Spoiler Warning: If you've not read the novel "Heart of Fire" by Chris Allcock be aware that there will be spoilers ahead! Please go buy and read that book to the end before continuing.
Links to where to buy the book are on the dedicated blog post here.
Firstly, to kill some space so those with thread previews don't get spoiled but... WOW... This book is easily a step up from Athena's Fortune in its writing, and is probably the most essential extended lore source outside of the game itself.
AVAST THERE MATEYS! FINAL SPOILER WARNING!
Chris Allcock wrote in the blog post:
It’s given me the chance to answer some of our fans’ burning questions (while raising plenty of new ones) and cast Captain Flameheart in a whole new light, ready for future events.
He certainly delivered on that!
We get more depth added to existing characters, new characters, and, overall, it seems to fit more in with the world and continuity of Sea of Thieves as we know it than previous books.
Simple things, like tying in the Skeleton Fleet event, help bring players into the narrative. We have little tidbits on how some trade companies work - such as the Gold Hoarders having a secret storage area below their tent.
The back story to Flameheart is fleshed out somewhat and, rather than making us sympathetic to him (which I feared would happen if we learned too much), it actually makes him seem like a more formidable and ruthless figure than what we've had previously. The Grand Maritime Union play a big part in his past and that might have ramifications for the future of the Sea of Thieves - especially if theories around the Sovereigns playout!
We find out that the Cap'n wasn't Flameheart's former captain at all but that Flameheart captured the Burning Blade from him. Something which explains why the Cap'n would have a major vendetta against him.
We also get to learn that it wasn't Graymarrow who trapped Flameheart at all, he trapped himself inside his own body.
A new character is introduced in the form of Harry Harkly and we got to see his transformation into an Ashen Lord. Harry is similar to Flameheart in terms of ruthlessness and cruelty, but he lacks the intelligence of his master, instead relying on pure fury. While we witness his demise at the end of the novel, I would be very surprised if he doesn't return somehow as an Ashen Lord in the game.
The character most fleshed out in the book though is Eli Slate. We get to really see what sort of pirate captain he is. A man with integrity, courage, and intelligence. He is everything we would have actually wanted in the Pirate Lord.
We see Jill's back story on joining his crew, something which helps us understand her role in the Fate of the Morningstar Tall Tale and why she didn't want to go up against Graymarrow.
And then there's Edmond. A skeleton who used to be a member of Flameheart's crew. And we get one of the biggest plot twists in Sea of Thieves ever; Edmond is Duke. This adds a lot more to our understanding of Duke and makes it all the more tragic that history seems to be repeating itself with the Dark Brethren. It also seems that the place he had been hiding out when we first meet him in the book may be Wanderer's Refuge.
In terms of lore, does this mean Wanda possibly knows who Duke was? If she used the lair after he occupied it. Does Duke now remember his past or did Wanda remind him? He did spend some time at the Flameheart shrine within Wanda's lair when he was "travelling" around the seas prior to A Pirate's Life. It would explain a lot about his newfound eloquence with words. And does Flameheart know his former "friend" is back?
What Duke's story also tells us is that the skeleton curse can be removed on death. Does this mean that when we smash skellies in the game they can go to the Ferry? Surely low ranking crewmates would not be refused entry back to the Sea of Thieves?
In Duke's case, it was an "intervention" that saved him from an eternity in the Sea of the Damned. Was this an intervention by the Pirate Lord or someone else?
We get a bit of Merrick in the book as well and discover that he didn't waken the Megalodon, as previously thought, and his drum was Ancient in origin.
Another interesting bit of lore is the origin for the Sea Dog's Tavern. We learn that it was previously a bastion for Flameheart's followers. For the future of the game, maybe Flameheart will take it over again now that DeMarco and co are gone?
I haven't touched on a lot of lore bits from the book (the ancients, the Box of Wondrous Secrets, and Rooke, for example) but I've rambled long enough about the ones that really stood out to me, and I'd like to leave this open for discussion.
If you've read this post, I assume you've read the book, so what additional takeaways did you have?