Off My Dock

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Pirate Captain Charyd needs to do the unthinkable for a second time. Steal back the sentient spaceship Darkstorm to save his crew from prison before they are executed. Military Captain Posey finally has captaincy of the Darkstorm and has to keep it under military control. If she fails, it will be her last mission and she'll lose her rank.

Unfortunately, the Darkstorm itself is having a bit of an identity crisis and can't decide which captain it prefers to be in charge. Throw in new advanced tech, competing pirates, and the rare phenomena of invisible space waves, and the three have to figure out how to work together before the Darkstorm is de-commissioned and its secrets die with it.

Updates every Monday.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: KonstanceDucks

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 5.0/ 5.0
Followers: 31
Views: 12,429

Chapters(32 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(5)

A V DalcourtRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: Writen as part of joint effort between two writers, the writing is surprisingly seemless and fluid. A rare feat for most collaborations! The story is told through a close third person narrative, through the perspective of the active character of the chapter. Rarely does the perspective shift to the other MC within the same chapter, which helps maintain a nice focused purpose for each chapter.
Characters: There are two primary protagonists, a male and female, which usually a dangerous sign that pinning and romancing is going to take over. While I'm told romance will be a factor, it's a slow burn and not the primary focus of the story. Why mention this is the character section? Because with romance stories, the whole identity fo the characters is usually dependant on what the other character needs him/her to be. Instead we have two people who have strong personal identities, wants, goals, and desires, which put our protagonists are instant odds. I sympathise with both characters, relating to the need for order and duty on the one hand, as well as relating to the f-u rebellious nature of the other. At no point, even with the odd, she has a nice 'a**' comment did I think - oh these two should/will hook up. It was just a thought that people have, and treated as such. I appreciated that element of it.
Story: This is the good bit. So this ship was just salvaged by the military and they're about to go out on this pirate hunt, specifically to hunt down the remaining few pirates out there responsible for stealing the ship. But these also have something a bit more valuable... a bit more dangerous that the military must recover. Only things is! Oh I can't say! It'd spoil it. I didn't clue in right away, but by chapter 3, I was sure the twist I thought I saw was what I saw, and I so squeed! Clever!
Grammar: Nothing noticable on this front. Thumbs up.
Ace-omiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This science fiction novel focuses on a sentient spaceship, the Darkstorm, and its two captains, Charyd and Posey. The plot revolves around the struggle for control of the ship and the tension between the two captains. The Darkstorm, being a highly advanced piece of technology, adds an interesting dynamic to the story and its identity crisis creates an extra layer of complexity.
The characters are well-developed and their motivations are clear, making it easy to understand their actions. The descriptions of the ship, its technology and its abilities are vivid and well written, helping to create a clear picture of the world in the reader's mind. The use of the Dark Matter Engine and the Lightning Strike, two new advanced technologies, adds an exciting element to the story.
However, the pacing of the novel could use some improvement as it feels a bit slow at times. The dialogue between the characters can also be a bit stilted and could benefit from more natural flow. The concept of the Darkstorm's identity crisis is intriguing, but it could have been explored more deeply. The idea of the ship being sentient and the tension between the two captains is a good foundation for a novel, but it feels like there is potential for the story to be taken to a deeper and more meaningful level.
Overall, this novel is an interesting read for science fiction fans, but it could benefit from further exploration and development of the ideas presented. The characters are well-defined and the technology is impressive, but the story feels like it could have gone further in terms of depth and meaning.
KonstanceKayRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
But on a serious note, Ducks is an absolutely phenomenal co-writer!
Ducks is the one that is keeping this story moving along at a beautiful pace and keeping the enthusiasm and love of this story going. Ducks is also the one responsible for adding in some epic ideas that take this from a random list of bullet points to a story that you can get easily immersed in and (my favourite part) Ducks is the one who is adding in those tiny little details that draw you into loving a character. Lovely work Ducks, can't wait to read more! ;)
Second LawRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Off My Dock is the story of Pirate Captain Charyd and his adventures. It's set not in the wild seas of earth, but in the vast multiverse filled with a myriad of species, dangeous natural phenomenon, and talking ships.
Yes, talking ships. The AI in this multiverse is advanced enough that we the ship Darkstorm, one that our captain plan to steal, has an advanced AI with a full personality called Tony. We follow along as Charyd tries to steal the darkstorm from Captain Posey, it's current captain, and rescue his pirate crew.
Style Score : The story is written with a style that focus on worldbuilding just as much as storytelling. There are no faceless and nameless side characters that feel hollow. Every scene is described with care, and every character has its quirks and personality. This makes for a very immersive read as you get sucked into the story and feel a strong investment into the fate of every character. There is also good humor.
Story Score : As I mentioned before, the story starts with a heist and prison-break attempt as Charyd tries to steal the Darkstorm, an incredibly powerful spaceship, and rescue his friends from what we may think of as a maximum security prison. In the meantime, we get to see Tony, the Darkstorm's AI, being complacent and sometimes helping Charyd out enough though he understands the pirates intention. The story starts with this unique premise, and then every chapter brings us closer to the takeover of the ship and the jailbreak, making for a thrilling read.
Grammar Score : I did not find any noticeable mistakes.
Character Score : As I mentioned before, every character has its quirks and personality described, as well as it's species and the abilities of said species. In particular, the characters of the pirate captain, the miliary captain of the ship, as well as the AI are unforgettable, in addition to some more notable crew members of the ship. I only have one small nit to pick. Too many characters get introduced too fast in the story
Youngish OldsterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A quick review: OK, so it's not exactly a fanfic. 😁. Still, read this if you like sci-fi fantasy adventures in the vein of Douglas Adams.
It's great fun and full of absurdly witty twists & turns. The characters are alive and their chemistry is great, even early on. The writing is crisp & sets up the plot and comic moments brilliantly.
Will probably do a review update later and add more words. Honestly though, why read my words when you could be reading the story?
Added to followed & favorites lists. Great stuff.