Book Review: Sailing Magic by Order of the Pen Press

I haven’t reviewed an anthology in a while, but while at Realm Makers I finally picked up a copy of Sailing Magic from Order of the Pen Press! This is an anthology that I’ve been really interested in since before it came out–in fact, I’d intended to submit a story to it myself but didn’t get around to writing one in time–and it was just as fun as I’d hoped!

About Sailing Magic

Ships are a timeless symbol of adventure, promising individuals the opportunity to explore worlds unknown. Sailing Magic features ten exciting stories that will take you on fantastical journeys to lands you’ve never seen before!

Review(s)

Heir of the Silver Throne
This was an interesting story with great characters. I really liked the focus on a married couple, and the MC’s best friend as well. I felt the writing was a little lack-luster and the story would have benefited from a bit more foreshadowing, but overall a fun read.

The Phantom
The writing and plot of this one were great. I loved the way the story unfolded and the lore built around it, and the ending was satisfying. If you like pirates, you’ll like this story.

The Man Who Caught a Falling Star
I loved this one! I’m not always a big fan of reading space-based sci-fi, but this one blended that genre with fantasy beautifully. I loved the characters, the story, the worldbuilding… I would definitely read more in this same world.

The Gilded Horizon
This was a sweet little story, very well-written, but it ended too soon and left me with more questions than answers. The feel-good ending didn’t feel like it had been earned by the set-up of the worldbuilding, so I would have liked to see a little more explanation for how things happened the way that they did.

The Princess from the Sea
Aside from the insta-love, I really enjoyed this one! The worldbuilding was rich, the characters were likeable, the plot as a whole flowed naturally, the writing was great. I mostly wish it hadn’t ended with a kiss, I think, because that pushed the insta-love over the edge for me and I would have liked to see more thought–from the characters–put behind the romance. But the speed of the relationship was my only gripe with the story, and I’d love to see other stories set in this same world.

Questing Hall
This story made me laugh out loud multiple times, which is something few authors can accomplish. It’s also just a great story, with a vivid cast of characters and a really interesting atmosphere to the setting. It blends a lot of different elements into something really unique and intriguing, with bits of fantasy, sci-fi, and history all blended together. It was very fun, and this is another story that made me want to see more of its world.

Outcasts of the Addan
This story definitely felt like it was meant to be set-up for a larger book. Again, I really liked the world we get to see in this story, with its different races and their tensions with one another. I was also glad that the ending was what it was; I was afraid certain things wouldn’t happen, but they did, so I was happy to see it. I’m not sure I found this story as compelling as some of the others, but I would be interested in the larger project this is meant to lead up to.

Bard for Hire: Will Travel
This was another installment where I felt that the story/plot was its weakest element, but I enjoyed the writing, character, and setting and if there were more following this main character–or even with him as a side character–I would read it. This story had a really enjoyable writing style, and the worldbuilding detail that the story hinges on is one I would be interested to see fleshed out further in the context of a larger work.

Blue Sails
This was a great short story. It had a sense of context, but it was a well-contained story in its own right that didn’t feel like it needed more in order to make sense or resolve questions. It was well-written, the characters were compelling, the worldbuilding was well-done, and the theme was beautifully executed. This was probably one of the strongest installments in the collection.

Luck of the Emerald Venture
I don’t know quite what to think of this story. The setting and premise are interesting, and I like the emphasis on marriage in the story. I’m not sure that the characters felt consistent enough, to me, to effectively convey the intended theme and make the ending feel satisfactory. The character intended to be a cautionary tale was a little too reasonable, and the main character a little too easily convinced of an opposite opinion, and I felt the author had to rely on telling us who we should and shouldn’t trust to make the ending work instead of drawing up characters who really communicated their intended character themselves. That said, the bones were certainly there and I think that with a little more character depth and polishing this could have been a much stronger and more powerful story.

Overall
This was a very enjoyable collection! There was a lot of diversity of style, some diversity of genre, and it got me to like some genres that I don’t tend to enjoy reading, plus I was introduced to authors I’d like to see more from! I definitely recommend this if you enjoy sailing stories in the fantasy and/or sci-fi genre and you’re looking for new authors to follow in those genres.

Rating: 5 stars

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Do you like short stories? Have you read any books from Order of the Pen Press before? Comment below with your thoughts!

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