Fire Dragon Reviewed at Shelly's LGBT Book Review

"M. Kei may be the best fantasy/adventure novelist you’ve never heard of… unless, of course, you read gay themed pirate fiction a la his Pirates of the Narrow Seas series. Or, maybe you’re a poetry fan and you are familiar with Kei’s award winning work. I, in all honesty, had never heard of him prior to reading his latest novel (not in the pirate series), the May, 2012 release, Fire Dragon. [...]

"I occasionally decide to step out of my comfort zone and read something that I wouldn’t normally choose. From the first page of this book, I got sucked into the story. It was really hard to put it down."--Shelly's LGBT Book Review Blog

Read the complete review at: http://shellysbookstore.com/2012/10/04/new-fiction-fire-dragon-by-m-kei/

M. Kei Interviewed by Our Story GLBTQ Historical Fiction

M. Kei, author of Pirates of the Narrow Seas, interviewed by Yancy Carpentier for Our Story GLBTQ Historical Fiction. He talks about his latest novel, a gay Asian sf/f tale called 'Fire Dragon,' as well as historical fiction, poetry, and what fiction can offer LGBT readers.

An excerpt from the interview:

The novel takes its name from the ‘Fire Dragon,’ who may or may not be real. It might be a new rogue Spirit, or it might simply be a superstition, or it might be the delusion of a deranged firefighter, or it might be an outright fraud to disguise acts of arson. Shuibai discovers a lot of arson fires set to cover up murder, terrorize the populace, and to destroy munitions belonging to rival forces, etc. No spoilers, so I will simply say, it’s near the end of the novel before we really find out what’s going on and the question of the Fire Dragon is resolved.

Read the complete interview at: http://bookworld.editme.com/M-Kei-Interviewv

Fire Dragon reviewed by Jade at GLBT Bookshelf

"Just when you thought there was no such thing as entirely original fantasy novel, here comes M. Kei -- better known for "iron men in wooden ships" tales of gay heroes under sail -- with a most enjoyable work, FIRE DRAGON.

"The great strengths of FIRE DRAGON are in the sheer originality of the idea -- the formation and development of a fire service in a frighteningly vulnerable city -- and the author’s creative decision to stage the project in a fantasy Asian setting. Picture a lavish cross between China and Japan, anything between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries, in which the height of technology is gunpowder for fireworks. Over the border are enemy hordes … showing up in the city are quite advanced and totally illegal firearms -- not pistols, but revolvers (telling us clearly that this land of swords, clan politicking and bushido has been left behind, in an industrial sense, by the world outside). The Emperor himself is concealing an enormous secret, while the feudal nature of this society is built, pagoda-fashion, from the untouchables on up to the Celestials -- with one more twist."

Read the complete review at: http://bookworld.editme.com/Review-Fire-Dragon-by-M-Kei

Fire Dragon goes on sale June 1, 2012

But readers of this site can get it early by following the links below:

Fire Dragon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Dragon-ebook/dp/B008555OMG/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338294833&sr=1-6

Fire Dragon (Paperback): https://www.createspace.com/3784966

Subscribe to Our Story GLBTQ Historic Fiction to catch an interview with author M. Kei, talking about his new novel, Fire Dragon. Our Story is not only inclusive of GLBTQ fiction, they have a broad definition of 'historcal' that includes fantasy and other alternative treatments with a strong sense of history. Visit Our Story at: http://bookworld.editme.com/Our-Story-GLBTQ-Historical-Fiction-Edited-by-Nan-Hawthorne-0

The blurb:

In an exotic and magical land, Shuibai, a lowly bucket-maker, is appointed Fire Warden. He surprise--and annoys--everyone by taking his job seriously. Yet as he attempts to keep his city safe from fire, he finds his own life in peril as he stumbles across dangerous secrets.

Mysterious foes are smuggling illegal guns into his city, and they will stop at nothing, not even arson, kidnapping, and murder, as they wage their secret war. He is helped by the man he loves, the handsome but crippled ex-firefighter, Zashi, a man tormented by demons of his own.

Is the Fire Dragon real, or is the truth far more sinister?

New Novel : Fire Dragon

I am currently stumped in the middle of writing Man in the Crescent Moon, so I have set it aside for a while and worked on other things. In particular, fifteen years ago I wrote a novel that didn't quite gel. Pulling it out and re-reading it, I realized what was wrong and how to fix it, so I did. The novel is a gay Asian fantasy/science fiction story called Fire Dragon, and you can read it for free (for a while anyhow), as I post it to Fictionpress: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2991636/1/Fire_Dragon

It concerns the struggles of a lowly bucket-maker named Shuibai who is unexpectedly appointed Fire Warden. He actually takes his job seriously, much to the surprise--and annoyance--of other people because he pokes his nose into other people's business. He discovers a conspiracy involving contraband guns and a plan to overthrow the government while falling in love with a crippled ex-firefighter.

PoNS 4 : Heart of Oak now available in trade paperback

PoNS 4 : Heart of Oak available in trade paperback

27 July 2011 — Perryville, Maryland

Keibooks is pleased to announce that Heart of Oak, the long awaited fourth book in the Pirates of the Narrow Seas series by M. Kei, is now available in trade paperback. Heart of Oak continues the adventures of Lt. Peter Thorton of the British navy as his divided loyalties are tested in the crucibles of love and war. A pawn in the war for Portuguese independence, he is marked for revenge by the Spanish, and comes perilously close to losing both his life and ship when HMS Amphitrite is the target of a Spanish cutting out raid. 

The redoubtable Duke Henrique, forced to marry a puritanical princess for political reasons, must once again call upon the courage of his British friends to aid him in a time of crisis. Captain Tangle, the famous Sallee rover, assists them all, but catches a Tartar when he attempts to seize the Spanish royal yacht, bringing down the wrath of a Spanish battle fleet upon them all. Meanwhile, Cmdr. Alan Abby, retired ashore at Gibraltar, has the opportunity to show that although blind, he is a still an active and gallant officer.

Through it all, Thorton is still longing for love, but is a victim of bad advice and his own naïveté. He succumbs to the charms of the dashing hussar, Colonel Karolyi, and is sorely tempted to throw away everything and follow the devil-may-care light horseman. Captain Horner, determined to keep Thorton on the straight and narrow, intercedes, and both of the British officers must face the far superior saber skills of the colonel in separate duels. 

Book Four brings Thorton to the nadir of his career, his health broken, and kept a virtual prisoner in a cellar, he discovers which man has the ‘heart of oak’ he can truly trust. Written by a tall ship sailor and internationally acclaimed poet, M. Kei, Pirates of the Narrow Seas combines swashbuckling adventure, gay romance, and gritty realism. 

Praise for previous novels in the series:

“A true literary first: a gay seafaring novel that’s every bit as good with the ‘gay’ stuff as the ‘seafaring’ stuff [...] Pirates of the Narrow Seas has thrilling action sequences, complex, conflicted characters, and a healthy dose of contemporary realism.”—Steve Donoghue, Open Letter A Monthly Arts and Literature Review

“A swashbuckling tale full of colour, adventure and romance – a good read!”—Gerry Burnie, Gerry B’s Book Reviews

“an action-packed swashbuckler of the Captain Blood tradition”—Nan Hawthorne, That’s All She Read


“well rounded individual personalities which it is a joy to follow” and “Recommended Reading”—Astrodene’s Historic Naval Fiction

“Please, Mr. Kei, write us another.”—Candice E. Frook, Amazon.com

The Sallee Rovers, the first book in the series, won a Sweet Revolution Award in the category of “best full cast” and “Judge’s pick”, and also won a 4th/Honorable Mention from the Rainbow Awards in the category of “Best gay historical fiction.”

Available in trade paperback from:

Keibooks
P O Box 516
Perryville, Maryland, USA

Or CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/3652763, or your favorite online retailer.

E-book forthcoming from Bristlecone Pine Press.

Men of Honor

Men of Honor is the second book in the series Pirates of the Narrow Seas. It's my favorite; I had a blast writing it. The title says what the book is about: honor. Today we don't talk much about honor, and we don't have much respect for those old-fashioned folks who believe in honor. Slogans like 'death before dishonor' seem like macho hyperbole. Yet honor was the social currency that enabled the upper class world of the 18th century to function.

A man's word was his bond. When he gave his parole, he lived by, and if necessary, died by it. It was entirely possible to release a man on parole and have him show up for his own execution. This is because if he ran away, he would lose his honor, and he would rather die than live without honor. Interesting studies have been done about how honor relates to access to financial credit, for example. A man's reputation was the only guarantee he could offer for his debts--which is one of the reasons debtors were dealt so harshly with. The man who could not pay his debts had broken his word. Thus men with reputations as liars found it difficult to access credit--and most other aspects of life among the elite of the 18th century. Sure, there were rogues who managed to survive anyhow, but that's because no system is perfect.

Peter Thorton is an honorable man. That is intensely important to him, and it's something that other men recognize in him. In Men of Honor, when he is arrested, he gives his parole and returns to duty as a lieutenant aboard the Ajax while he awaits his court martial -- a court martial that could kill him. He makes no escape attempt -- that would destroy his honor. He's given his word, and even though he has his moments of fear and weakness, he shows up for his court martial at the duly appointed time.

English law presumed a man innocent until proven guilty, and there were very few ways or reasons to keep an officer confined. Parole worked because it had to work. If lieutenants in trouble simply ran away, the system wouldn't work at all. Such a man would have no further career in the British navy, and he probably wouldn't have a career ashore, either. Desertion was punished with death to deter running away, but the real thing that bound gentlemen to the system was honor.

Although we accept incarceration as a suitable method of holding miscreants until their trials, ships have scant facilities for such things. In fact, a ship is effectively a floating prison, so there's really no need to confine somebody -- they aren't going anywhere. British ships anchored offshore instead of docking on purpose; few men could swim, and even if they could, a mile or two of salt water is a powerful discouragement. Furthermore, unless the man in question is a peril to himself or the ship, confining him deprives the ship of his labor -- and crews, especially the officer corp, were not so large that they could afford to give up the labor of a competent hand.

Thorton freely converted to Islam, and he freely confessed his religion, knowing what the consequences would be. There are various incidents in the novel wherein other characters behave contrary to the expectations of honor. Some of the officers haze Thorton by desecrating his Sallee uniform coat, but they do it in secrecy. When the crime is discovered, the morality is made explicit: that if a man does something, he should own up to it. If he isn't willing to own up to it, he shouldn't do it. By this standard Thorton, Horner, and Tangle are men of honor. They take responsibility for what they do and bear the consequences. You can trust them.

Related to the matter of honor is the matter of apostasy, which is the sin of converting to a foreign religion. Although apostasy is despised and lowers a man in the opinion of those who know him, it does not eliminate his reputation for truthfulness. It also bars a man from serving as a commissioned officer in the British navy. But note, the British navy is ruled by law, so even though everybody knows Thorton has converted to Islam, until the court martial he has not actually been convicted and therefore cannot be deprived of his commission, or his duties and privileges as a commissioned officer. Once he is court martialed, he is convicted of violating Article One (establishment of the Church of England), stripped of his commission and disrated, and fined to boot, in an amount that is equal to about one third of his yearly salary as a lieutenant.

The question then, is why didn't Admiralty accept his resignation? Knowing the debility of his religion, Thorton tendered his resignation in good faith. Acting-Captain Perry accepted it. In Men of Honor we learn that Perry was disciplined for overstepping the bounds of his authority. Although it isn't made explicit, it is easy enough to assume that since Perry was punished for doing things he shouldn't have, those things he did -- like accepting Thorton's resignation -- are null and void.

Well then, why not demand Thorton's resignation and redo it properly? Because Thorton has flouted the Admiralty's authority. He didn't wait for the Admiralty to accept his resignation before running off to the Sallee Republic. The Admiralty is predicated on total obedience to its authority; therefore the wayward lieutenant must be made to toe the line and punished as a deterrent to any other officer that thinks he can do as he pleases as long as he drops a note in the mail to the Admiralty.

That puts the Admiralty in a spot: force obedience to the Church of England, or force obedience to its authority? If the former, Thorton gets discharged, which is what he wants, and the Admiralty's authority is undermined. Ergo, the Admiralty chooses to enforce its authority and maintains Thorton in service as a midshipman. Thorton is required to attend Divine Service the same as everybody else; Horner testified as much at the court martial. The outer forms are being observed; the Admiralty doesn't give a damn what he actually thinks. It's an 18th century version of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

All of this is in the background. The details are there, the clues all add up, it's consistent. But the politics are not what the novels are about; the politics are what set events in action and impose consequences for them. Thorton himself is oblivious to most of this. All of this is subtext for the action adventure that unfolds. The purity of the main characters in the maintenance of their honor is in ironic contrast to the more pragmatic and corrupt figures in the background of the story. That's traditional in adventure fiction; our hero is always more pure and honorable than the corrupt world through which he is forced to move.

~K~