TRIPLE REVIEW
Pirate of the Prophecy
Book One, Empress of the Endless Sea series, Jack Campbell
Explorer of the Endless Sea
Book Two, Empress of the Endless Sea series, Jack Campbell
Fate of the Free Lands
Book Three, Empress of the Endless Sea series, Jack Campbell
Over the past few weeks, I sailed through (pun intended) the three books in the Empress of the Endless Sea series by Jack Campbell.
It was a swift voyage. The pages almost turning themselves. A great story with an exciting end to the last book in the series. Overall a truly enjoyable swashbuckling pirate adventure. I can't recommend Jack Campbell's books enough.
Relatable main character
The books revolve around the life of pirates fighting not only for loot but to free people from imperial rule. Read this series if you like smoothly written books, full of naval engagements, and discovery of new lands, all centered around the any-person hero, Jules of Landfall. She is a lieutenant in training when we first meet her. A very likable young woman with a hard center. The sort of person who wants to do the right thing, but welcomes a fight.
I think a lot of readers will relate to Jules quite easily, respect her sense of decency, and admire her commitment and drive.
One prophecy to rule them all
In the first book, the Pirate of the Prophecy, we are quickly introduced to the main character, and then the action takes off. You'll encounter not only the all-important prophecy mentioned in the title but the feared and emotionally cold mages who vie for control of the fantasy world of Dematr. Opposing them are the two other major players: the emperor and his mighty legions, and the powerful mechanics guild. Think steam-powered vehicles, basic firearms, and the odd high-tech gadget.
The level of technology notwithstanding this is 100% fantasy.
Related books
The three books are well-paced, well-written, and filled with adventures, which I won’t spoil by going into details. You should know, however, that the series is a prequel to two of Campell’s previous fantasy series. You don't have to read those first, though, as the Empress of the Endless Sea series takes place many years earlier, and the main character, Jules, is a new main character.
The few things I think could have been better
Overall, this is a brilliant series. For those who’ve read the other series taking place on Dematr, even more so. I have very little that I’m not happy about.
That said, had I written the series some of it would have been quite different. For instance, I think the pirates are too polite. I mean, there’s not a swear word in the entire series.
The pirates for the most part support each other, and work towards common goals. Facing death and bodily harm seemingly without much in the way of cowardice or slacking. Sure, a few need some disciplining, cajoling, or hand-holding. But they just seem a bit too orderly and disciplined.
This might make the books ideal for a younger audience (in their parent’s eyes at least,) but just seems a bit…polished. We are talking about several crews of well-behaved pirates here.
While the writing and pacing are truly great, and the world-building is good, the editing could be better. Too many punctuation errors especially. Not that those lessened my enjoyment of the books.
And lastly, I missed a map of the world. The two other series taking place on Dematr included such maps. Perhaps this doesn’t because Campbell thought it would spoil the chapters where they explore virgin coastlines. I’d still have liked a map included though. I’d love more than one map actually. An initial limited map with the parts of the world already discovered, and then later on an updated one with the new coastlines revealed.
Links
I've previously reviewed three of Jack Campbell's books also taking place on Dematr:
Please find reader reviews of his many series on Goodreads. Here’s the one I reviewed:
And the two series which chronologically take place after the Empress of the Endless Sea:
/Rune S. Nielsen