I read the self-published version of Set the Seas on Fire years ago and loved it. I was heavily into Patrick O’Brian’s books at the time, and the thought of combining seafaring adventure with unexplainable horror really floated my boat.

Um. . .so to speak.

Sorry.

Anyway, I remembered the book fondly, so when I found out that Chris was re-working and expanding the book, I was all a-twitter. When I finally got my hands on a copy, I jumped right in, hoping that I wouldn’t spoil a good memory. Boy, did I get lucky.

Set the Seas on Fire works on many levels. First, there’s the seafaring adventure novel. Any fan of this type of book will enjoy Roberson’s attention to detail (no words used are inauthentic to the era). Folks who don’t normally read these books will be able to follow what’s going on without getting bogged down in the difference between a mainsail and a topgallant or what the heck a foc’sle is.

Then, there’s the island life adventure novel (which is kind of a subsidiary of the seafaring adventure novel, until the man-sized bat things show up). We get a further development of the characters we’ve already met, but we also meet the people of the island and begin to know them. Roberson plundered many different cultures to create his natives, and they really ring true.

Now we come to the character study. We see Hieronymous from childhood to adulthood (although not in a linear fashion). We get to see the forces that shaped him and made him the man he grew up to be, which has resonance both in this novel and in Paragaea, where Hero also appears. But we also get to see how he changes when faced with a challenge he hasn’t prepared for—love.

The realistic detail in setting and character makes it all the easier to suspend disbelief once the supernatural elements start showing up; you really care what happens to these people, which is quite a feat. So if you like fast-paced adventure stories that don’t sacrifice characters on the altar of plot, then you really should be reading Chris Roberson.
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It is not a good sign when I am bored with your opening sea battle. Not worth my time right now. ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/2010/01/12/set-the-seas-on-fire/ ( )

In the early 1800s, young Hieronymus Bonaventure is a Lieutenant aboard the HMS Fortitude. His ship encounters two extremely ill Spanish sailors, spouting danger about a nearby island. But as the HMS Fortitude is damaged, the crew must seek refuge on the closest island, and meanwhile try to uncover the truth from the Spaniards. The island on which the British crew arrives is a seemingly tropical paradise, complete with friendly natives. But when the British express interest in the volcanic island nearby, the natives warn them that the island is forbidden and dangerous, of supernatural proportions.

The story jumps back and forth between Hieronymus as a young boy, just beginning to learn swordplay, and as an officer aboard the Fortitude. From his early years, we learn about his excitement for adventure and what has shaped him into the man he is to become. Following Hieronymus' adventures as a man, we're treated to a swashbuckling good time. With action and suspense a plenty, Set the Seas on Fire is a wonderful adventure on the high seas. I didn't even miss "the absence of pirates." ( )