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Pirates Versus Monsters
Pirate! Scoundrels. Rogues. Masters of the Oceans! Men and women unafraid to challenge the dangers of the sea and the unknown! Monster! Images erupt in the mind! Vampires, zombies, werebeasts. Creatures hiding below the waves and striking from high above the clouds. And now the best authors today bring together two of the most beloved characters in Genre Fiction in Pro Se Productions' Pirates Versus Monsters! Authors Neal Privett, Raulston Hunsinger, Dale Glaser, Matthew Martin, Jacob Milnestein, and Jason Norton take creatures of nightmare and the terrors of the seas and throw them together in veritable storms of action and adventure! Find out who wins in Pirates Versus Monsters! From Pro Se Produdtions.
- GenresPirates
216 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2016
3 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 25, 2018
This collection of wild tales of high adventure lived up to, and exceeded, all my expectations. I both hurried to read every line, because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next in each twist of plot, but I also hated to see it all end. I will definitely be re-reading these stories, as they each have their own distinct merits and are well worth the time of any adventure-loving reader. I’ll try not to spoil anything as I review this interesting set of stories, and I hope my own words can do justice to the authors' fine work, and intrigue you to grab a copy as soon as possible and read!
Neal Privett's "Cutlass and the Fang and the Blood on the Moon" introduces us to the cobblestone streets of Saint Michael, and Captain John "Madman" Ayres just as he has his fortune told by Madame Evangeline. A man of action, Ayres never hesitates as his crew encounters a phantom ship under the light of the moon in the Caribbean sea. He faces shape-shifting beasts but also the beast within the heart of any man, as he and his loyal, terrified mates face foul magic and every possibility of grim death. Will they survive the night to see humid Tortuga's lovely ladies and their fair share of rum, ever again?
"Djinn" from R. R. Hunsinger spills us into adventure and mayhem on the high seas as stormy skies bear thunderous witness to the battle engaged below. Ambitious Malcolm Fallon, Captain of the Independence, is as cunning as his fox-like features indicate as he squares off against Ali Ibn Rasheed, captain of the xebec al-Saif "The Sword" in a fight for the survival of both crews. Unlikely allies, these men have experienced nothing like the powerful force toying with them as pawns. Both the Sons of Liberty and the Sons of Allah see the desperate need to survive in such a cruel game, and set aside their differences, for they must not hesitate, and fear is their greatest enemy.
In the "Flashing Trident and Fiery Anvil" from Dale Glaser, a perfect trap has been set, a supposed merchant ship riding low and slow in the water, irresistible to pirates. Former pirate and current prisoner of Rome, Hayrullah Gok is Captain of this hulk, and Volero Quirinius is there to see the Cilician rogue holds up his end of the bargain. Sworn enemies, exchanging barbs and quips even as they are trapped in a nearly impossible situation against skilled and brutal foes. What is it they hunt along the coasts of Illyria? Could it possibly be simple piracy, for wanton greed, or evidence of an unbelievable and far-flung plot against the great Republic of Rome? Let the furious battle be joined, and every chance spent, for freedom or doom!
"All the Devils Here" by Matthew Martin is a gripping tale and a dark, tense, character-driven story. 1943, China, the River Rats are river pirates and mercenaries, led by wily and deadly Old Fa, are tired of hearing the same old promises from the Generalissimo’s representatives. If only we did this, or that…we could end the war. Mr. Chu arrives to make an offer. Yet another mission, and the River Rats to be well-paid for success. A weapon, and rumors of its foul development, in Manchuria. The name of this evil place, and the terrors produced there, strikes real fear in the heart of Old Fa.
Young Bo, a survivor of many of the horrors of this war, is sworn to follow the selfish, immature, and ill-tempered Young Fa, son of Old Fa. Despite his own fear and personal misgivings, he cannot abandon his post, lest he lose the fickle respect of the other Rats, and his life end suddenly, with a dagger between his ribs. Their Captain would be Young Fa, leading Simple, Comrade, Poet, Bo, and a tall Englishman, with all the resources and a slick Tommy Gun, a weapon immediately envied by Bo and the other River Rats.
Their dark mission, to meet their intelligence contact in the dead city of Nanjing, then proceed to the mouth of Shanghai Harbor. This small strike force must locate and investigate the Miyuki, a Fubuki-class destroyer, rumored to be a floating laboratory. What terrible, possibly chemical or biological, super-weapon could be so hard to garner intelligence about, yet also rumored so deadly that so many have died trying? The devil is in the details, as the old saying goes.
Remember, never go into battle unarmed. Arm yourself in any way you must, to survive.
Jacob Milnestein presents "Before the World Was Big", the tale of a shipwrecked man-o-war on the blistering hot shores of Martinique. Her sailor crew scramble to make her seaworthy. Two men walk the beach and talk, one an overdressed fop and the other a disgruntled privateer captain who always seemed to get the short end of any deal.
A Neapolitan ambassador, Prince Carmanico speaks condescendingly toward Edward Teach of his plans beyond the flesh to seek the spirit. For his part, Teach grunts his responses and thinks only of how he might improve his portion of this current deal, and sail the ocean wide on the newly renamed Queen Anne’s Revenge.
An odd leather-bound book, filled with ancient legends, stolen from natives who would not trade for it. As mind-bending terror rears its unnatural head above the waves, can Teach retain both ship and crew, yet rid himself of the pale prince, before mutiny or primordial horror undoes it all? A twisted tale to be sure.
Finally, Jason Norton rounds out this collection with "'Round Again" by introducing us to the nigh hopeless, but never helpless, sailor Twelve-Inch, who never stopped thinking of his past misadventures and his losses, both on land and and the boundless sea. Topmost in his rum-added brain was the sight of that dark leviathan he could never forget. Then he joins a doomed crew out of Swayne, sent on an ill-fated hunting expedition, to seek the Devil himself. A tense, first-person narrative, much lively description and a fair pace make this story an entertaining journey from start to finish.
Neal Privett's "Cutlass and the Fang and the Blood on the Moon" introduces us to the cobblestone streets of Saint Michael, and Captain John "Madman" Ayres just as he has his fortune told by Madame Evangeline. A man of action, Ayres never hesitates as his crew encounters a phantom ship under the light of the moon in the Caribbean sea. He faces shape-shifting beasts but also the beast within the heart of any man, as he and his loyal, terrified mates face foul magic and every possibility of grim death. Will they survive the night to see humid Tortuga's lovely ladies and their fair share of rum, ever again?
"Djinn" from R. R. Hunsinger spills us into adventure and mayhem on the high seas as stormy skies bear thunderous witness to the battle engaged below. Ambitious Malcolm Fallon, Captain of the Independence, is as cunning as his fox-like features indicate as he squares off against Ali Ibn Rasheed, captain of the xebec al-Saif "The Sword" in a fight for the survival of both crews. Unlikely allies, these men have experienced nothing like the powerful force toying with them as pawns. Both the Sons of Liberty and the Sons of Allah see the desperate need to survive in such a cruel game, and set aside their differences, for they must not hesitate, and fear is their greatest enemy.
In the "Flashing Trident and Fiery Anvil" from Dale Glaser, a perfect trap has been set, a supposed merchant ship riding low and slow in the water, irresistible to pirates. Former pirate and current prisoner of Rome, Hayrullah Gok is Captain of this hulk, and Volero Quirinius is there to see the Cilician rogue holds up his end of the bargain. Sworn enemies, exchanging barbs and quips even as they are trapped in a nearly impossible situation against skilled and brutal foes. What is it they hunt along the coasts of Illyria? Could it possibly be simple piracy, for wanton greed, or evidence of an unbelievable and far-flung plot against the great Republic of Rome? Let the furious battle be joined, and every chance spent, for freedom or doom!
"All the Devils Here" by Matthew Martin is a gripping tale and a dark, tense, character-driven story. 1943, China, the River Rats are river pirates and mercenaries, led by wily and deadly Old Fa, are tired of hearing the same old promises from the Generalissimo’s representatives. If only we did this, or that…we could end the war. Mr. Chu arrives to make an offer. Yet another mission, and the River Rats to be well-paid for success. A weapon, and rumors of its foul development, in Manchuria. The name of this evil place, and the terrors produced there, strikes real fear in the heart of Old Fa.
Young Bo, a survivor of many of the horrors of this war, is sworn to follow the selfish, immature, and ill-tempered Young Fa, son of Old Fa. Despite his own fear and personal misgivings, he cannot abandon his post, lest he lose the fickle respect of the other Rats, and his life end suddenly, with a dagger between his ribs. Their Captain would be Young Fa, leading Simple, Comrade, Poet, Bo, and a tall Englishman, with all the resources and a slick Tommy Gun, a weapon immediately envied by Bo and the other River Rats.
Their dark mission, to meet their intelligence contact in the dead city of Nanjing, then proceed to the mouth of Shanghai Harbor. This small strike force must locate and investigate the Miyuki, a Fubuki-class destroyer, rumored to be a floating laboratory. What terrible, possibly chemical or biological, super-weapon could be so hard to garner intelligence about, yet also rumored so deadly that so many have died trying? The devil is in the details, as the old saying goes.
Remember, never go into battle unarmed. Arm yourself in any way you must, to survive.
Jacob Milnestein presents "Before the World Was Big", the tale of a shipwrecked man-o-war on the blistering hot shores of Martinique. Her sailor crew scramble to make her seaworthy. Two men walk the beach and talk, one an overdressed fop and the other a disgruntled privateer captain who always seemed to get the short end of any deal.
A Neapolitan ambassador, Prince Carmanico speaks condescendingly toward Edward Teach of his plans beyond the flesh to seek the spirit. For his part, Teach grunts his responses and thinks only of how he might improve his portion of this current deal, and sail the ocean wide on the newly renamed Queen Anne’s Revenge.
An odd leather-bound book, filled with ancient legends, stolen from natives who would not trade for it. As mind-bending terror rears its unnatural head above the waves, can Teach retain both ship and crew, yet rid himself of the pale prince, before mutiny or primordial horror undoes it all? A twisted tale to be sure.
Finally, Jason Norton rounds out this collection with "'Round Again" by introducing us to the nigh hopeless, but never helpless, sailor Twelve-Inch, who never stopped thinking of his past misadventures and his losses, both on land and and the boundless sea. Topmost in his rum-added brain was the sight of that dark leviathan he could never forget. Then he joins a doomed crew out of Swayne, sent on an ill-fated hunting expedition, to seek the Devil himself. A tense, first-person narrative, much lively description and a fair pace make this story an entertaining journey from start to finish.
Displaying 1 of 1 review