Like much of Bok's fiction, it is the story of a traveler "from our world who found [himself] in colourful, magic lands that are far more attractive than our own".

Gene has been changed in such a way that he has every talent needed to survive this new world, including the ability to understand the language of its inhabitants.

Gene is rescued from the seemingly endless oceans of this new world by a passing ship that is similar to the looks of a Viking galley.

James Cawthorn compared the novel to A. Merritt's The Ship of Ishtar, noting that because Bok's writing was more restrained, "the reader is never really gripped by the plight of the principal characters, and the overall effect is unsatisfying".

[3] E. F. Bleiler similarly found Sorcerer's Ship less effective than Bok's collaborations with Merritt, declaring it "Not too satisfying".

[4] The Encyclopedia of Fantasy describes Bok's novels as "stronger in imagery and wordplay than in plot or characterization".