I’m a big fan of R. A. Salvatore’s books and I was looking forward to reading Pinquickle’s Folly. As I started turning the pages, I was initially feeling skeptical. The author threw the reader into a whirling stew of words, of new places, exotic cultures, and curious characters. I felt very disconnected for the first few chapters and even considered not reading the book.
But then the story took off and I was glad I stuck around. So let’s get to it.
The larger picture is, the Xoconai are a gold-skinned race invading Corona. They are led by the dragon, Scathmizzane. The dragon died and the war ended. Treaties were signed. The truce didn’t last.
The augurs of Xoconai, still serving the deceased dragon, corrupt the laws as they seek out gold to resurrect their dragon lord. They make the sacred ways of the indigenous people illegal and label the other races as less than human or sidhe – goblins. They are considered untrustworthy and no better than servants and slaves.
Quauh (Coo-wow) is Xoconai and groomed to be a sea captain. She has a unique sense of the sea and the tides and everyone, especially her uncle Ayet, predicts she will rise in rank in no time. And she will need to rise in rank in order to journey home. She is about to embark on her first adventure as First Mate of a ship in the Tonoloya Armada.
There is a system of golden mirrors that allow people to be transported great distances in a very short period of time. The only problem is, the government won’t allow anyone to return unless they are of a high rank. The Armada Quauh is joining is a far away and she can only get there by use of the gold mirrors. Once she is there, it will be years before she can return. Uncle Ayet’s final warning is to never trust the sidhe. They are dangerous and uncivilized.
On the seas where Quauh is going, there are pirates, with crews of sidhe. The military ships are there to rid the seas of these pirates. And here the reader is introduced to the “polite pirate’ – Captain Wilkie Dogears, his first mate, Massayo, and a talented archer named Chimeg, and one of my favorite characters. The buccaneers ship is called the Port Mandu and they are being hunted by several ships, most notoriously, the Cipac, or Crocodile, captained by Aketz Fiatl. The reader learns quickly that Captain Aketz is ruthless.
Time passes quickly and Quauh advances in rank and becomes captain of the Uey’Lapialli, an enormous cargo ship, the biggest cargo ship in the Armada. But it’s not a warship, which she had been hoping for.
A plan formulated by people higher up is devised to sneak the Uey, without protection, by the pirates unharmed, their cargo – gold. A traitor onboard leads to the Uey being sunk, some of the crew washing up on a nameless shore to be taken prisoners by bloody-thirsty red-capped powries (dwarves).
One hand badly injured, Quauah washes up on this same beach with her crew members but manages to avoid detection. She discovers a chest of gold bars and hides them one by one in a secret place before giant flesh-eating lizards living in the woods force her to reveal herself to the red-capped dwarves. The powries kill the lizards and take her prisoner.
Powries, for those who don’t know, are fierce grisly dwarves that keep their caps soaked in the blood of their enemies, hence why they are red. They come from English & Scottish legends.
In the author’s books, there is healing power in a powries red-cap, and they resurrect when they die. And if they die properly and have their hearts buried to a special powrie song, they can return remembering who they were and not have to start over.
Benny McBenoyt is a powrie Quauh meets in the pit prison she has been placed in. He was the one steering a barrelboat that rammed into the Uey, helping to sink her. It was more or less an accident because a wave threw them forward unexpected-like. Still, Benny’s captain, Captain Pinquickle, was mad at Benny and blamed him for the accident. They got in a fight and Benny felt it necessary to kill his captain. Benny admits to what he has done, but the law is clear, and Captain Thorngirdle must sentence Benny to death. Thorngirdle promises to bury Benny’s heart and sing over his grave which Benny is grateful for.
But Benny still has some tricks up his sleeve and he talks to Quauh, whom he refers to as Sparkleface. She’s badly injured but one of the prisoners in the pit is the traitor and Quauh wants vengeance although she is in no shape to get it.
Benny uses the magic of his red-cap, and that of Pinquickle’s red-cap, which he claimed, to heal her injuries enough to fight. Thorngirdle agrees to allow a combat between them for entertainment sake.
Quauh barely wins the contest but is exhausted and near dead herself.
The Port Mandu lands on the beach. Captain Dogears needs new crew members and the powries are willing to sell some off, including Benny, who can steer ships.
Benny convinces Thorngirdle to help him cut off Sparkleface’s rotting appendage before she gets sick and dies. Benny then convinces his new shipmates to let him bring Quauh onboard the Port Mandu with him.
Quauh, feeling helpless and crippled in this matter, has no choice. She already knows if she ever returned to her people, she’d be stripped of her commission, and possibly imprisoned for losing such a valuable ship. They might even tattoo her with a mark of shame and exile her from society. And without her arm, she’d be of no use to anyone.
Before they make it to the Port Mandu, Benny tells Quauh they share a secret. He saw her hiding the gold bars.
Quauh is now, halfway through the book, part of a pirate crew.
The book is fun, exciting and satisfying. There is plenty of adventure along with some excellent character building. Well-crafted scenes draw people closer together amongst a crew of people unaccustomed to trusting anyone but themselves. I highly recommend the book. And if you feel a little bogged down at the beginning, just jump ahead to chapter 8. That’s where the adventure really takes off, and all the world-building will just naturally fall in around it. 5 stars.
Allen M Werner is the author of The Crystal Crux Series.
Author Allen M Werner 
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