Light Upon the Waters (HC) – Historic Naval Fiction

If you read age of sail naval fiction you will often see a mention of the Revenue Service and their cutters but rarely hear about Trinity House. However wherever you come from around the world if you have an interest in the sea you will probably be aware of this Corporation which for nearly 500 years has been the General Lighthouse Authority for England and Wales providing mariners with aids to navigation in the British Isles.

To commemorate 500 years of its foundation when it was granted a charter by Henry VIII on 20 May 1514 the Corporation of Trinity House, London, is publishing its history. This has been written by well-known historical naval fiction author and Elder Brother of Trinity House, Captain Richard Woodman, and the pilotage expert and Younger Brother of the Fraternity, Captain Andrew Adams. Light Upon the Waters: The History of Trinity House 1514-2014 will be released in hardcover worldwide on 1 September 2013.

via Light Upon the Waters (HC) – Historic Naval Fiction.

Honors Rendered (HC) – Historic Naval Fiction

Author Robert N Macomber has a new novel, Honors Rendered, which will be released worldwide in hardcover on 1 Septemnber 2013. It is now available for pre-order.

It’s early 1889. Germany is trying to add the islands of Samoa to its burgeoning Pacific empire. For six months, German and American naval forces have been engaged in an escalating war confrontation at the main Samoan island of Upolu. Warships are at battle stations. Reinforcements from both nations are on the way. The press in Berlin and San Francisco are calling for national honor to be defended. At any minute, open combat may erupt. All it will take is one miscalculation…

Commander Peter Wake, Office of Naval Intelligence, has been given an impossible assignment by President Grover Cleveland, whose administration will end on March 4th, and who plans on running for the presidency again in four years. Cleveland doesn’t want a war to be the legacy of his first term in office. Wake is ordered to get to Samoa and clandestinely accomplish one of two things: somehow prevent war from breaking out, or win it decisively at the outset to prevent it from spreading around the globe.

via Honors Rendered (HC) – Historic Naval Fiction.

Some recent pirate fiction releases (Aug 2013) – Historic Naval Fiction

There are a lot of independantly published books coming out and I don’t get to hear about them all. Helen Hollick has announced a Nautical Blog Hop for September which had the added benefit of pointing out some nautical authors I had not added to the site. Quite a few of these write about pirates so below is a summary of some of the recently released pirate books::

The Royal Bounty Hunter by J. M. Aucoin

Privateer and pirate hunter, Captain Thomas Crowe, has been commissioned by the governor of Havana to hunt down and capture the cunning and deadly pirate, Captain Jake Hawking. Alas, Hawking isn’t an ordinary pirate and tracking the infamous rogue down hasn’t been easy for Crowe and his crew. But Crowe sees his fortune change when his ship, the Bounty, comes across a British naval captain, Captain James Thorpe, stranded on a small craft alone in the open Caribbean Ocean. Thorpe’s ship was attacked by Jake Hawking and beached on a deserted island not far off.

Read More Some recent pirate fiction releases (Aug 2013) – Historic Naval Fiction.

Arabic book, The Corsair, now available to English market – Historic Naval Fiction

Abdul Aziz al Mahmoud’s Arabic book Al Qursan about Piracy in the Gulf in the early part of the nineteenth century has already become a best seller in the Arab world as it re-examines England’s attempts to quash the pirates from an Arab perspective. Now translated into English it was recently released as The Corsair in paperback worldwide.

It’s the early part of the nineteenth century and the Arabian Peninsula and the waters surrounding it are ablaze. Piracy in the Gulf threatens global maritime trade routes while the Wahabbi strain of Islam is conquering followers town by town across the region. Britain, eager to reinforce its presence in the Middle East and protect the East India Company’s ships, has a plan: send a man-of-war from England to quash the pirates while persuading Egypt to join an international alliance with Oman and Persia to fight the Wahabbis. At the center of it all lies a priceless Indian sword, a gift from the British monarch to the Egyptian Pasha.

via Arabic book, The Corsair, now available to English market – Historic Naval Fiction.

Admiralty Orders (PB/K) – Historic Naval Fiction

Author Margaret Muir’s new novel, Admiralty Orders, can now be downloaded worldwide for Kindle and will be available in paperback within the next few weeks.

Book 3 in the Oliver Quintrell Series, sees Captain Quintrell facing life-threatening events over which he has no control. Ordered to sail to Gibraltar in the late summer of 1804, his ship soon becomes hemmed in, not by Spanish gunboats or French ships of the line, but by the Quarantine Regulations which close the port around him. Unable to halt the loss of life from a raging epidemic, he strives to do his part to help save the Colony when it is at its most vulnerable.

This nautical fiction adventure is based on actual events which took place in and around Gibraltar between August and December, 1804, including a major sea battle. It shows how ignorance and prejudice can exist in a ship, and presents a startling portrait of life at Gibraltar – a British settlement ruled by a military garrison where naval power was only an incidental force.

via Admiralty Orders (PB/K) – Historic Naval Fiction.

The Birth of the Royal Marines: 1664-1802 (HC) – Historic Naval Fiction

A new book by Britt Zerbe, The Birth of the Royal Marines: 1664-1802, was recently released in hardcover in the UK. It is also available for pre-order in the US where it will be released on 15 October 2013.

The Royal Marines come from a long and proud tradition dating back to 1664. However, the first incarnation of the service, the Marine Regiments, was plagued by structural and operational difficulties. The formation of the British Marine Corps at the onset of the Seven Years War in 1755 was a defining moment, for this was the first time the government gave operational priority to the Navy. Following many trials and tribulations, in 1802 the British Marine Corps were made the Royal Marines, giving them official sanction and permanency that has continued to the present day.

via The Birth of the Royal Marines: 1664-1802 (HC) – Historic Naval Fiction.