Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "pyrate-chronicles"

Dream Chaser: The Pyrate Chronicles by Wayne Savage

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


William Benton, former boatswain of Dream Chaser, rues the predicament he faces. Before long, he will meet the hangman’s noose. The only saving grace is the stranger who visits him with an offer to make his final days in 1723 more bearable if he shares his story. And so, Nathaniel Bagshaw gets his wish and learns the true tale of William Benton and the exploits of Björn Gunnarsson, better known as the legendary Captain Ironside.

It begins the day they and two other pirate vessels pursue a Spanish treasure galleon. A heavy mist swallows them all, and when they finally emerge, the pirates find themselves in the midst of a sea battle between vessels flying unfamiliar flags. One pirate ship is destroyed, and one appears to get away, but Dream Chaser is taken back to East Holstein where her crew learn a civil war or a rebellion or a war of succession rages between East and West Holstein for many years. At present, Captain Ironside and the men and women who serve under him are merely guests, but if he refuses to man the town’s guns during a surprise attack on that may change. Unwilling to participate in what will be a mass slaughter, Captain Ironside devises a plan to prevent this while allowing the pirates to regain their ship and sail far away from this strange land. If they can get away without William Benton throwing a wrench into their escape.

This is the first of two adventures the Dream Chasers encounter in this debut volume of The Pyrate Chronicles. Set during the early 1700s, this fantasy series mirrors real past events in interesting ways. Pirate history and lore are woven like braided rope throughout. William Benton lives up to his role as antagonist, although there is a shift in his character during the second half that will make readers wonder just what he’s up to. There are a few missing letters, misspellings, and formatting issues, but these are minor and won’t spoil the reading experience.

Savage does a commendable job recreating places and times in vivid ways. He interweaves relevant topics of bigotry, prejudice, and enslavement, even while populating his tale with a wealth of diversity and enlivening it with some pirate songs. He even puts a provocative twist on one of the most enduring pirate mysteries.


(This review first appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adult-fant...)




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