Set sail for adventure!
Join us in the company of pirates in this treasure trove of stories from a crew of talented authors.
Expect the unexpected – with tales stretching from the high seas to high orbit, from swashbucklers to space corsairs. Navigate these pages to find monsters, time travelers, buccaneers, ghosts and more.
Twelve stories. Twelve authors. Twelve worlds to explore.
Come, me hearties, there are new horizons to discover.
Title: Tales from the Pirate’s Cove | Publisher: Inklings Press | Pub. Date: 2020-Aug-14 | ISBN13: 9798669497101 | Pages: 234 | Language: English | Content Warnings: None | Source: We received a copy for review consideration from one of the authors | Unstarred Review
Tales from the Pirate’s Cove Review
I picked this up last night when I was in the mood to read (for once) and thought that a collection would be a good choice as it didn’t require as much commitment.
I have two real picks with Tales from the Pirate’s Cove as a whole. The first is that for only having twelve stories, two time pirates stories is one too many. The second is that one story, while being a decent read, stuck out a bit like a sore thumb because it just didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the selections. Neither of these things stopped me from enjoying the anthology, though.
So, quick run down on the stories:
My favorites were: Iris, Like the Song by Jennifer Lee Rossman, Boarding School by Rob Edwards, and For the Love of the Sea by Lawrence Harding.
Iris, Like the Song gives us our first taste of time pirates, and hits all the right notes with some 90s nostalgia.
The Three-Four Buccanneers by Kelly Lynn Colby showcased future ragamuffins doing what they do best: surviving. I appreciated their family unit and the decisions the leader had to make.
Xibalba’s Curse by Ricardo Victoria is perfect for (and maybe inspired by?) Carpenter’s The Fog. Ancient times and out of time pirates combined with a menacing mist are always the set up for something good.
The Pirate’s Path by Allison Tebo featured a plucky soup-making youth going up against many more dangerous opponents. Surprising mythological cameo at the end. Made me want soup.
The Mouth of the Wicked by Bob Finegold will thrill readers who enjoy reading about religious zealots doing their religious zealot thing.
Boarding School by Rob Edwards was filled with a good bit of action, but it was the sword fight outside the spaceship that really won me over.
The Black Spots by Pat Woods had a classic feel to it, with a curse, an oh sh*t moment or three, and the whole kill it with fire bit. Enjoyed it quite a bit.
De Leon’s Fountain by Tom Jolly was one of the more unique takes on the Fountain of Youth that I’ve ever read, and there were several moments of me ooohing in happiness, but I would have liked a bit more graphic squishing, please and thank you.
Lost Treasure by Brian A. Harris explored what happens when time pirates time pirate wrong and end up changing the future. Still, it was a bit of fun with a surprise ending for the wrong-doer, at least.
To the End of the World by Leo McBride is a tale of promises that shouldn’t be kept, death that waits, and what happens when you see the end.
For the Love of the Sea was just kind of melancholic but had an unexpected happy ending that I liked. Also, it was my second exposure to xyr/xe/xem pronouns and I found that I’m getting used to them and appreciating the fact that they can set those who identify as nonbinary apart without just stealing the boring “they/them”.
The Last Pirate by Claire Buss was a good story to end the collection on. Light-hearted but with some bittersweet moments. I wouldn’t mind seeing the characters in future hijinks (yes, I still miss Firefly, okay?)
In a nutshell, Tales from the Pirate’s Cove was a solid collection of stories that covered everything from ghosts of pirates past to sword duels in the black of space. There were no real stinkers in the anthology, and I appreciated the various voices and what they contributed.
You can buy Tales from the Pirate’s Cove via many of the links available on Goodreads, but in the spirit of promoting literacy, we recommend purchasing via Better World Books if at all possible.
Lilyn G is the founder of Sci-Fi & Scary, and leader of the Coolthulhu Crew. She does book and film reviews for both genres the site focuses on. Her tastes run towards creature features, hard science fiction, and lots and lots of action. She also has a soft spot for middle-grade fiction that rears its head frequently.
Though no longer involved with Ladies of Horror Fiction due to other responsibilities and a too-full plate, she was one of the original 4 co-founders.
Feel free to chat her up on Twitter as long as you aren’t hitting her up to review your book.
‘the sword fight outside the spaceship that really won me over’ I could read that! Adding to my tbr…
Many thanks for taking the time to review – very much appreciated. Thank you for all the Coolthulu Crew does 🙂