Pirates of the Crimson Sands by Justin Macumber

“Pirates of the Crimson Sands” is a 2009 science fiction short story by Justin Macumber. It is about a young pirate captain who takes her floating ship to obtain some very valuable cargo.

Aargh!

Talk Like A Pirate Day is still 7 months away, but I didn’t let that stop me from reading this fascinating story! Now I know I’ll be ready for it when it comes!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Fifteen year old Shana has recently taken over as captain of the Cloudstrike – a position previously held by her father. Now, in one of her first major decisions, Shana decides to increase their reputation and go after the cargo on the Skulper. The question is will she command enough respect for her crew to follow… and enough know-how to be successful?

My Two Cents…

• Who doesn’t like pirates? It was fun reading about futuristic pirates and their sand-skimming ships – especially the battles!
• Although cap’n Shana was an interesting character, I wasn’t totally convinced that she had what it took to lead a band of rough pirates. Hmm… maybe I’m just skeptical of a young girl leading a bunch a mercenaries.
• While it was fun reading about the pirates, there was a bit too much pirate talk for me. Sure, Talk Like A Pirate day is fun, but the dialog got a little bit annoying in this story.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 8
• Word Count: 4,686
• Did you know that Justin Macumber runs a podcast which gives advice and support to other aspiring writers? Yep. You can learn more about this author on his web site.

Where You Can Find Pirates of the Crimson Sands:

• This story was first published in June 2009 on the eMuse web site – where you can still read it online for free.
• You can also read it on the Justin Macumber’s web site.

Craving More Stories?

If you liked “Pirates of the Crimson Sands” then you’ll probably enjoy The Menace from Earth by Robert Heinlein.

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