Avast M’hearties Pirate Day be a’coming. So batten down y’hatches. Splice the main sails. Steer with the wind, and damn y’eyes, for that callow cove Captain Duckman will keel haul the lot of y’ if y’nay pay him some mind…
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is on the horizon, and with it comes the release of Harvey Duckman Presents, The Pirate Special.
Just like the main series of Harvey Duckman Anthologies this is a collection of fifteenth exciting new writers and established independent authors of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, horror and Steampunk. To celebrate this I’m running a feature for the new few weeks on the authors and stories featured in this edition, cause Captain Duckman made me and there was mention of rum…
Mostly because of the rum…
When I first met C.G. Hatton she was dressed as a pirate…
(okay that’s probably not strictly true, though there was a little of the pirate about how she was dressed at the time… That meeting is story I have told before, it’s a good story , and you can find it as the foreword of a box set of her novels, because for reasons that still escape me she asked me to write one for her. You can also find it here… )
Amazingly this is only the second time one of C.G.Hatton’s stories has appeared in a Harvey Duckman collection. Something which fans of her work (myself included) probably find a little disappointing. Indeed, one of the few things about the Harvey books I ever find disappointing is the lack of another C.G.Hatton story, which is why this was the first story I read when I got my filthy hands on a pre-publication copy of the Pirate Special. It did not disappoint, but then Gillie never does.
It’s amazing this is only the second time Gillie has had a story in a Harvey edition, not only because of the joy and strength of her writing, but because she and husband Andy are the driving forces behind Harvey Duckman. Gillie is editor in chief, while Andy keeps her supplied with rum (he does other things as well, but the rum is the important things here). She is therefore the one person who should be in every edition, yet she gives up her own slot to fresh new writers time and again. While giving her time and energy freely to the project, for which every writer to appear between the folds of a Harvey paperback owe her a debt.
But, editor or not, the stories in any Harvey edition have to be worthy of there place. There is always competition for slots and if Dimarco was not worthy of its slot in the Pirates special, it would not be there. But its a C.G.Hatton story, so there is no doubt at all it is worthy of its slot. A wonderfully atmospheric piece about an aging freebooter come pirate, sat trying to wash away bad memories and haunting images of blood and fire at a bar, when a mysterious man in a corner booth presents him with an offer, if he’s willing to take a gamble that could cost him everything.
Its dark, insightful, multilayered, full of looming threats and dark hints to the wider Thieves Guild universe. Much as you would expect from one of the best voices in scifi.
The Thieves’ Guild Series:
Residual Belligerence (Book One)
Blatant Disregard (Book Two)
Harsh Realities (Book Three)
Wilful Defiance (Book Four)
Darkest Fears (Book Five)
Arunday’s Convergence (Book Six)
Kheris Burning (Thieves’ Guild Origins: LC Book One)
Beyond Redemption (Thieves’ Guild Origins: LC Book Two)
Defying Winter (Thieves’ Guild Origins: LC Book Three) is due out in 2021
The Harvey Pirates Special comes out on International Talk Like A Pirate Day on the 19th of September and will be available in paperback and on kindle, the kindle version is available for pre-order now… So get it or I’ll make yer walk the plank…
The Passing Place 