Piratica, by Tanith Lee, is the story of Art Blastside, an intrepid young woman of dubious memory who escapes the confinement of the Angels Academy for Young Maidens to seek a life of swashbuckling adventure at sea. Art believes that her mother was the legendary captain Piratica, so she sets off to reassemble her mother’s crew of not-quite-cutthroats; however, circumstances may have conspired to cloud Art’s childhood recollections for all is not what it seems. Along the way, the crew discover that they are heir to a fabled treasure map. Of course, it can’t all be smooth sailing: Art picks up a handsome young artist called Felix Phoenix, who harbors a potentially ruinous childhood mystery of his own, and runs afoul of both the Navy and another Pirate Queen by the name of Goldie Girl. Though Piratica is aimed at a young adult audience, there’s certainly plenty of high seas shenanigans to satisfy grown-up penchants for swordplay and piratical dramatics. Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean take note!

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