When Reiki's island village, Serenity, is razed and burned to the ground by raiders, she swears vengeance. Armed only with her wits, a handcrafted spear, and the courage to face the open sea, she sets sail on a trimaran raft in pursuit of those responsible. Her journey carries her across storm-churned waters and into lands where ancient beasts still stir beneath the waves and the bones of forgotten ages lie buried beneath the sand. Driven by fury and haunted by loss, Reiki begins to uncover truths that challenge everything she believes-about her world, her enemies, and the past that binds them all. The Ghost of Serenity is a sweeping tale of loss and discovery, where vengeance sparks a voyage into the unknown and the line between myth and memory begins to blur.
This is the first entry in a series chronicling the voyage of Reiki, a nineteen year old woman, who sets sail for revenge but uncovers the truth behind her world and sets events in motion that will reshape the destiny of her entire planet.
When Reiki's island village, Serenity, is razed and burned to the ground by raiders, she swears vengeance. Armed only with her wits, a handcrafted spear, and the courage to face the open sea, she sets sail on a trimaran raft in pursuit of those responsible. Her journey carries her across storm-churned waters and into lands where ancient beasts still stir beneath the waves and the bones of forgotten ages lie buried beneath the sand. Driven by fury and haunted by loss, Reiki begins to uncover truths that challenge everything she believes-about her world, her enemies, and the past that binds them all. The Ghost of Serenity is a sweeping tale of loss and discovery, where vengeance sparks a voyage into the unknown and the line between myth and memory begins to blur.
This is the first entry in a series chronicling the voyage of Reiki, a nineteen year old woman, who sets sail for revenge but uncovers the truth behind her world and sets events in motion that will reshape the destiny of her entire planet.
“When you tell the tale of a savior, a prophetess, a hero, it is tempting to embellish. They have a miraculous birth, or they slew a fantastic beast all on their own at the age of three. They ran four thousand kilometers to fetch water for a dying woman who blessed them with immortality.
What rubbish! I have heard skalds and chroniclers from the city of Sychak, all the way to the southern bay of Chekhov, east to Sakawat, and beyond the oceans to the far flung corners of our world. They will all claim Reiki the Prophetess, the Savior, Favored of Terra, was born to a virgin and harpooned a great turquoise dragon when she was but five years old. Nonsense.
She was born and raised in a typical village in the Islands. She was a gifted navigator and a prodigious fisherwoman, but she was not so different from any other young Islander. She was not touched by the divine but was rather a normal young woman who was touched by tragedy. What she did after was entirely a product of her most astonishing assets: she was exceedingly clever and, perhaps more importantly, she refused to accept defeat.”
-On Reiki: A Factual Telling-
Horace the High Chronicler of the Kingdom of Hastra
The skalds of Sychak would later tell increasingly ludicrous tales of the birth of Reiki, the Islander woman who is now known by such an abundance of names and titles as to require almost a book of its own to list and explain them. Some claim she washed upon the shore on a raft of tree bark pulled by a giant eel in the year 2286 under the light of a burning comet. Some claim she was found at the rim of a volcano, the fire mountains so common in the islands where she was born, a seashell in her hand and a silver spear by her side.
The truth is less exciting and fanciful, perhaps, but more encouraging for mere mortals. She was born uneventfully, the first child of a fisherman and a rice farmer in the village of Serenity on the fourth day of the sixth month, called June, of the year 2286, by the reckoning of the Sychak standard calendar. Her father, Harald, was a doting man who instantly fell in love with his daughter. Her mother, Lia, was a strong and dedicated woman who taught Reiki the importance of community, providing for one’s neighbors, but also self-reliance. Together, they lived in a six-room hut made from the wood from the island’s forests, tree fronds, and woven sea grasses. Harald fished the seas, Lia worked the fields, and together they helped care for Harald’s aging mother, as was the custom.
The Islands, though referred to as a nation throughout known history, are a strip of thousands of islands stretching roughly north to south over an expanse of ocean nearly five thousand kilometers long and about a hundred kilometers wide with no ties to each other beyond those of a shared culture and geography. There are hundreds of little villages on hundreds of little islands all throughout the vast archipelago, and it is unknown how many villages or people, for that matter, there are in the islands. Each village is essentially a self-contained society that will readily assist outsiders in need, especially other villages, and gladly trade, but seldom goes out of its way to involve itself in the private business of others. They are a friendly but insular people with no currency and no government beyond a loose affiliation of village councils of elders that met on the rarest of occasions for matters that concerned the Islands as a whole. Of war, they know little, though each village keeps a handful of trained warriors to defend them against the predations of brigands, pirates, and the rare band of raiders from the far eastern nation of Sakawat.
Reiki was raised like any child in the Islands. Young children are tended to by the grandmothers of the village, a dozen or so elderly women who no longer could work the fields, work the nets, or work any of the other jobs that needed doing in the village, but they still had the ability to chase after a rambunctious toddler or two. Reiki was a curious but well-behaved child who would explore Serenity if she was left unattended. She was ever drawn to the lagoon where the fishermen worked on their trimarans and their nets or else cleaned and prepared their daily catch. Once she was able to listen and comprehend and communicate with adults, Harald took her under his wing and began the most joyous period of both their lives—he taught her to sail, to fish, to work harpoon and bow and net. He showed her how to build a trimaran and to fashion new sails. She learned to navigate by sun and stars, by maps and compass, and even by the flight of birds or paths of fish. Reiki took to the sea eagerly, her eyes wide with delight, and as he poured out his knowledge, she drank it up greedily.
There’s no question Reiki was a gifted mariner, but where Reiki differed most from her peers was her insistence on studying the skills and trades of as many people as would teach her. At the age of seven, she appeared before the home of the village’s chief priest, Ichiro, her eyes wide with excitement, and exclaimed, “I am going to learn about the gods now! You’re going to teach me. My mom and dad said I should ask, but then you could say no. So, I’m telling you instead.” She grinned a shameless toothy grin and before the priest could reply she spun on her heels and ran off, shouting, “Okay, thank you! We can start tomorrow!”
The priest might have said no if he weren’t too busy laughing at the time. He assumed she wasn’t serious, or, like so many children, she would simply find something else more amusing or interesting and forget. Yet, he awoke the next morning to find Reiki banging on the door of his hut, insisting that her lessons start right away. The first lesson he taught her was that he did not arise until after the sun did, and so she should let him sleep until at least after breakfast. Many other lessons followed. He started with the tale of the dawn of their world, a planet they called Matria. He told the story from memory and with great solemnity, though she later discovered a roll of parchment in his hut where the tale was written and illustrated with beautiful black ink drawings that Reiki found entrancing. She memorized it and later recited it back to Ichiro, mimicking his own solemn demeanor as she did:
“Long ago, Matria was born from the cosmos. It sprang from the void lush with life: plants, the bounty of the sea, great diggers beneath the earth, the wandering herds of great scaled beasts, and furred monstrosities of tooth and claw in the far east. Finally, after many an age, the gods descended from the heavens in fire and ice and emerged from the sacred cryopod gardens. Only holy mother Terra remained above, guiding the lesser gods, her children, on Matria below. The gods gave birth to mankind in their respective domains and mankind multiplied. Then, after a time, a great fiery star fell from the sky and holy mother Terra fell silent, never to be heard from again. The gods themselves left their mortal vessels on pyres, and their souls were carried back to the stars from whence they came as ash and smoke. Mankind was left to live and toil on Matria while the gods watch from above.”
Ichiro smiled at her recitation and sent her on her way so he could take a nap. Reiki thought the story had a beautiful symmetry to it even then, though she spent many nights wondering over what became of Terra, mother to all. When she asked Ichiro later, she was surprised to learn that he did not know.
“Perhaps she was the fiery falling star and she fell to Matria at last, though none have ever found her. Or maybe she faded away alone in the sky. Who can know the ways of the gods? Why did they surrender their mortal vessels and return to the sky in ash? There are always more questions, Reiki, though there are not always answers. Do not trouble yourself too much. Curiosity is a good thing but not at the expense of happiness. Live. Love. Do good. Have a family. Strengthen the village through your works and your voice. These are the ways to a good life.” Ichiro’s advice usually came back to those key points, regardless of where the discussion began. Well, that and his beloved Toki, a potent spirit fermented from rice and the succulent fruit found in the forests on Serenity. He never let her try any, no matter how often she pestered him. Ichiro was a quirky old drunk, but she loved him, even though his answers often left her with even more questions.
She learned the rites and responsibilities owed to the gods of the cryopod garden and holy mother Terra. She learned some astronomy. She learned a little about herbology and healing. She pestered the small number of warriors in Serenity until they begrudgingly taught her to fight with a harpoon, a knife, and a bow. She followed around several of the older men as they went foraging in the trees and bushes and the three hills of her island. She was an avid learner and by fifteen she was known by all in the village as one who could be relied on to help with whatever task they required and to do it well.
Still, for Reiki, the greatest moments of her childhood were going out to sea with Harald, the first time she went out alone on her trimaran (a rite of passage for fishermen in Serenity), and, most of all, the birth of her little brother, Tova, when she was ten years old. Lia had spent the whole night in labor, hours and hours. Reiki thought her mother was dying and had rushed into the hut before being rushed out by the midwives. Her father had sat beside her on a log next to their fire and explained to her what was happening. Reiki was calmed somewhat, but her mother’s cries continued for what seemed to Reiki to be countless hours. Then, the next morning, her father brought her into the hut to see her mother and little Tova. Reiki had never felt about anyone or anything what she felt for that tiny little boy with his mop of black hair slick to his head, his tiny bulbous nose, and toes, and his high-pitched cry. As she stared down at him, resting in his woven crib, he opened his eyes, stopped crying, and, for a moment, he smiled a gaping toothless smile. She was immediately and irretrievably smitten with him.
When he was old enough to learn to fish, she went with her father to teach him, and she comforted him when he wept in terror at the sight of his first garatha eel, even though it was a small one, five meters long and without its adult teeth yet. She bandaged his scrapes and tended to him when he was ill, which was often. Tova was a small and sickly child, but Reiki only loved him more for it. As far as Reiki could see, he was also loving, slow to anger, and kind to everyone. As much as Reiki loved Tova, Tova loved Reiki as much, if not more so. It was a common sight to see them walking together hand in hand, sixteen and six years old, along the beach at night. Reiki delighted in pointing out the different constellations she knew and telling the stories of each. Tova would smile and look up at her, his eyes full of adoration and wonder.
“That’s the Eel, Tova. See how it snakes its way across the sky? The garatha eel is a great terror, it’s true, but also a great boon to our people. Its hide makes the best clothing and sails. Its teeth can be used as spear points or knives. Its flesh can feed the whole village if you find a big one. They are dangerous, though.”
Tova squeezed her hand tightly. “They scare me, Ray-Key. Tell me about a nice one!”
Reiki smiled and squeezed his little hand gently. “Okay. See that one there?” She pointed to a cluster of stars, five forming a cross and a curve of six stars below them. “That’s the great boat! Do you see how it looks like a small boat with a mast and spar? That’s the boat of the great hero Matsui, one of the gods of the cryopod garden. He had it burned with him when he left this world and returned to the sky. You can see him there, just to the right of it.”
Tova nodded. “That’s better, Ray-Key. Mat-soo-ee is way better than eels.”
Reiki laughed. “Alright, Tova. I won’t try to convince you that eels are good. We’ll stick to the other constellations instead.”
The other children would sometimes bully Tova. At first, Tova responded with tears. He was a sensitive child, and the other children could be so cruel. Reiki defended Tova when she could, but this seemed to only increase the bullying. As Tova grew, the bullying grew with him until, at the age of nine, he decided it was time to stop relying on Reiki to protect him. He decided to focus on training with the harpoon and began to spend hours practicing every day when he was not busy helping Lia or Harald around the hut. Reiki understood the impulse and even recognized the wisdom of it, but she missed the sweetness of his tiny little hand in hers, the way he would fall asleep on her chest, and the way he would smile when she told a story. Now, he was growing, and she knew those days were gone.
She also knew that it was time for her to decide her future in the village. The Islanders attained adulthood when they turned nineteen years old. Now, it was October, and she had passed that milestone four months ago. Islander women were expected to choose a profession and a mate, both within a year of becoming an adult unless there were extenuating circumstances. To Reiki’s knowledge, “I don’t want to” was not considered to be an extenuating circumstance.
Reiki was happy to contribute to the success of the village, but Serenity had enough fishermen as it was. What Serenity needed was a new high priest and a new trading chief to make voyages to other villages and even some foreign lands to trade excess goods for things the Islanders could not make for themselves, such as steel tools. Reiki was torn between her sense of duty, which would have her adopt the robe and headband of the high priest and spend all her days in service to the gods of the cryopod garden, for she was one of only a handful of Serenity’s citizens who had trained under Ichiro. Yet, her heart belonged to the sea. She had journeyed with her father as part of a trading expedition on several occasions as a child and her young mind had relished every moment. The current trading master was now in his sixty-third year and had crippling arthritis. His son, Malek, was eager to fill the role, and he was not an incapable sailor or trader. However, it was generally agreed that Reiki was in another class altogether where mastery of the sea was concerned.
Reiki felt fairly certain she knew what she would ultimately decide, but choosing a mate was a greater challenge. Reiki had no interest in any of the young men of Serenity, nor the women, for that matter. She remembered the first time she kissed a boy. His name was Alexei and he had long flowing black hair that felt warm and smooth in her hands. She remembered the kiss had felt awkward to her, a wet and meaningless act that she had only done because the other girls on the island had made fun of her because she had never done so. Then she remembered the first time she kissed a girl. That she had done because she had been curious if the problem with that first kiss was that it was with a boy. Her name was Kelli, and she had smelled and tasted like the whistle fruit she had been snacking on that morning. Reiki liked the sweet taste of the whistle fruit, but she found the kiss as empty of feeling as the one with Alexei. After that, she had never felt the desire to try again and had since come to the conclusion that her life was fine without the addition of romance. She worried, not without reason, that her decision to forgo choosing a mate could jeopardize her place in the village and potentially lead to being shunned by her people.
These concerns plagued her each night when she finally laid down on her cot to try to sleep, the snores of her father and the soft breaths of little Tova drifting through the walls. She would lay awake as her mind raced, and she agonized over her future. Every day brought her closer to having to make a decision, until she could no longer keep putting it off without the risk of being shunned or banished from her village; Serenity was a tight knit island that could not suffer an excess of individualism. She had pushed her luck for as long as she could.
So it was that she fell asleep one cool night in autumn, the seventh day of the eight month, called October, of the year 2305, fretting over the distance in her relationship with her brother and the uncertainty of her place in Serenity and dreading the decision she knew she must make. When she finally fell into a deep sleep, she did not suspect that by nightfall the following day her entire life, her world, everything she had known, would be irrevocably changed; all would be burned and washed away in a torrent of fire and blood.
The Ghost of Serenity by C. C. Lincoln is about a young woman named Reiki. She has just come of age in her remote island village known as Serenity. Though still young she is intelligent and determined which led her to train from a young age in a variety of trades. Longing to be a fisherwoman she is considering being the next shaman and elder instead. After an argument with her mother concerning Reiki’s reluctance to marry and potentially have children she takes to the sea in her trimaran. Returning home later that day she discovers smoke and a fleeing ship. Making land she finds her entire village slaughtered with no one left alive. As she takes care of the bodies she discovers who was behind the massacre and makes a vow to the gods that she will avenge her village by killing everyone on the ship that attacked or to die trying. Taking supplies she leaves on her trimaran determined to hunt them down.
This was an interesting book and I say that because it seems to be about Reiki trying to find vengeance for her people, which is not necessarily the best thing to do but is understandable considering the circumstances. However, if you dig just a little deeper and look a little closer at the conversations Reiki has than you see it is also about trying to figure out what is the truth. In this case what is the truth about the gods and about Reiki’s quest and the right thing to do. Something that I found interesting though is the world in which the story is set. There are at least some rather interesting similarities between Reiki’s society and cultures from similar places in our own world but the further you get into the story the more you realize it is different at the same time. Either way the world is remarkably detailed and fleshed out in many ways. I rather enjoyed seeing more of the different groups of people she interacted with over the course of the story. The one thing I was not expecting was the way the story ended. Parts of it were definitely expected from way in the early parts of the story but some of it was a huge surprise so that was intriguing. I also rather liked watching how the character of Reiki evolved and grew over time. The person she is at the end of the story is rather different from the person she is at the beginning. Overall, I rather enjoyed reading this story so am happy giving it four out of five stars.
This is a story that is rather hard to categorize in terms of genre as the early stages feel closer to fantasy but the later stages are undeniably science fiction. I would think it would appeal to readers who enjoy either of those genres or the readers who like the works that overlap the two. Considering the way the story starts and Reiki’s vow you might correctly imagine that the story contains decent levels of violence. Some of it is graphic but nothing is overly graphic so it should still be fine for most readers, even young adults or older teens though younger readers might be cautious before diving in. I didn’t notice any adult content or even really any adult references so nothing really to be concerned about there either. A pretty good read and one that I rather enjoyed so consider trying it.