High Skies Piracy

Pirates, fighting, enticing characters and magic!!! What’s not to love? 

The characters are very in depth, you can see the writer shine through, which I personally love to see in a story. 

I also find fantasy pirates to be a very intriguing concept! And so far I’m very impressed as it has all the regular components you’d find in high fantasy, but it comes with a twist! 

So far the story is very intriguing and I’m finding it hard to stop thinking about the characters! I think the writer does a good job at expressing the characters emotions and pulling you in, so you feel entangled with the character, and you really feel for them. 

The descriptions and landscape are great, incredibly rustic. It’s not hard at all to envision the story in your mind!

Overall, I can’t find many, if any faults in this story, especially giving it’s a web serial! 

Well done! 

I found the opening to be rather intriguing. The predicament that Stephan found himself in at the start of the plot was interesting; I wasn't sure at first how he would get out of it. From the very start, I found myself invested in Stephan's situation. It was easy to get a sense of how dire being held captive by the slavers was for Stephan. 

The characters introduced over the course of the next chapters all felt like they had distinct personalities. I thought that Yin in particular was a fascinating character. I interpreted her behavior around Stephan at the start to be a result of shyness. The dynamic she has with Stephan was interesting, which I think is a result of the way it was written. We have the scene where Stephan wants Yin to help him cook, as well as the one where Yin shows up to help Stephan with the two men. The scenes are spaced out in a way that I couldn't help but want more of Yin and Stephan's interactions.

Overall, the prose is solid and flows fairly nicely. I like the way the world is introduced as the plot progresses. It isn't too fast or too slow-- I think the pace in which the world is revealed is a perfect balance.

Great story with exciting characters filling out a great world.

I love the found family we have here, and i also like how each of the characters undergo their own arcs that explain their interpersonal relationships with each other. You get enough PoV's to really get to know them, see how and why they act the way they do and what makes them tick.

That being said. The MC has a habit of getting a bit lost in the dialogue. He is often a spectator to the more whacky characters antics. This is especially true in scenes taking place on board ships. Where the crews knowledge, teamwork and skill is on display. Meanwhile the MC kind of just.. exists.

That being said, combat is done excellently. fast paced and frantic conveying the motion of the fights through simple and easy to understand language. Though i did have to look up a few weapons being used later on as they get quite exotic. We do get to learn with the MC about much in this world. But after the first couple of arcs, and most of the learning is done, the problems i meantioned earlier start to arrise.

9/10 for the first 28 chapters

8.5/10 for the later chapters as stephan is forced to share the spotlight more.

I love the idea of the novel, it is set in a great world and the author builds off the foundation he made. 

The story flows well, it is well written, and with okay grammar. 

I will love the map at the start, gives a clear picture of the world we will be traveling. 

Great character introduction and the intricate with each other, showing the chemistry that they have with each other. 

First off, I want to admit that I have a bias toward pirates and airships. Growing up a Final Fantasy fan, my love of the movie, Treasure Planet, and being a fan of One Piece all makes me a sucker for this setting and story.

That being said, this story has plenty of objective merits as well. The setting is detailed with enough worldbuilding lurking at the edges of the plot to hint that the author has thought a lot about the world. The maps provided with the story speak to that as well; they remind me of the maps I found in books I read during my childhood and teenage years.

The world itself has a lot of interesting fantasy elements that meld together to form an interesting whole. On their own, some of the elements aren't completely unique but in the context of the world, they made me wonder about how they fit into the larger picture. All in all, it's a great setting for a high flying adventure story.

As for the story, I won't say much but it does the job of stimulating a sense of adventure. Stephan works well as an agent for the reader to see the world through because he is a repressed pencil pusher at the beginning and must slowly open up to find who he really is while exploring the world in search of ancient treasure with his crew. Mystery, adventure, and action make the plot satisfying to read as it ramps up.

Lastly, the characters. I'll admit, at first, I wasn't as keen on some of them. Not because I disliked them but because they didn't catch my interest. However, as Stephan acclimates to the crew and life as a pirate and through POV switches, we learn more about each of member of the Tits Up! which reveals the individuality hidden under their archetypal surface. Additionally, Stephen himself isn't merely a vehicle for the reader. He has his own motivations as he grows closer to the crew and balances out the crew's high octane personalities with his own. They make a great cast of renegades with their skills, antics, and, most importantly, the familial bonds they build during the story.

Ultimately, this story is a fun adventure filled with interesting and likable characters. It reminds me of movies like Treasure Planet and Atlantis, and video games like Skies of Arcadia, most of the early entries in the Final Fantasy series, and a bit of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. If you like any of those things, or just want a good magitech adventure story, I recommend reading.