If this year’s Wyrd and Wonder theme has taught me anything, it’s that I do not read a lot of sea themed fantasy. I’ve read cozy fantasy, epic fantasy, horror fantasy, graphic novels and more, but I had such a hard time thinking of books to fit this year’s theme! After deep diving into my past (and current) reads, I was able to dig up five fantasy port towns to talk about today.
I was very loose with my definition of “port town” mainly because I do not know the different between a port, bay, harbor, ect… Whatever you do, do not ask me to tell you what a port town is! For this prompt, I chose any town/city located near the sea where traveling and/or trading by sea was an important part of daily life.
For those just tuning in:
Wyrd and Wonder is an annual month-long fantasy celebration held every May. This year’s hosts are Imyril with There’s Always Room for One More, Lisa with Dear Geek Place, Jorie with Jorie Loves a Story, Annemieke with A Dance with Books, and Ariana with The Book Nook.
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5 Fantasy Port Towns
1. City of Janloon from Jade City by Fonda Lee
Janloon, the capitol city of Kekon, houses the nation’s largest clans: No Peak and the Mountain. As an island nation, Kekon has remained relatively isolated from outside influence. The clans and people of Janloon are wary of outside nations, but as their world becomes more connected, the No Peak and Mountain clans race to win the most influence and riches from international relationships to gain an advantage over the other.
JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu.
The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It’s the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.
The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion–but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.
When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself.
2. The Spice Islands Monstress Volume 9 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
The Spice Islands is a remote island city that appears in Monstress volume 9 when Maika and her companions wake after being unconscious for a year. The city is under the protection of pirates and located deep in The Wave Empress’s territory, which makes it a perfect safe haven as war ravages the mainland. Enemies who once fought each other gather in the Spice Islands in tentative peace as they form a plan to defeat the power of the old gods.
Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.
3. Hallasholm from The Outcasts (The Brotherband Chronicles #1) by John Flanagan
Hallasholm, the capital city of Skandia, is a cold, Viking-esque city inhabited by people known for their large, warrior builds. The people of Hallasholm have a long history of using their proximity to the sea to plunder other lands on their Wolfships. Looting and plundering fell out of practice when the Treaty of Hallasholm was put in place, which opens the window for Hal and his band of outcasts to embark on more noble adventures.
They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others – they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger’s Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesn’t mean they don’t have skills. And courage – which they will need every ounce of to do battle at sea against the other bands, the Wolves and the Sharks, in the ultimate race. The icy waters make for a treacherous playing field . . . especially when not everyone thinks of it as playing. John Flanagan, author of the international phenomenon Ranger’s Apprentice, creates a new cast of characters to populate his world of Skandians and Araluens, a world millions of young readers around the world have come to know and admire. Full of seafaring adventures and epic battles, Book 1 of The Brotherband Chronicles is sure to thrill readers of Ranger’s Apprentice while enticing a whole new generation just now discovering the books.
Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.
4. Ketterdam from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Ketterdam is know for two things: abundant trade and a rampant criminal underworld. Kaz Brekker and his crew have learned how to use their various skills to survive the cutthroat streets of Ketterdam. Will their skills be enough to break in to one of the most secure prisons in the world? And more importantly, can they make it back to Ketterdam alive?
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
5. Bernshulme from The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
The largest city in The Hundred Isles, Bernshulme, is a diverse and cutthroat matriarchal society. It’s no surprise that a nation perpetually at war would value women who supply able-bodied children above all. At the head of Bernshulme is Thirteenbern Gilbryn, who earned her position by birthing 13 “whole” children for The Hundred Isles fleet. (That’s a lot of babies!) Wander down from the spires of the Grand Bothy through the fish markets and you’ll find the docks that house the vast warships made from strong arkeesian bone.
Two nations at war. One prize beyond compare.
For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war. The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.
Now, the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favor. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory but the war.
