Griffin Reads – The Bone Ships

Title: The Bone Ships

Author: RJ Barker

Genre: Nautical Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Summary:

In a world where sea dragons once ruled and ships are built from their ancient bones, a disgraced ship’s crew is given a second chance to hunt the first sea dragon seen in centuries. At the helm is Joron Twiner, a failed shipwife with a heavy past, now forced to serve under the fierce and uncompromising Lucky Meas, a woman determined to redeem both him and the ship. Together, they must brave deadly seas, brutal politics, and their own haunted histories as they race against rivals and monsters alike.

The Bone Ships is the first entry in The Tide Child trilogy, an epic and gritty maritime saga filled with sea battles, strange creatures, and rich worldbuilding. RJ Barker blends myth and saltwater in a story about redemption, leadership, and learning what it truly means to be part of a crew.

Content Guide:

• Strong violence and combat (naval battles, duels, injuries)
• Mature themes: trauma, honor, death, and grief
• Mild language
• No graphic sexual content
• Some unsettling imagery (monsters, decay, body horror elements)

My Thoughts:

This may be the best new title I read this year. I listened to the novel on audiobook as I was driving to and from a speaking gig at a writers conference in Caspar, Wyoming. This book brought the sea to the prairies for me in a way that hasn’t happened since I was a young adult.

I’ve heard this book described as Master and Commander with sea dragons, and that seems apt. This is nautical fantasy at its most immersive: the language is salty and strange, the world is weather-beaten and dangerous, and the ships themselves feel like living, breathing characters.

Joron’s character arc felt both real and organic, not forced or contrived. His relationship with Lucky Meas is intoxicating in its depth and complexity. Their dynamic isn’t your usual hero/mentor story. It’s thornier, messier, and ultimately more rewarding.

I’ll admit that RJ Barker doesn’t hand you an easy story. The jargon is dense at first, and the world doesn’t explain itself. It may not be to everyone’s style. But it’s to mine. Sometimes there are books that feel like they were just written for me. It may be selfish, but I welcome it all the same. What makes The Bone Ships stand out isn’t just the worldbuilding (though it’s incredible), but the emotional depth beneath the brine and blood. This is a story about found family, about facing your fears, and about fighting for something greater than yourself.

This novel is brutal, poetic, and unlike anything else I’ve read in the genre. I recommend it for readers who don’t mind working a little to find the heart of a story and who love the sound of sails snapping in the wind and monsters swimming just below the surface.