Review: Gather the Shadowmen by Mark M. McMillin – Historic Naval Fiction

When someone mentions attacks on British shipping in home waters during the American Revolution usually one name springs to mind, John Paul Jones. I was surprised to learn therefore that there was someone possibly even more successful who I had never heard of, Luke Ryan.

Ryan was an Irish smuggler operating out of Dunkirk who became a privateer sailing with an American Letter of Marque from Benjamin Franklin and went on to command the Calonne, a 400 ton ex-French naval frigate of two decks and 36 guns with a crew of nearly 250 men of Irish, French, American and Dutch nationalities. A small band of ships sailed under his overall command.

Read More Review: Gather the Shadowmen by Mark M. McMillin – Historic Naval Fiction.

Bonhomme Richard vs Serapis (PB) – Historic Naval Fiction

Mark Lardas has a new book which is available for pre-order in paperback, Bonhomme Richard vs Serapis: Flamborough Head 1779. It will be released wordlwide on 20 June 2012.

The clash between the American Bonhomme Richard and the British HMS Serapis during the American Revolutionary War is perhaps the most famous single-ship duel in history. This epic battle between two very similar ships – and crews – off the coast of Britain in September 1779 created two naval heroes: in victory John Paul Jones became a figure that all future American naval officers would aspire to emulate, while Richard Pearson, in defeat, became a hero to the British for a tenacious defense that allowed the merchant vessels under his protection to escape.

Read More Bonhomme Richard vs Serapis (PB) – Historic Naval Fiction.

The Winds of Folly Paperback now available for order – Historic Naval Fiction

The Paperback version of The Winds of Folly by Seth Hunter is now available for pre-order worldwide. It is due to be published on 2 February 2012 and this is the first version that will be available in the US.

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Alaric Bond Review: The Perfect Wreck by Steven E. Maffeo – Historic Naval Fiction

The outcome of the meeting between Constitution and Java is well known, and there is a danger with any story which has a forgone conclusion that tension or excitement can be either missing, or contrived. This is definitely not the case with A Perfect Wreck; from the start, with Constitution active and potent at sea, and Java working up at Portsmouth after her capture from the French, the story pulls the reader forward with a pace that is quite compelling. Maffeo adds poignance by fleshing out the historical characters, making them real, three dimensional, and totally believable while the wealth of detail that is present throughout the book, gives a fascinating background to the story, without slowing the plot or becoming in any way instructional.

In short we have a well researched and excellently written book; one that reads as easily as any novel, and yet carries the accuracy and credibility of a good reference work. A difficult trick, but one that Maffeo has pulled off perfectly.

Read More Alaric Bond Review: The Perfect Wreck by Steven E. Maffeo – Historic Naval Fiction.

Astreya: The Men of the Sea PB – Historic Naval Fiction

Seymour Hamilton has a new book which has just been released worldwide, Astreya: The Men of the Sea. The second book in a nautical/fantasy series is available in paperback and ebook versions.Astreya learns from his grandfather Oron how to control his power over the shipstones aboard the great ship Cygnus. He still yearns for Lindey, left on shore against her will. Trying to purge a nagging guilt, Roaring Jack sails the Mollie south again, and this time Astreyas friend Cam is a stowaway. Adramin does everything he can to make Astreya fail.At The City of the Sea, the lawful meeting place of the great ships, family politics turn violent, with tragic consequences. Astreya must hurry to protect Lindey from his marauding uncle Mufrid, who wants the stone Gar gave her. A day-and-night sailing duel, a battle at sea, a shipwreck, a fight in a pub, escapes by sea and secret passage, help from unexpected allies and treachery from family all take their toll on Astreya and his friends.

via Astreya: The Men of the Sea PB – Historic Naval Fiction.

Great Lakes Warships 1812-1815 (PB)

Mark Lardas has a new book which is available for pre-order in paperback, Great Lakes Warships 1812-1815. It will be released wordlwide on 20 March 2012.

When war broke out in 1812, neither the United States Navy nor the Royal Navy had more than a token force on the Great Lakes. However, once the shooting started, it sparked a ship-building arms race that continued throughout the war. This book examines the design and development of the warships built upon the lakes during the war, emphasizing their differences from their salt-water contemporaries. It then goes onto cover their operational use as they were pitted against each other in a number of clashes on the lakes that often saws ships captured, re-crewed, and thrown back against their pervious owners. Released in 2012 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, this is a timely look at a small, freshwater naval war.

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Review: The Astreya Trilogy by Seymour Hamilton

The Astreya Trilogy will appeal to fans of both nautical fiction and fantasy. The first book, Astreya: The Voyage South, follows the story of a young man who sets out to discover his heritage. He is the son of a mysterious shipwrecked sailor who died before he was born and about whom his mother, and the people of the village where he lived, new little. We follow his journey, partly by sea and partly by land, as he starts to get some clues as to his ancestry and inheritance, a bracelet with a green stone which glows when he puts it on and seems to have some power.

In the second book, Astreya: The Men of the Sea, he finds himself aboard the three masted ships of his father’s people, the Men of the Sea, who have been wandering the oceans for years and are feared by those on land.

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Astreya: The Voyage South (PB)

Seymour Hamilton has a new book which has just been released worldwide, Astreya: The Voyage South. The first book in a nautical/fantasy series the Kindle version is currently listed and the paperback version will be available in the next few days.

Astreya isn’t like the other boys in his remote fishing village. When Astreya leaves home, his widowed mother gives him his father’s knife, a riddling notebook, and a bracelet with a mysterious and powerful green stone. He sails south with an adventurous fishing boat skipper, hoping that in the world beyond, he can find out who his father was, what the three enigmatic gifts mean, and whether there is any value to the looks, skills and talents that have set him apart from everyone he has ever known.

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The Social History of English Seamen, 1485-1649 (HC)

Cheryl A. Fury (Editor) has a new book which is available for pre-order in hardcover, The Social History of English Seamen, 1485-1649. It will be released wordlwide on 20 December 2011.

Traditionally, the history of English maritime adventures has focused on the great sea captains and swashbucklers. However, over the past few decades, social historians have begun to examine the less well-known seafarers who were on the dangerous voyages of commerce, exploration, privateering and piracy, as well as naval campaigns. This book brings together some of their findings. There is no comparable work that provides such an overview of our knowledge of English seamen during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the tumultuous world in which they lived. Subjects covered include trade, piracy, wives, widows and the wider maritime community, health and medicine at sea, religion and shipboard culture, how Tudor and Stuart ships were manned and provisioned, and what has been learned from the important wreck the Mary Rose.

via The Social History of English Seamen, 1485-1649 (HC).

The Naval Mutinies of 1797: Unity and Perseverance

Ann Veronica Coats & Philip MacDougall have a new book which is available for pre-order in hardcover, The Naval Mutinies of 1797: Unity and Perseverance. It will be released wordlwide on 17 November 2011.

The naval mutinies of 1797 were unprecedented in scale and impressive in their level of organisation. Under threat of French invasion, crews in the Royal Navy’s home fleet, after making clear demands, refused to sail until their demands were met. Subsequent mutinies affected the crews of more than one hundred ships in at least five home anchorages, replicated in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

Channel Fleet seamen pursued their grievances of pay and conditions by traditional petitions to their commanding officer, Admiral Richard Howe, but his flawed comprehension and communications were further exacerbated by the Admiralty. The Spithead mutiny became the seamen’s last resort. Ironically Howe acknowledged the justice of their position and was instrumental in resolving the Spithead mutiny, but this did not prevent occurrences at the Nore and elsewhere.

Read more The Naval Mutinies of 1797: Unity and Perseverance.