Blaggard’s Moon

By George Bryan Polivka

Allow me to borrow from the Amazon description: An exciting swashbuckling tale of a pirate sentenced to die for the crime of mutiny. As he awaits his fate, this pirate ponders his life and the events that have brought him to this fate. In the process of remembering, and in grappling with mercy and justice as they have been played out in his life, a tale is spun, a tale of true hearts wronged, noble love gone awry, dark deeds done for the sake of gold, and sacrifices made for love.

A pirate tale? Sign me up!

I really enjoyed this book. One of the things that made it unique was that it is told from three points of view/ points in time. You have the pirate awaiting his fate (Delaney). He is reminiscing, analyzing, and recounting a story told by Ham Drumbone. The view shifts to this storyteller, and Polivka does a fantastic job creating a fireside scene: the storyteller and his swarthy listeners. They interject and react to the story. Ham masterfully gets them back on course. The third point of view/time is the original events that comprise the storyteller’s tale – the story of Damrick and Jenta and the pirate world of Nearing Vast. I loved how it unfolded.

I also enjoyed that there was no clear hero of the story. It subtlety communicates themes like reaping what you sow, learning to change, and living without regrets, without getting overly sappy. The book has a bit of dark feel, but there’s a lining of hope around the edges.

I would recommend this book as a fun read. It would probably make for a good discussion book as well, since all of the major characters are flawed and don’t always make the best decisions.

Plus, there’s sword fighting. *grin*