I was sold almost as soon as I read the blurb. I am a sucker for the "getting the gang back together" trope and the humor was promising to be everything I wanted Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids to be.

Cisco as a main character was super relatable - trying to find his place in the world and struggling between the nostalgia for his childhood and trying to raise his own son. I loved the side characters, though I wanted some more time with them because at times Cisco's inner monologue about his son felt a little whiny. I particularly loved the glimpses we got of Doc and Michelle's relationship.

The story was bizarre but in a good way. It was so action packed that I struggled putting it down because I kept wanting to learn what happened next and every time I thought I knew where the author was going he introduced a whole new element. Literally there were pirates and killer Christmas decorations and school plays and talking foxes and so much more.

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of Kings of the Wyld or Ready Player One as well as movies/shows like The Goonies or Stranger Things. And for anyone who likes seasonal reads, this very much takes place at Christmastime so now would be the perfect time to pick it up!

So, I didn't think this was bad, but it just wasn't for me. It kinda my fault I didn't realize this before I requested an arc, but here we are.

I enjoyed the discussions surrounding adulthood, childhood and the role nostalgia can play. How many are stuck in the past due to nostalgia, and that this makes it difficult to enjoy the many joys of the present. I think this was explored really well, and was my favourite part of the story.

Everything else though... Maybe its cause I'm a 90s kid and lacked the nostalgia for the stuff that was present in the book, but everything was abit much for me. The various mis-matching story elements, the plotline, it was just way too over the top and silly for my taste.

The characters didn't really grab me either, and were for the most part just there. I think they needed more characterization, although I realize theres not much room for that in such a fast paced story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I recently tweeted “It’s not recommended to read this book at nighttime as you can suffer from sleep deprivation due to the high level of fun”.
I think this summarise my idea on the book: a gripping, highly entertaining, crazy story that kept me turning pages and have a lot of fun.
It’s start with a crazy (and very funny) scene and never disappoints as the craziness and the fun are increasing as you read.
If you are looking for a multilayered horror which will make you reflect on life and universe this is the wrong book.
But if you are looking for pure and unadulterated fun, the lovechild of the Goonies and Ghostbuster please go and read it.
There’s plenty of 80s nostalgia in this story, pop references and the most extraordinary arms to fight the bad guys.
There’s friendship, family but don’t expect a heartwarming, Christmas story because there’s horror, gore and very bad guys (even some of them are not the type of monster you usually meet)
Have fun and enjoy it, that’s what I did.
Many thanks to Angry Robots for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.5/5 stars

When Cisco Collins returns to his home town thirty years after saving it from being swallowed by a hell mouth opened by an ancient pirate ghost, he realizes that being a childhood hero isn't like it was in the movies, because of four main reasons :

- No one in his home town remembers or acknowledges the incident in its true light
- He's no longer young and age has caught up with him with adult things like poor cardio, joint pains, and having to find a babysitter while chasing a monster doesn't help either
- The pirate ghost wasn't truly destroyed and is now plotting his return
- Neither him nor his friends remember much of their heroic deeds or their magical childhood adventures which are important to save the world

The above points are great to build a fun premise and contribute heavily to the plot line. Cisco as a character starts with all of the above disadvantages and the story follows him and his friends as they rise above these and battle it out with the pirate ghost and it's a fun ride to be in! Swashbucklers as a story doesn't take itself too seriously, has a healthy portion of witty banter and comical scenes, a good scoop of absurdism and good writing to back it all up.

When it comes to characters, we primarily hook with Cisco, who's extremely nostalgic and actively clings to his past and resents to be put under light or to take responsibilities. These make him humane and relatable on several levels. His relationship with his friends and his son are done well as well. Pacing is tight and stakes constantly evolve. The setting is refreshing since it combines 8-bit video game influences with a variety of magical creatures.

I love the way adult life is shown in the story. It makes the story real and characters relatable. It contributes well to enliven the setting and makes the world immersive.

However, the book is not without flaws. The chapters are presented in varying POVs and the shifts don't add anything meaningful to the story. They help to look at the situation from varying levels of stakes and perspectives but nothing that couldn't be done with Cisco's singular POV. At times, the chapter POV toggles subtly between scenes and I don't think it was absolutely necessary. This is a subjective comment but am saying it as a con because it acts counter intuitively. Instead of POV characters becoming closely relatable, they come across as less fleshed out and the connect with them grows less.

As I mentioned, there's a good scoop of absurdism in the story and they risk being downright chaotic. It's up to the reader to either take it in stride or to question their suspension of disbelief. Also depends on the state of mind. So, I'd recommend to set your expectations right and to know what this book is and isn't about going in, to enjoy the story better.

Dan Hanks as a writer swings between poetic observations and prose and comical banter and action sequences. He doesn't go all the way in with either of them, though this book shines with potential. I feel it'd be great if he writes both ends dramatically, just giving in to the awesome premise that he has come up with and letting them take their course. This is just an observation though, I enjoyed reading the book as is.

Overall, I'd say Swashbucklers, as the title suggests, has something unique to present to you. It's a setting and premise led story with good characters and smooth prose. Pick this one up if you enjoy a fun and breezy adventure set in a fantastical world. Happy reading!

It meets The Goonies meets Ghostbusters, with a sprinkling of nods to some more 80’s favorites. Swashbucklers is a fun nostalgia read of fantasy, growing up, and childhood adventures that may be forgotten but leave their mark into adulthood. Loved it.

Fantastic, fast paced, funny action adventure set in the north of England. It's hard to capture the essence but imagine the kids from Stranger Things (or the Goonies) as middle aged adults finding out that the evil they beat as children is back for vengeance! 30 years of forgetting all about their crazy experiences and suddenly having to deal with possessed Christmas decorations and a ghost pirate, whilst coping with the aches, pains and responsibilities of having grown up.
Cisco is our protagonist, a divorced father who never quite got over how saving the world ruined his life. I love the interaction between him and his old school friends, especially as they rediscover their friendship. The characters are just perfect, both the human ones and the fantasy ones. I look forward to learning more about them.
There's a wonderful sarcastic humour with some sharply accurate social commentary and the author has an enviable imagination. There's loads of references to fantasy fiction, pop culture, video gaming and it works so well, I loved it and I really hope someone like Simon Pegg picks up the film rights.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks.
On surface it looked like a fun Ghostbusters type adventure.
A man comes back to his old hometown where supernatural events had occurred when he was young. He and his friends had to deal with them. The events were largely forgotten by everyone. Or pushed to the side as something that was blown out of proportion. He’s the only one that really remembers.
All of the friends are now married with children, which lends a new dynamic when that ancient entity from the past begins to stir again.
In parts this book seems to be an homage to many things. Monster movies. Childhood flights of fancy.
The rigors of parenthood.
The book moved at a good pace with very little lag time. The heroes fought quite a few bad guys, but it never seemed that the author was throwing them in to pad the book.
If shows like Ghostbusters, The Goonies and Stranger Things are your jam, then this is a book you should check out.
After two stellar books from this new(ish) author, I’m definitely looking forward to his next one.
In closing, I’d just like to give a shoutout to the cover artist, Karen Smith. The cover is excellent and compliments the story.

Nostalgia for the win! When they were kids, Cisco and his friends fought an 8-bit war against an evil pirate and saved the world. Cisco is the only one who remembers what really happened; for everyone else, a gas leak was responsible for the Halloween ‘89 mayhem.

“Look, honey, that’s the bloke from the bedtime stories your mum tells you. The gas leak boy, I told you he was real!”

Supernatural fans know ‘gas leak’ is code for ‘whatever it was, it sure as hell wasn’t a gas leak’.

Now all grown up with children of their own, it’s time for the sequel because, as I’m sure you’re very well aware, sometimes the Big Bad doesn’t stay dead. Except it’s not quite as easy saving the world when your joints creak and you’re having to navigate the joys of parenthood while you’re dusting off your custom made game console weapons. It turns out that nostalgia can be deadly.

“Why the hell did you decide that us four, ordinary, slightly unfit, middle-aged human nobodies could take on this momentous challenge again and get it right this time?”

This is one of my favourite reads of the year and the perfect way to get you into the spirit for so many important holidays: Halloween, Christmas, Talk Like a Pirate Day… It’s also the movie I need to see. Outside of my head, that is. There’s a talking fox, a secret room behind a bookcase (be still my beating heart), enchanted forest (“Technically, all forests are enchanted-”), faeries that are bitey and priceless news headlines.

“Bizarre attack in Manchester as costumed cannibal snowman partially EATS homeowner.”

It was the Ghostbusters/Goonies mashup I never knew I needed and I loved every minute. I could almost hear the soundtrack playing during the action sequences. This may have been Cisco’s trip down memory lane but I felt like I grew up there too.

“Bloody nostalgia”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to relive my childhood through this book.

Swashbucklers has a great premise – a group of kids in the 1980s (akin to Stranger Things) save a town from an evil force only for the everyone to lose their memories of what actually happened and the authorities chock it up to a “gas leak”. Only one kid, Cisco, remembers hazily what happened and carries it with him into adulthood. When Cisco starts to get weird feelings that it may happen again, he travels back to his hometown to help his friends remember and save the town yet again from evil. The ‘80s nostalgia was fun but unfortunately the actual story just did not come together for me. It was disjointed and a bit wandering. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

What a crazy ride! This is fast-paced action. It’s a bit like Stranger Things with Ghostbusters, but 20 yrs in the future. Cisco helped fight off the evil Deadman’s Grin back when he was a teenager. Now he’s a dad with a young son and aching bones. But the pirate is back and Cisco and friends can help.
Between aches and pains and parenting woes, they fight the supernatural. It's full of action, jokes, banter and is done well. It actually made me wish this was a sequel, because the story when they were kids sounds like it was an adventure too!
'“I don’t feel much different to being younger. Just a bit more confident maybe. A bit more able to bullsh*t and pretend I know what I’m doing.” That’s the trick to everything, Cisco decided. Being an adult was all about bullsh*t and spin and trying to convince everyone else that you knew what you’re doing, when, really, everyone was in the same boat.'
The pacing slowed a bit in the middle, then picked right back up toward the end. I would have loved more piratey adventures on a ship with crazy shipmates with peg legs saying "aarrgh" and "matey," but I digress! It was a fun adventure that kept me on my toes.
Thank you to Angry Robot for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. The book releases November 9, 2021.

I received an advance copy of this book via Netgalley.

<i>Swashbucklers</i> is a fun romp--a stop-the-apocalypse book about a group of old friends who saved the world from a demonic pirate when they were kids, and now must do so again as adults. And hey, everything is harder when you're in your 40s. Knees pop. There are jobs to negotiate, kids with school schedules. When things are display Santa Clauses and scarecrows come to life and try to kill you and everyone else, that complicates things even more. Good thing those video game blasters with a genuine magical oomph still work.

This book is written for someone my age. Hi, I'm 41, and I get most all the cultural references in this book. It's like a Stranger Things nostalgia trip, but for the geekier set. There were some things that threw me, though. It was awfully convenient that three of the four heroes lost their memories of what they did as kids, and had to rediscover everything as they went along. Some of the plot elements like that felt rather forced. Even so, the book is a lot of fun.

This is an incredibly fun fantasy story that was heavily inspired by the tropes of the horror genre. While more fantastical than scary, this novel followed all the beats of horror story in the vein of IT or Stranger Things. 

The tone of the novel was rather light and humorous. Normally I prefer darker story, but this cute narrative worked surprisingly well for me. 

Admittedly, the plot was very predictable, since the author followed the traditional horror tropes so closely. I did not mind because I was not looking for the book to reinvent the genre. Instead this was just an enjoyable nostalgic romp. The characters were quite likeable and the 1980s references were very enjoyable. 

While technically a fantasy story, I would personally recommend this one to horror readers looking for a light, entertaining read to break up their disturbing horror books. Such a fun escapist read!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Angry Robot Books.

Dan Hanks is the king of modern-day pulp fiction, and I mean that in the best way possible. His books are full of adventure and excitement, leaving the reader wanting even more exploration within each world he's devised. Swashbucklers pairs a great feel for 80's adventure movies with the pangs and twinges of adulthood, setting a perfect nostalgic tone. His characters feel authentically grown from the glimpses we get of their childhoods and Hanks weaves their development throughout the almost non-stop action. Similar to his debut novel, Swashbucklers feels like it would be a great movie or long-form TV show; I'm just surprised no one has optioned them yet.

[Transcript of a video review posted to Instagram Reels]

If you like Stranger Things, It, and The Goonies, then Swashbucklers, by Dan Hanks is the book for you.

It’s dripping with 80’s nostalgia and quirky weirdness.

Featuring:

• An evil pirate ghost as the main bad guy.
• Tons of monster fighting using modified 80’s game consoles as weapons.
•!Portals to other worlds.
• A talking fox as a mentor character.

It’s a hell of an adventure!

It’s weird. And good. And super fun. Plus it has a damn cool cover.

Recommended!

Summary

Back in the 80’s a group of kids fought off a super-evil pirate ghost and a ton of monsters to basically save the world. Since most people don’t believe in monsters, the incident was written off as a gas leak by those in power and largely forgotten as time passed.

Now, in the present day only one of those former children has clear memories of what really happened and the others in the group have mysteriously forgotten all about their monster-fighting adventures as kids.

When the monster attacks start ramping up again, it’s up to the one guy who remembers the past to get the group of, now adult, friends back together, arm them with their old game-console-based weapons and kick some ghost pirate ass.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley and Edelweiss, and got approved for it on both sites. Thanks to Angry Robot for providing an ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

RUSTED HEROES

Swashbucklers does for adult fiction what the Wayward Children series does for YA: it looks at the aftermath of a "typical" kid/teen character experience (in this case, saving our world - and possibly other ones - from monsters). Except, in Hanks' standalone, thirty years have gone by since our Goonies-meet-Ghostbusters gang defeated evil, and these former child heroes (all but one) have forgotten everything about it...or better, have managed to convince themselves that their saving the world wasn't real to begin with (it doesn't help that the rest of their hometown has resolutely fallen into we-just-hallucinated-because-of-a-gas-leak camp ever since). Until shit hits the fan again, and as adults on the wrong side of forty, they find themselves unfit to fulfill their old saviour roles, yet they can't seem to have a choice (or, in Cisco's case, they ultimately welcome the new adventure with open, if a bit shaking, arms). It's a brilliant, subversive concept, and to the best of my knowledge, a totally original one. It lends itself to nostalgia and humour, and provides an insight into the changes (or lack thereof) that childhood friendships undergo in a few decades - all juicy ingredients for a story.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

Swashbuckler makes use of a number of fantasy tropes (down to the talking animal who helps the main characters), but it does that in a fresh and/or endearing way. One of the reasons why the book works so well, though, is that there's a dash of "magical technology" woven into the story (the protagonists's old video game controllers, which work as weapons and bring a lot of fun to the table) and a healthy dose of '80s nerdiness (and don't worry, even if you weren't born yet in that era, you won't have any problem getting your bearings, because classics are classics for a reason). I wish we got more flashbacks of the original characters' adventure as kids, but I realise that's not the story Hanks wants to tell here, and the ones we do get are functional to the narrative, so I'm not complaining.

BACK (AND) TO THE FUTURE

While I got a kick out of the story, I have to admit I needed a little more from the characters. Cisco is supposed to be our hero (if a bit out of shape 😂), but his childhood best friend Doc (short for Dorothy) steals the scene multiple times. I loved how Hanks put her in a same-sex marriage with another old friend, and how she can be a spouse and a mother while retaining her spunk and her ability to kick ass (despite middle age throwing a wrench into her gears). I also loved how her friendship with Cisco, despite their having grown apart in more than a way, only needs a little spark to get reignited. I was left wanting more from Jake and Michelle, but I understand that, while being part of the original gang, this is less their story than it is Cisco's (and even Doc's). There are also some moments that lean more towards telling than showing, but they aren't particularly heavy-handed, so the story still flows nicely.
The ending is bittersweet, but full of hope. One could say Cisco's journey comes full circle, except he's learned a lot about parenthood, courage and heroism, and he should now have the means to change the outcome of his life. Though I like open endings, there's a final scene with the rest of the gang that feels a bit too unresolved even for my liking, but the "real" ending is brilliant, if maybe not suited for those readers who need a more spelled-out one. In short, Swashbucklers is a fantasy-meets-nostalgia standalone with a fresh concept that will captivate nerds of all ages who can take an open ending in stride 🙂.

Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I think I couldn't fully engage with this book because there are tons of references to games and gaming consoles from the late 1980s. I never played any of those games (I had already graduated college) so most of those references were lost on me, although I did enjoy the other 80s pop culture references.

Even so, I was very entertained by the action in this book: at times, it was literally laugh out loud funny. I'd love to see this book done as a movie or a graphic novel: it's crying out for an adaptation! It was fun! For fantasy/horror fans who are children of the late 80s and early 90s: this might be right up your alley! It wasn't quite up mine.

But I still give this 4/5 stars for the amazing visual descriptions & action sequences in this book: I'd pay money to see it on the big screen. Thanks, Dan Hanks, for an entertaining ride!

It's fun. Pure, sometimes messy, madcap fun. I liked worldbuilding incorporating nerdy pop culture references. I liked characters, it's hard not to. All told a wild and entertaining ride. It has some plot holes, but the pacing and twists make up for them.

Swashbucklers is the upcoming novel by Dan Hanks which is incredibly fun, whimsical and refreshing. This is a story of nostalgic adventure that is sure to get the throwback memories racing. It begins with the return of Cisco Collins and his son George who return to Dark Peak, a town where a pirate ghost - Deadman’s Grin - was defeated by four kids years ago. These events were covered up as a gas leak but Cisco has been drawn back to the town as our Swashbucklers must work to save the world yet again.

This is a rabid direction in 80s nostalgic content. This is the birth of the Goonies and Ghostbusters that is set to have you reliving your youth. Who didn’t believe that they would vanquish evil and save the world when they were a kid from a villain long thought dead? The character dynamics is the strongest part of the book. Much like other 80s movies, our four friends - Cisco, Doc, Michelle and Jake - are full of good-natured, mocking banter whilst they first terrorising monsters and embark on bizarre journeys. Even the chapter titles are lines from well-known retro movies.

There is a reason that shows like Cobra Kai, Stranger Things and Lost in Space are wildly popular these days. It is the fondness and heart-warming tenderness that those stories ignite in our hearts. The sheer delight of paying homage to our beloved programmes, games, books, animations that made our childhoods joyfully exhausting.

Hanks has created such a light read that forces us out of the mundane routine of depreciation and forces us to find that appealing spark that we once had. This is a novel that brings forth a balance of fond memories as a child but thrown into the monotonous acceptance of the present. For me, the journey these characters take are very reminiscent of our own and Hanks does a great job of showing us characters that are full of past regret struggling in reality for a redo button, failing to understand the cost.

This is a weirdly chaotic read that brings childhood tales to life. Action-packed and full of heart, Dan Hanks has simultaneously impressed and broken me with this story.

Had very high expectations for this one, that I don't believe were met as well as they could have.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity.

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Earlier this year, I read the author's Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire, which I ended up enjoying a lot. Therefore, it was a little too hard for me to keep my own expectations of this book to more reasonable degrees before starting it. I, of course, don't say that because there are no redeeming qualities to this book, oh no, it was just too messy for me to enjoy.

At the basic level, or rather, if someone asks me to describe this book in a way that will encompass all that's in it, in my humble opinion that is, it's pretty easy to say that:

"It's Stranger Things, with a bigger felt feel of Ghostbusters and it has middle aged protagonists instead, with Dustin as the main character. Oh yeah, also no one remembers anything but him"

Does this sound entertaining? Hell, yes.

Was it as entertaining as expected? Not quite, although I did enjoy myself until about a third of it.

I'm actually struggling to start this review in earnest because I truly think it's got the makings of a great book, but like how I felt when reading The Jasmine Throne a few months ago, which is another book that has a core of brilliant elements; the execution doesn't quite bring it home for me.

In Swashbucklers, the main adventure is already done and Cisco is the only one who remembers what happened, which leaves a big gap that needs to be filled before I even begin with the story.

This in itself is not a problem. Yes, I would have appreciated if I got to see that story first, but the danger feel to the world because the big villain is almost back again, could make it enough for me not to bother with that missing bit of information. But, the pacing of the book makes ignoring this very difficult for me. There is this big show of a discussion where even a battle might occur, before the gang just shifts back to being parents and going to school meets ups before the next event comes up.

The monster of the week format, might have worked a little bit better if I wasn't constantly needed to be reminded how much of a problem that pirate was going to be if he truly makes it back to the world, and see that go nowhere until the final bit of the book. I do understand the need to make use of this format to see Cisco reconnect with the elements of his life after 30 years, but this just killed the tension for me and left me hoping that there was a better sequence to follow here than this back and forth.

Even that, I was willing to ignore, but the reveals of the world or rather, how things are being explained, are done because the plot demanded that it needs to be done now. Not because, there is a huge problem with a possible fatal outcome, where I need my previous heroes who remember nothing to actually be equipped with all the knowledge to save the world again. I mean why?

The battles and action parts themselves, were pretty interesting and it was even more so when the things in the world created by Dan Hanks felt like they're apart of a retelling of sorts. Maybe that's not the way to put it exactly, but seeing what I consider possible traces of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland got me excited. Which makes it even more of a shame, that it didn't have the great payoff I needed for the most part. That ending definitely didn't help with that either.

When it comes to the characters, I will say that they aren't as fleshed out as they might have been if I was there from the start, which in turn, is understandable given the format. Cisco though, does get the bigger focus of the lot and he's not someone I cared all that much about, in his case, I cared more about his neglected son a lot more than him. The book talks about navigating parenthood with this looming problem, but I disagree and actually think it's more on the misleading side as well. Since the times Cisco was actually trying to be a parent, could be counted on one hand and I'll still have some fingers left.

I mentioned before starting the review that there are redeeming qualities to the book, and I still firmly believe that... even if my review isn't exactly showing much of that. The action was fun, the British humour is there for those who enjoy it, there are instances of parental struggle, there are slice of life moments, a wacky paranormal side, there is danger and there are instances of growth.

My issue here is that I don't necessarily believe that all of these work that well together in the book. Would it work as a film though? Yes, that could definitely work.

A fun, exciting, crazy adventure! The story is a thrill ride but the book could have benefitted from a bit more depth in the characters. Overall, this is a quick, delightful read.