Pathfinder Tales: Pirate's Honor

4.20/5 (based on 26 ratings)
Pathfinder Tales: Pirate's Honor
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Rough Seas

A pirate captain of the Inner Sea, Torius Vin makes a living raiding wealthy merchant ships with his crew of loyal buccaneers. Few things matter more to Captain Torius than ill-gotten gold—but one of those is Celeste, his beautiful snake-bodied navigator. When a crafty courtesan offers the pirate crew a chance at the heist of a lifetime, it's time for both man and naga to hoist the black flag and lead the Stargazer's crew to fame and fortune. But will stealing the legendary Star of Thumen chart the corsairs a course to untold riches—or send them all to a watery grave?

From award-winning author Chris A. Jackson comes a fantastical new adventure of high-seas combat and romance set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

400-page mass market paperback
ISBN–13: 978-1-60125-523-5
ePub ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-524-2

Pirate's Honor is also available as a digital edition on the following sites:

Pirate's Honor is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Its Chronicle Sheet is available as a free download (397 KB zip/PDF).

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4.20/5 (based on 26 ratings)

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I hate pirates - I love this book

4/5

I don't quite know what makes this series stand out so well for me, but it does. Is it the precision nautical details? Probably not, I've never much cared about that. Pirate with a good heart? Uh.. better than a bad heart? Amazing co-equal non-humanoid spouse? Probably, but there's still more.

Overall, almost all the characters feel well motivated to do what they do. Some of the flow in this one was just a bit weaker than the sequels, but it probably deserved a 5-star anyways.


5/5

If you are looking for edge-of-your-seat, swashbuckling, high seas adventure, this is the book for you!


Simply Fantastic!

5/5

NO SPOILERS

The "pirates" sub-genre of fantasy fiction isn't everyone's favourite, and it wasn't mine going into Pirate's Honor. But consider me converted! Chris Jackson writes one of the very best Pathfinder Tales novels I've read yet, and he does it by establishing a fully-characterised core crew, writing breathtaking action scenes, and showing off hard-earned nautical knowledge to add a dash of realism to the fantastic. I learned a lot about an aspect of Golarion (its shipping lanes, sea battles, and port towns) that I never paid much attention to before, and I can see the appeal of a campaign involving those aspects of the setting. This is definitely one to seek out.

SPOILERS!:

The novel is centered around the exploits of a pirate ship named the Stargazer. Although its crew are definitely pirates and criminals, they're more of the roguish-scoundrel types than the bloodthirsty "walk the plank" type. The main crew members are well-drawn and memorable. Crew members include an inventive gnome quartermaster, a (more traditional) surly orc bosun, and a suspicious new elf first mate. The core relationship is between Captain Torius, a rakish human, and his navigator/astrologer, a "lunar naga" named Celeste. A major subplot running throughout the book is the ebb and flow of the pair's relationship, full of love, jealousy, mistrust, and (due the narcotic effects of naga venom) addiction! It sounds weird, but trust me, it works.

Pirate's Honor isn't just a big episode of The Love Boat, however. The action scenes are big, bloody, and page-turning exciting, whether they take place on sea or land. The main plot involves the crew of the Stargazer executing a complicated ruse in order to get revenge on a crimelord named Benrahi Ekhan who set them up to get arrested by the authorities. I admit I was a bit confused on exactly how the plan was supposed to work, but I didn't worry too much about it because the rest was so enjoyable. The villain is suitably despicable but not one-dimensional. Jackson paid close attention to the lore of Golarion, and probably added to it significantly with his description of several locales around the Inner Sea.

I definitely want to read more about the crew of the Stargazer. Pirate's Honor is one of those fantasy novels that exceed the expectations of RPG-fiction, and become strong books in their own right.


The long con

4/5

This was pretty interesting. A diverse crew of pirates a bit more ethical than the usual, and the romance between the captain and the navigator--no spoilers, though the back cover quickly gives it away--was not your typical fantasy romance. The story is a long con job w/ many twists, some unforeseen. The foil (mark) was an atypical antagonist in some ways.

I'm not quite the nautical enthusiast the author is, though, so some of the extensive use of (no doubt) true-to-life nautical terminology left me a bit cold. The editing was pretty good, w/ some stumbles in the latter parts of the book.


Nail biting for all the right reasons

5/5

I loved how the relationships in the book kept me on my seat. This is not a stereotypical pirate story. It is a cross genre beast of tension, intrigue, and romance. I loved it so much. I can't wait till the next one.


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Webstore Gninja Minion

Announced for April! Cover image is a mockup and will change.


Ooooooh... arrrrrh!

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

AHOY!

Liberty's Edge

I'm having a hard time placing where this is set exactly.


Laschoni wrote:
I'm having a hard time placing where this is set exactly.

It's possible when it says Inner Sea, it means Inner Sea... not Inner Sea region.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC

Chris Jackson?

Good to see more authors getting involved, the more, the merrier!

Senior Editor/Fiction Editor

5 people marked this as a favorite.

This book is indeed set on the Inner Sea itself, mostly along the coast of Garund. Chris Jackson is a sailor himself--he actually wrote the book from a sailboat in the Caribbean--so he writes pirates as well or better than anyone I've read. I can't wait for folks to read it!

Contributor

Thanks for the Kudos, James. Torius and his crew do indeed log quite a few sea miles in this tale...the length of the Inner Sea, in fact! Just as the book was written and edited from Trinidad to Martinique,and many points in between. A writing sailor or a sailing writer...that's me, but I'm not sure which.

Webstore Gninja Minion

Updated product with final cover image and description!

Dark Archive Contributor

Liz Courts wrote:
Updated product with final cover image and description!

Nice cover! Who's the artist?

Webstore Gninja Minion

Artist is Denman Rooke (thanks Sarah)!

Dark Archive Contributor

6 people marked this as a favorite.

Would it be possible for all new product announcements to include the name of the cover artist? I suspect I'm not the only one who likes to be able to identify favorite artists. And really, these talented folks deserve some exposure.

Something tells me you will agree. :)


Dave Gross wrote:
Would it be possible for all new product announcements to include the name of the cover artist? I suspect I'm not the only one who likes to be able to identify favorite artists. And really, these talented folks deserve some exposure.

I asked that very question a while back. No answer was given. To be fair, it was in a very popular thread. But yes, that would indeed be a nice feature.

Contributor

I really love this cover! Denman really did an awesome job. A difficult scene to capture and he nailed it! Many Thanks! Also gotta agree with Dave, These great artists deserve some exposure. Love his work. Here's his site: http://denmanrooke.com/

Contributor

Also, this is evidently Denman's first PFT cover! Send the man some LOVE!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I am really looking forward to this novel.


I am looking forward to this one as well. I love me a good pirate story!

-Aaron


Itchy wrote:

I am looking forward to this one as well. I love me a good pirate story!

-Aaron

Yarr! Me too, matey! Which is why I use exclamation marks at the end of every sentence! Arrr!


Chris A Jackson wrote:
Also, this is evidently Denman's first PFT cover! Send the man some LOVE!

I would love to see the full artwork for this cover. Similar to how the cover art for Blood of the City was given away.

Caveat: I don't think that Paizo should give away every cover image from their books, etc. However, I love when they put up artwork in a size that is usable for Desktop Wallpaper; or when they put up Desktop Wallpaper for a free download. It's like little occasional unbirthday presents!

-Aaron


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Itchy wrote:
Chris A Jackson wrote:
Also, this is evidently Denman's first PFT cover! Send the man some LOVE!

I would love to see the full artwork for this cover. Similar to how the cover art for Blood of the City was given away.

Caveat: I don't think that Paizo should give away every cover image from their books, etc. However, I love when they put up artwork in a size that is usable for Desktop Wallpaper; or when they put up Desktop Wallpaper for a free download. It's like little occasional unbirthday presents!

-Aaron

Aaron, if you're on Facebook, you should search for Pathfinder Art. They share a lot of cool Pathfinder artwork on that page, including the cover art for Pirate's Honor.

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Here's Damon's Pathfinder art on Facebook. The cover is posted there without the title and logo.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442061125830641.87077.270998459603 576&type=1

Enjoy!


Chris A Jackson wrote:

Here's Damon's Pathfinder art on Facebook. The cover is posted there without the title and logo.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442061125830641.87077.270998459603 576&type=1

Enjoy!

It should be said, though, that the version posted on Denman's Facebook page is a bit different than the one posted on the Pathfinder Art page. The latter includes what I think is the back cover of the book.

At any rate, Denman's a cool artist so liking his Facebook page is a must if you're into fantasy artwork. :)

Liberty's Edge

2 people marked this as a favorite.

So, how many of you can say that your GM for Skull and Shackles is a published author of a pirate novel? I can!

Not to brag, but... Ok, I am going to brag. Chris is my GM and my good friend. I am so proud of him right now. I can't wait for this to be released to the world.


Heine Stick wrote:
Aaron, if you're on Facebook, you should search for Pathfinder Art. They share a lot of cool Pathfinder artwork on that page, including the cover art for Pirate's Honor.

Good to know, Heine Stick, thanks! I'll have to locate my facebook login info and go hunting.

Chris, I'll check out the link you posted as well, I prefer the full cover image as opposed to just the front. It makes a better desktop background.

-Aaron

Contributor

JollyRoger wrote:
Chris is my GM and my good friend. I am so proud of him right now. I can't wait for this to be released to the world.

Yes, and we still have to finish that adventure path! Running pirates is like herding cats... they chase booty like cats chase mice!!! A very fun AP, by the way. We definitely shifted toward Chaotic Good (Okay, maybe Chaotic Neutral, since the Boatswain's idea of discipline was slitting the offender's throat!) after the PC's got their own ship, but that was a good thing, IMHO.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

2 people marked this as a favorite.

I just want to say I think this is one of the best novels we've published. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Dark Archive Contributor

Well, that's it, Chris. Vic likes you, so you're a made man.

Me, I still got to watch my back.

Contributor

Thanks Vic! Glad you liked it. Hope everyone enjoys it... I had a lot of fun writing it. And don't worry Dave. I got your back. ;-)


I downloaded my digital copy this morning. I will start reading it... soon.

-Aaron


Sadly, Amazon still lists this as a July release!

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Amazon is terrible with respect to their release date listings for our products. They'll probably update their date when they get their stock in a week or two.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Just finished here. Very good. Will be interesting to see discussion on it. Also very low magic.

Contributor

Glad to see people are enjoying it. For those of you still on the fence, there will be a sample chapter posted on the Web Fic page May 1st, and a four chapter "Prequel" story posted in the following weeks. Enjoy!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Chris,

Just finished the book and I thought it was great. I rank it on my top 3 Tales line books. I very much enjoyed the non-traditional heroine in Celeste and her interactions and evolution as a character felt very organic and not forced as I read it.

Hope to see more adventures with the crew of the Stargazer in the future be it another full novel or here on paizo.com with the free fiction.


I have yet to get it. Sadly, spring/summer in Montana is the worst time to buy books to read.. I mean.. you only get so much time for the outdoors (that isn't skiing/snowmobile/getting swallowed up by an avalanche)...

Still, I may get an ePub copy for my iPad to read while camping. Of course, it would be just my luck to get eaten by a grizzly while reading a swashbuckling pirate adventure...

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Perils of being a subscriber.

*opens box* "Hmm, I didn't realize how think it was when I read it."


Matthew Morris wrote:

Perils of being a subscriber.

*opens box* "Hmm, I didn't realize how thick it was when I read it."

I've run into that problem too! For me it's becoming, "This book is too big to hold in one hand on my 30 minute walk to work. I'll just read it on the iPod Touch." I have several Tales books that I have not opened the physical version of.

That's why I started my gamer lending library at the location where we meet. We have a growing shelf of sci/fi and fantasy fiction for folks to borrow. It has resulted in one other GM from the group subscribing to the Tales line.

-Aaron

Contributor

TheChozyn wrote:

Chris,

Hope to see more adventures with the crew of the Stargazer in the future be it another full novel or here on paizo.com with the free fiction.

As do I... Keep a weather eye on the horizon! Glad you liked the story...

Liberty's Edge

Chris A Jackson wrote:
For those of you still on the fence, there will be a sample chapter posted on the Web Fic page May 1st, and a four chapter "Prequel" story posted in the following weeks.

Aha! I saw the reference to the 'Stargazer' prequel at the end of the book and had been looking all over for it. Thanks for clearing that up.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I just finished the book this weekend. It was a lot of fun! I enjoyed that it addressed some important life issues/ consequences without being "preachy" or feeling like the issues were shoe-horned in.

I lent it to a friend of mine who I think will enjoy the book!
I've been loaning out the Pathfinder Tales books quite a bit lately. It helps to know that I have digital copies, so if I never get the physical copy back, I can still read the book.

-Aaron

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'm almost finished, but I just have to say that given the super high quality of this piece of pure awesome, I expect to see the further adventures of the crew of Stargazer in print within the next year or there is something seriously not right with the world!

The Exchange

I was looking for the next piece of Pathfinder Tales to read after "Queen of Thorns", and now, I think Iv'e found it :)

Hopefuly, this will be enough Tales for me until James Sutter or Liane Merciel come up with something new.

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
flash_cxxi wrote:
I'm almost finished, but I just have to say that given the super high quality of this piece of pure awesome, I expect to see the further adventures of the crew of Stargazer in print within the next year or there is something seriously not right with the world!

What a wonderful thing to say! Thank you, Flash! I guess I better get to work making the world "right".


Chris,

What a great book. I agree with Flash, I really want to see more stories with the crew of Stargazer.

I grabbed a digital copy of Scimitar Moon for my Kindle app so I can continue to read your piratey adventures. Too bad your other books aren't available from Paizo in .epub format; I really prefer my e-reader app to the Kindle format.

Fair winds and following seas (and all that stuff).

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Jim in OK wrote:

I grabbed a digital copy of Scimitar Moon for my Kindle app so I can continue to read your piratey adventures. Too bad your other books aren't available from Paizo in .epub format; I really prefer my e-reader app to the Kindle format.

Glad you liked the story, Jim!

FYI, you can get all of my work in e-pub format from either Kobo or Barnes and Nobel. They both sell e-pubs. Alternatively, you can get the e-pub versions of the Scimitar Seas novels directly from the publisher, Dragon Moon press.

Fair winds indeed...I'll take all I can get!

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Chris A Jackson wrote:
FYI, you can get all of my work in e-pub format from either Kobo or Barnes and Nobel.

All of his non-Pathfinder stuff, that is. Currently, Pathfinder Tales PDFs are available only at paizo.com, while Pathfinder Tales epubs are available at paizo.com and the iBookstore.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I just finished Chris A. Jackson's Scimitar Moon and now, even more than before, I am hoping he will pen more Pathfinder novels.

Scimitar Moon seemed like a weak young reader novel for tween girls at the beginning, but quickly showed it's true colors. It has pirates! Super exciting! Great villains! Cool heroes! I'm really looking forward to more adventures with the crew of Stargazer and now I know where to get the epubs!


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Vic Wertz wrote:
I just want to say I think this is one of the best novels we've published. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

In a broad sense, I agree with Vic Wertz on this. This novel sits in the top 4 Pathfinder Tales, along with Blood of the City, Plague of Shadows, and Death's Heretic. The actual ranking tends to shift based on my mood, but those four are consistently at the top.

-Aaron

Contributor

Jim in OK wrote:

I just finished Chris A. Jackson's Scimitar Moon and now, even more than before, I am hoping he will pen more Pathfinder novels.

Scimitar Moon seemed like a weak young reader novel for tween girls at the beginning, but quickly showed it's true colors. It has pirates! Super exciting! Great villains! Cool heroes! I'm really looking forward to more adventures with the crew of Stargazer and now I know where to get the epubs!

Great to hear you enjoyed it, Jim! Read on! There's plenty to choose from. And rest assured, you will be seeing Torius and crew again!

Lantern Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Alright, so this book is definitely on my wishlist, and I have [shamefully] not read a single PF Tales book yet. Budget is beyond tight, and even the minute amount for this PDF or the book along with my August subscription is looking like it will take a planned effort in the next month or two. However, I can't really wait to know what exactly is detailed about naga mentality in this tale.

I am pleading for Chris Jackson to consider sending me an email so we can discuss privately what is revealed about naga mentality and culture in this book, while I eagerly await the whole story itself. I mean, pirates and nagas - who can resist that? I certainly wouldn't blame anyone who couldn't.

Not to spam, but a shameless exhibition:

Spoiler:
Rhiu'jhilan-Hoi is a Nagajoran city I made for an adventure I am putting together for free. For it, I am putting together some supplemental information, and that includes an Ecology of Nagas and Naga-Kin. I really like Ecologies, and I wrote 'Ecology of the Tengu' for Kobold Quarterly #14 along with James Jacobs. I want to be thorough, and your story is official PF mythos, so I can't really wait until I can purchase the book to know what we got added to the palette.

xidoraven(a)yahoo(dot)com

Please and thank you. Looking forward to the book, spoiled story or not. Pirates and nagas - it's like they were meant for each other, I guess. :P
-will

PS: Oh yeah, the art for the blog - most excellent.

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