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Sea of Thieves: Heart of Fire
The pulse-pounding origin story of Captain Flameheart, sure to delight new and veteran players of Rare’s thrilling game Sea of Thieves in this official prequel novel.
The Sea of Thieves is a world of adventure. A world of buried treasure, sea monsters, and, of course, pirates. But one name strikes fear into the heart of all who sail there. Captain Flameheart, dread pirate of the Sea of Thieves, is a ruthless warmonger and captain of the Burning Blade. Together with his skeletal fleets he terrorizes these waters and seeks the insatiable thrill of battle.
In desperation, the legendary Pirate Lord hires the crew of the Morningstar to stop Flameheart’s reign of terror. Meanwhile, a crew of misfits swears allegiance to Flameheart who offers them an intriguing opportunity to upheave the status quo.
In a frenzied race to decide the fate of the Sea of Thieves, these daring pirates must outfight and outwit one another in a quest to uncover an artefact capable of defeating Flameheart once and for all.
Plunge into the thrilling tale at the heart of Rare’s multiplayer adventure; the origin story of the Skeleton Lord, Captain Flameheart, and the terrible sacrifices made to ensure his downfall.
The Sea of Thieves is a world of adventure. A world of buried treasure, sea monsters, and, of course, pirates. But one name strikes fear into the heart of all who sail there. Captain Flameheart, dread pirate of the Sea of Thieves, is a ruthless warmonger and captain of the Burning Blade. Together with his skeletal fleets he terrorizes these waters and seeks the insatiable thrill of battle.
In desperation, the legendary Pirate Lord hires the crew of the Morningstar to stop Flameheart’s reign of terror. Meanwhile, a crew of misfits swears allegiance to Flameheart who offers them an intriguing opportunity to upheave the status quo.
In a frenzied race to decide the fate of the Sea of Thieves, these daring pirates must outfight and outwit one another in a quest to uncover an artefact capable of defeating Flameheart once and for all.
Plunge into the thrilling tale at the heart of Rare’s multiplayer adventure; the origin story of the Skeleton Lord, Captain Flameheart, and the terrible sacrifices made to ensure his downfall.
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2022
57 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 17, 2022
Could have used a bit more Flameheart. Otherwise pretty good.
May 8, 2023
As literature goes, probably not that well written, but as a fan of the game, the lore was fantastic!
September 12, 2022
Never played the videogame do my nephew dos an when I saw this book at my library I thought I’d see what was so interesting. An I have to say if the game is half has good at story telling has the book I get why he’s always playing it.
October 10, 2025
Summary/Context
In this fantasy world set roughly in the late 1600s and early 1700s, this time was known as the golden age of piracy, in this world a mysterious red mist called the Devil’s Shroud engulfs a piece of land named The Sea of Thieves. The Sea of Thieves is a place of magic and danger, originally inhabited by a group called the Ancients. However one day the Ancients disappeared without a trace to a place called the Sea of the Damned where dead souls are ferried by the Ferryman. After the ancients disappeared The Sea of Thieves was re-discovered by a pirate named Ramesy, after finding a gap in the shroud.
After a 3 month voyage in The Sea of Thieves, Ramesy returned to the outside world where a map of the shroud was copied and sold to pirates everywhere. Soon The Sea of Thieves was a haven for pirates hiding from the grand maritime union, an organization that hunted pirates and traded goods for money. Soon Ramesy decided to host a meeting at one of the outposts built by residents of The Sea of Thieves. Captain Brigsy of the Golden Dove, Captain Grawmorrow of the Twisted Horn, and Captain Eli Slate of the Morningstar attended this meeting along with other unnamed crews. Ramesy claimed that his crew in the The Sea of Thieves would bring treasure to him to open the many chests found in the magical land. He offered crews to try and open one such chest and no one could open it, even Captain Brigsy who got her name from her talent to pick any lock. Ramesy was the only one that could open the chest with a skeleton key.
However Graymorrow fiercely opposed this, he claimed that Ramesy was a coward sailor not a pirate that kills to get his riches. Tensen rose in the meeting before an alarm was raised. Due to all the sailors that migrated to The Sea of Thieves an ancient beast awoke, a Kraken attacked the outpost. Every crew gathered themselves to fight it but in the commotion Ramsey's leg was crushed and his first mate Rathbone due to his lust for gold pushed him overboard and took his skeleton key.
This day was the day the first faction was born, The Gold Hoarders. Ramesy awoke on an island, saved by a Mermaid. Back when the ancients were still around they formed a bond with The Merfolk, a friendly race of fish people who help teach the Ancients magic, and every 100 years the largest kraken Old Mother would go on a rampage in return to their kindness the ancient chained Old Mother till she starved. TheMerfolk, believing Ramesy were the Ancients from long ago, gifted him a chain of Old Mothers bindings. The mermaid returned Ramesy back to the outpost where pirates moved by Ramsey's speech, formed an alliance "Athena's Fortune". A slight against one member was a slight against all its members, no one dared to face them, except for one man.
Captain Flameheart was a boy in the outer world, his father who he’d never met was arrested and hanged for accused acts of piracy. When two Grand Maritime Union officers came to Flameheart’s estate, he snapped, breaking one nose and shattering the other's legs. This was the day he became a man. Flameheart decided that day to become a pirate, joining the crew of the Silver Sunset, and after marooning its former captain renamed it to the Burning Blade. As a celebration, the crew drank from obsidian chalices. However these cups were cursed and burned away the souls of the crew, their appetite ceased, and they never needed to sleep, and on one night Captain Flameheart's skin melted away to bone.
That is where he got his name, he was now a burning force of a skeleton lord. Flameheart purged the sea of the outer world before disappearing without a trace. Flameheart found his way into the sea of thieves where he also purged its waters, but after boarding an enemy ship he found a now orphaned baby boy. Flamheart without a thought grabbed the boy and rushed back out of the Sea of Thieves, he returned to his estate and left the boy to go back to piracy. Ramesy who had great knowledge of the Sea of Thieves knew the dangers some of the objects pose to the greater world. So Ramesy set out for the fabled Shroudbreaker to hide it forever. However Flameheart found Ramesy with this trinket so Ramesy threw it overboard to the depths of the ocean.
Now in the story of the book a girl named Jill, joins the crew of the Morningstar, who are called to by Ramesy to find an ancient weapon that can withstand the dark magic of the Burning Blade, but not every crew is trying to stop Flameheart. Captain Harry Harkly is fed up with the many trading companies in the Sea of Thieves, and wants to join Flamheart's allegiance, so to prove his worth he chases down the Morning Star. That is the story and context of this book. (855 words)
Opinion
Overall this novel is a must read in my opinion. Not only does it cover the topic of good and evil, if you look through a certain perspective you can see why every character does what they do. For example Captain Flamheart is a man turned skeleton who wants to liberate the Sea of Thieves from the trading companies, for he sees them as not pirates but merchants and traders. He claims he will break the chains of the companies for any pirate that is also annoyed with them. I enjoy this novel because it encapsulated the idea of freedom, the ability to choose how you want to spend your life. You could choose to be a fisherman, or a thief that enjoys the thrill of combat. Another reason I like this book is the character development of the two “main” characters, (I say “main” because the book has many points of view but mainly only two get development) of Jill and Harry Harkly. Jill joins the crew of the Morningstar to simply become a pirate, but along the book she sees that the fate of the Sea of Thieves lies in her hands. As well as her interactions with Harry learns that doing the right thing is better than sacrificing your soul for “freedom”. Harry believes that Flameheart is a true pirate in the Sea of Thieves, and when he confronts Flameheart to join his forces he sacrifices (spoiler) to join Flamheart’s “freedom”. (244 words)
Favorite Scene
My favorite scene in the book is near the end, in the final battle between the Morningstar and Burning Blade where a skeleton the Morningstar crew found earlier in the book goes to surrender to Flamheart. The skeleton was a past crewmember who was marooned after opposing Flamheart's beliefs. The skeleton goes aboard and into Flameheart’s quarters where they discuss their past differences while playing chess. I won't give too much away but this is how they defeat Flamheart in the book. I like this scene because of the suspense factor, Flameheart is more than capable of destroying the skeleton but he doesn't, Flamheart toys with the skeleton but that was his downfall. (113 word)
Overall Rating
I would give this book 4.5 stars, while I do like most of the book, there are a few chapters that I feel don't fit with the story. However the amount of action and tension building up to the climactic final battle is amazing. I highly recommend anyone to read this book. I also like it because it is also a video game where you can explore the world and its mysteries including the Shores of Gold tall tale, where you go on an adventure to recover the Shroud Breaker lost to the sea long ago. I would compare this book to an average 7th grade reading level so its for everybody. (113 words)
In this fantasy world set roughly in the late 1600s and early 1700s, this time was known as the golden age of piracy, in this world a mysterious red mist called the Devil’s Shroud engulfs a piece of land named The Sea of Thieves. The Sea of Thieves is a place of magic and danger, originally inhabited by a group called the Ancients. However one day the Ancients disappeared without a trace to a place called the Sea of the Damned where dead souls are ferried by the Ferryman. After the ancients disappeared The Sea of Thieves was re-discovered by a pirate named Ramesy, after finding a gap in the shroud.
After a 3 month voyage in The Sea of Thieves, Ramesy returned to the outside world where a map of the shroud was copied and sold to pirates everywhere. Soon The Sea of Thieves was a haven for pirates hiding from the grand maritime union, an organization that hunted pirates and traded goods for money. Soon Ramesy decided to host a meeting at one of the outposts built by residents of The Sea of Thieves. Captain Brigsy of the Golden Dove, Captain Grawmorrow of the Twisted Horn, and Captain Eli Slate of the Morningstar attended this meeting along with other unnamed crews. Ramesy claimed that his crew in the The Sea of Thieves would bring treasure to him to open the many chests found in the magical land. He offered crews to try and open one such chest and no one could open it, even Captain Brigsy who got her name from her talent to pick any lock. Ramesy was the only one that could open the chest with a skeleton key.
However Graymorrow fiercely opposed this, he claimed that Ramesy was a coward sailor not a pirate that kills to get his riches. Tensen rose in the meeting before an alarm was raised. Due to all the sailors that migrated to The Sea of Thieves an ancient beast awoke, a Kraken attacked the outpost. Every crew gathered themselves to fight it but in the commotion Ramsey's leg was crushed and his first mate Rathbone due to his lust for gold pushed him overboard and took his skeleton key.
This day was the day the first faction was born, The Gold Hoarders. Ramesy awoke on an island, saved by a Mermaid. Back when the ancients were still around they formed a bond with The Merfolk, a friendly race of fish people who help teach the Ancients magic, and every 100 years the largest kraken Old Mother would go on a rampage in return to their kindness the ancient chained Old Mother till she starved. TheMerfolk, believing Ramesy were the Ancients from long ago, gifted him a chain of Old Mothers bindings. The mermaid returned Ramesy back to the outpost where pirates moved by Ramsey's speech, formed an alliance "Athena's Fortune". A slight against one member was a slight against all its members, no one dared to face them, except for one man.
Captain Flameheart was a boy in the outer world, his father who he’d never met was arrested and hanged for accused acts of piracy. When two Grand Maritime Union officers came to Flameheart’s estate, he snapped, breaking one nose and shattering the other's legs. This was the day he became a man. Flameheart decided that day to become a pirate, joining the crew of the Silver Sunset, and after marooning its former captain renamed it to the Burning Blade. As a celebration, the crew drank from obsidian chalices. However these cups were cursed and burned away the souls of the crew, their appetite ceased, and they never needed to sleep, and on one night Captain Flameheart's skin melted away to bone.
That is where he got his name, he was now a burning force of a skeleton lord. Flameheart purged the sea of the outer world before disappearing without a trace. Flameheart found his way into the sea of thieves where he also purged its waters, but after boarding an enemy ship he found a now orphaned baby boy. Flamheart without a thought grabbed the boy and rushed back out of the Sea of Thieves, he returned to his estate and left the boy to go back to piracy. Ramesy who had great knowledge of the Sea of Thieves knew the dangers some of the objects pose to the greater world. So Ramesy set out for the fabled Shroudbreaker to hide it forever. However Flameheart found Ramesy with this trinket so Ramesy threw it overboard to the depths of the ocean.
Now in the story of the book a girl named Jill, joins the crew of the Morningstar, who are called to by Ramesy to find an ancient weapon that can withstand the dark magic of the Burning Blade, but not every crew is trying to stop Flameheart. Captain Harry Harkly is fed up with the many trading companies in the Sea of Thieves, and wants to join Flamheart's allegiance, so to prove his worth he chases down the Morning Star. That is the story and context of this book. (855 words)
Opinion
Overall this novel is a must read in my opinion. Not only does it cover the topic of good and evil, if you look through a certain perspective you can see why every character does what they do. For example Captain Flamheart is a man turned skeleton who wants to liberate the Sea of Thieves from the trading companies, for he sees them as not pirates but merchants and traders. He claims he will break the chains of the companies for any pirate that is also annoyed with them. I enjoy this novel because it encapsulated the idea of freedom, the ability to choose how you want to spend your life. You could choose to be a fisherman, or a thief that enjoys the thrill of combat. Another reason I like this book is the character development of the two “main” characters, (I say “main” because the book has many points of view but mainly only two get development) of Jill and Harry Harkly. Jill joins the crew of the Morningstar to simply become a pirate, but along the book she sees that the fate of the Sea of Thieves lies in her hands. As well as her interactions with Harry learns that doing the right thing is better than sacrificing your soul for “freedom”. Harry believes that Flameheart is a true pirate in the Sea of Thieves, and when he confronts Flameheart to join his forces he sacrifices (spoiler) to join Flamheart’s “freedom”. (244 words)
Favorite Scene
My favorite scene in the book is near the end, in the final battle between the Morningstar and Burning Blade where a skeleton the Morningstar crew found earlier in the book goes to surrender to Flamheart. The skeleton was a past crewmember who was marooned after opposing Flamheart's beliefs. The skeleton goes aboard and into Flameheart’s quarters where they discuss their past differences while playing chess. I won't give too much away but this is how they defeat Flamheart in the book. I like this scene because of the suspense factor, Flameheart is more than capable of destroying the skeleton but he doesn't, Flamheart toys with the skeleton but that was his downfall. (113 word)
Overall Rating
I would give this book 4.5 stars, while I do like most of the book, there are a few chapters that I feel don't fit with the story. However the amount of action and tension building up to the climactic final battle is amazing. I highly recommend anyone to read this book. I also like it because it is also a video game where you can explore the world and its mysteries including the Shores of Gold tall tale, where you go on an adventure to recover the Shroud Breaker lost to the sea long ago. I would compare this book to an average 7th grade reading level so its for everybody. (113 words)
December 14, 2024
This book will always have a special place in my heart because I will never understand why there aren't more works of pirate fiction, thank God sea of thieves for providing us with something, and thank them even more for that something actually being really good. My favourite part was probably the way the world was built and how this place of pirates was crafted so well and given so much depth that it often felt so real to me. I also think the fight scenes and action sequences were carried out really well and often featured awesome spots (so much so you might have been convinced you were watching an OJR universe mode show and not reading heart of fire by Chris Allcock). I also really loved the whole idea of the spectral pirate crew and if it was a bigger feature it would probably be my favourite part of the entire book, i paticularly loved the ending sequence but no spoilers. The book did struggle in places with pacing and I remember really hating a member of the main cast of characters for the simple fact that he was just annoying af. Definitely recommend this for any fans of poc or pirate fiction in general!
September 28, 2022
Improved over the first book and a better story, but still suffers from explaining the game instead of just telling a story.
August 24, 2023
So good I had a dream about it when I was almost through with the book
September 23, 2022
Sea of Thieves: Heart of Fire by Chris Allcock Published in 2022, Is one of the best pieces of fiction writing that I have ever read. I am a big fan of the game and when I heard that this book was being Published I Pre ordered it as soon as I could.
The book follows two crews from the Sea of Thieves during around the 16th century and nine years before the events of the Seabound Soul, the crew of The Morningstar along with the rival crew of The Prideful Dawn and their search for a great weapon created by The Ancients. This is a story from both angles of a large naval war and also gives insight to the backstory to the infamous skeleton lord, Captain Flameheart, who is written to perfection!
The themes of this book are very telling and are relevant to this day such as freedom from tyranny and redemption
I enjoyed this book so much due to the amazing writing and fantastic storytelling. My favorite characters are definitely Edmond and Flameheart but I also enjoy Ellie Slate and Harry Harkly's rivalry
if you are on the fence about reading this novel I would highly recommend that you do it's a wonderful read
The book follows two crews from the Sea of Thieves during around the 16th century and nine years before the events of the Seabound Soul, the crew of The Morningstar along with the rival crew of The Prideful Dawn and their search for a great weapon created by The Ancients. This is a story from both angles of a large naval war and also gives insight to the backstory to the infamous skeleton lord, Captain Flameheart, who is written to perfection!
The themes of this book are very telling and are relevant to this day such as freedom from tyranny and redemption
I enjoyed this book so much due to the amazing writing and fantastic storytelling. My favorite characters are definitely Edmond and Flameheart but I also enjoy Ellie Slate and Harry Harkly's rivalry
if you are on the fence about reading this novel I would highly recommend that you do it's a wonderful read
July 29, 2023
It was definitely one of my favorite books! I mean yeah, Flameheart’s backstory could have been a bit longer but maybe they should have made this separate from his origin story. But I will say the characters were on point. I can hear their voices while reading and while they were interacting I could see them acting as they did in the game. I now feel bad for Duke after reading about him, Dinger’s really bad singing was hilarious, DeMarco was one of my favorites and it was interesting to learn about Jill before the hole Greymarrow incident. And I wouldn’t forget ol’ Merrick, now I know where he got the drum that made us fight the definition of death!
Overall the story was good but like a lot of fans and players, they could have made this more about Flameheart’s actual backstory and made this separate. I don’t know how you can fit it all in like 4 pages..
Overall the story was good but like a lot of fans and players, they could have made this more about Flameheart’s actual backstory and made this separate. I don’t know how you can fit it all in like 4 pages..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2024
Only read this when you have played the game! Else it's just weird and a bunch of nonsense 😂😅
It started of strong and funny, than the pacing became very slow, following 2 crews who I didn't really care about.
The last 20% was really exciting which gave the whole book definitely the same pacing as a SoT voyage.
I like knowing more of the SoT lore so I'm very happy I read this but it was a bit of a struggle getting through the middle part.
It started of strong and funny, than the pacing became very slow, following 2 crews who I didn't really care about.
The last 20% was really exciting which gave the whole book definitely the same pacing as a SoT voyage.
I like knowing more of the SoT lore so I'm very happy I read this but it was a bit of a struggle getting through the middle part.
December 10, 2025
Excellent addition to the stories of the seas!
Sea of thieves Heart of Fire is an excellent adventure. The whole time you feel like you've embarked on an epic tall tale and you can not wait to see what happens next as you blow through the pages. Fans of the Sea Of Thieves games will recognize many of the Easter eggs Chris Allcock squeezed into its show 277 pages. Highly recommend for any fan of Sea Of Thieves. Excellent storytelling!
Sea of thieves Heart of Fire is an excellent adventure. The whole time you feel like you've embarked on an epic tall tale and you can not wait to see what happens next as you blow through the pages. Fans of the Sea Of Thieves games will recognize many of the Easter eggs Chris Allcock squeezed into its show 277 pages. Highly recommend for any fan of Sea Of Thieves. Excellent storytelling!
August 24, 2023
Ensnared from beginning to end!
For those that have played the game, this is a book that explains a lot of the lore that the game has gone into some detail about. For those that have not played the game, welcome to the Sea of Thieves! An expansive ocean with islands of adventure and pearl at every turn.
For those that have played the game, this is a book that explains a lot of the lore that the game has gone into some detail about. For those that have not played the game, welcome to the Sea of Thieves! An expansive ocean with islands of adventure and pearl at every turn.
February 6, 2024
So I'm the one who bought this thinking it was just a book about pirates, a Curse of the Black pearl type story. I had no idea it was based on a game I have never played, so consider that when reading this review. The book flowed well, and the story was fast paced. It just felt a little PG for me when I was expecting more violence and pirate-y type storylines. The characters were somewhat one dimensional, and there were no real surprises. My middle-schooler would probably like this book, but for me, it was a little bit boring.
May 23, 2025
An absolute must-read for any fan of the game! It dives deep into the lore, bringing Captain Flameheart’s story to life in a thrilling and immersive way. The world-building is phenomenal, and the action-packed narrative kept me hooked from start to finish. As someone who loves the game, this book helped me appreciate its universe even more. Highly recommend!
May 24, 2025
Swashbuckling Tale
If you’re looking for an adrenaline fueled book, this is it. It has action, adventure, battle, both physical and emotional, unique character dynamics. I find it interesting, the novelization of video games. Very well done.
If you’re looking for an adrenaline fueled book, this is it. It has action, adventure, battle, both physical and emotional, unique character dynamics. I find it interesting, the novelization of video games. Very well done.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews