carrie Vaughn is about a woman pirate who pleads her belly to save her neck, but must give up her grown daughter so she can now sail the seas. “Araminta, Or the Wreck of the Amphidrake” by Naomi Novik is dragon-free, but has as a title More...

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Dec 01, 2009

le-trombone rated it:

An anthology of stories of pirates, in a wide variety of settings. What the best stories seem to have in common is a use of pirates as a background to the story.

“Boojum” by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. Piracy aboard a living ship.

“Castor on Troubled Waters” by Rhys Hughes A very tall tale of piracy at the local pub.

“I Begyn as I Mean to Go On” by Kage Baker The newest members of a pirate crew follow a truly unlucky pirate captain.

“Avast, More...

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Apr 23, 2010

Marinda rated it:

I checked this book out from the library after watching the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie because, I am ashamed to say, I wanted a more satisfying pirate story. I found it in Kage Baker's "I Begyn as I Mean to Go On." As a collection of stories, it is highly varied (though not always in a good way). I was surprised and pleased by the number of stories that had female pirate protagonists, and I will search all the rest of my days for a bottle of bone rum. A girl has to have s More...

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Oct 16, 2009

Wealhtheow rated it:

A collection of pirate stories, ranging from sf to fantasy to a HMS Pinafore/Peter Pan cross-over. The stand-outs were:
"Boojum," by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. A low-level grunt on a living space-ship grows increasingly uneasy about their latest cargo.

"Skillet and Saber," by Justin Howe. Hilarious tale of the cook's apprentice on a pirate ship. So good that I intend to seek out more of Howe's work.

"Pirate Solutions," by Kath More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 20, 2010

Alex rated it:

FAST SHIPS, BLACK SAILS EDITED BY ANN AND JEFF VANDERMEER: While this may not be the first pirate story anthology, Fast Ships, Black Sails doesn’t hold back, with its captivating cover featuring a classic pirate standing proud at the prow of his ship, while small glowing-eye dragons fly around, a tiny dragon skeleton sits on his shoulder, and in the cloudy distance is what appears to be a ghost pirate ship. This collection edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer features a combination of classic swas More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Misakyra rated it:

A good mix of sci-fi and fantasy pirate stories. I may be alone in my opinion, but the highlight for me was "Skillet and Saber" by Justin Howe. The food described was alternately disgusting or horrifying, but there was an odd sense of culinary ingenuity to it that I really liked. Other good stories were "Boojum" by Elizabeth bear and Sarah Monette, and "Pirate Solutions" by Katherine Sparrow.

Bottom line: Get this if you like pirate stories.

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Oct 06, 2009

Trin added it

After slogging through the first story in this collection, I realized that rather than make myself grind through the whole book, I could just read the one story I checked it out from the library for: the one by Naomi Novik, which was excellent. And now, mission accomplished, I can take the book back, guilt-free!

This may seem like a duh thing to most of you, but I feel very adult and proud of this revelation.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 23, 2011

Catherine rated it:

This was a definitely mixed read for me. I liked the beginnings of several of the stories and would like to see the characters from Novik's story, for instance, developed at length. But there wasn't enough "story" in here for it and the other stories I liked to make up for what didn't work for me. A few too many stories that went nowhere or left me with a "So what?" reaction for me to enjoy this book fully.

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Jul 03, 2010

Clickety rated it:

The short stories were too tightly packed with characters and details... I felt like I was studying for an exam rather than reading for pleasure. It was like it wasn't enough to have stories about pirates. No, you had to have rival pirates and descriptions of various parts of the ship and names and job descriptions for each of the crew members and a detailed explanation of the cargo on the ship they captured... blah blah blah.

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May 29, 2011

Vasha7 rated it:

Some of the more notable stories here were "Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette; "The Nymph's Child" by Carrie Vaughn; "Araminta, or, the Wreck of the Amphidrake" by Naomi Novik; "The Adventures of Captain Black Heart Wentworth: A Nautical Tail" by Rachel Swirsky; "The Whale Below" by Jayme Lynn Blaschke. On the whole, easily digested and easily forgotten.

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Jul 21, 2011

Lindig rated it:

I guess I'm not a swashbuckler at heart as I found a whole collection of "pirate" stories to be a bit much. There were a few gems, though: "Boojum" by E. Bear & S. Monette; "Ironface" by M. Moorcock (a vignette); "Araminta" by N. Novik. Others were good; a few I didn't care for at all. That's usually the way it is in any kind of collection.

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Jul 29, 2010

Faith rated it:

This is an anthology of short stories about pirates. I don't think I should have to tell you anything else to convince you that you should check it out :)

There were a lot of great stories in this one but my favorite, that really stood out, was definitely Boojum by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. Absolutely fantastic!

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Aug 20, 2010

Donald rated it:

This collection is a mixed bag. It started fairly well, but after the first story dropped off until about 2/3 of the way through. After that it was strong again, but the drop off was a bit too much to rate this book any higher.

Stories worth a read were from these authors.

Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
David Freer & Eric Flint
Paul Batteiger
Naomi Novik
Jayme Lynn Blaschke
Garth Nix

The rest I didn't find worth the time.

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May 20, 2010

Maura rated it:

This was a mixed bag for me. I liked the stories by the authors I already knew I liked: Garth Nix, Kage Baker, Elizabeth Bear & Naomi Novik. There were a few other ones that stuck in my brain, many more that were forgettable and some that I still don't think i really understood. I mean, I appreciate that pirates can be in many time periods and planetary systems and possibly parallel universes. But I really don't do well with narratives that parcel out information bit by bit because isn't the More...

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Aug 06, 2009

Donna Jo rated it:

Pirates! In a variety of settings and with a variety of villianies. This is a good mix of fictional pirates and their adventures, ranging from tragic to whimsical.
Yo ho, etc.

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Jan 07, 2009

Sfspearman rated it:

I adore Naomi Novik, hence the reason I read this book/compilation. She's an interesting writer, with a twist to her stories that is usually refreshing. The ending was a bit trite, but enjoyable none the lest.

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Aug 21, 2010

Shauna rated it:

Some traditional pirate stories, some pirate stories with a twist. All fall within the fantasy or sf genre. If you like pirate stories, you'll love this book of short stories.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 20, 2010

Greymalkin rated it:

Very uneven. I didn't even read some of them past the first page, they were just too awful. But a few were good and some were quite good. I loved Naomi Novik's story, unsurprisingly. Some of the ideas were rather entertaining and I wouldn't have minded them expanded into full length books or re-written by better authors.

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Oct 24, 2009

Jenn rated it:

I borrowed this anthology just to read Naomi Novik's story, which was great and fun and very clever. And made me desperately crave more Laurence and Temeraire. :D

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Aug 10, 2011

Tena rated it:

This book was a lot of fun. I'd heard a number of these stories on Podcastle before, but they were quite enjoyable to revisit. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes pirates, fantasy, or anything related to those things.

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Oct 15, 2011

Janet rated it:

Fast Ships, Black Sails is not your standard pirate short story anthology; its stories take on piracy across time and space, from alternate history to steampunk to cyberpunk. Pick it up if you're in the mood for one twist after another.

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Apr 06, 2009

Danielle marked it as to-read

Impressive set of authors. (But they're short stories. Why do I bother, when I know I never like short stories??)

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