Imagine you are on a wooden ship in the middle of the storm. The waves are spilling onto the deck. The wind is threatening to break the mast. The unfortunate passengers are huddled in their cabins or berths, seasick and frightened. The captain is ordering to throw the last of the supplies into the sea. Will the voyagers survive or sink under the waves?

Sea stories have fascinated readers for centuries. Sea fiction has its own category on Amazon. When doing research for No Job for a Woman, I’ve read many beloved classics and some new releases set in the Age of Sail. This is my list of the books I’ve enjoyed.

The best series set at sea—Hornblower Saga by C. S. Forester

My writing career started with Hornblower. When the pandemic hit, I started watching more television. One day I found this clip on YouTube with sea battles, fencing and shooting action. That was Hornblower, a British tv series over twenty years old. I watched the entire series at the edge of my seat. Then I dived into the books.

There were significant differences between the books and the tv adaptation. My favorite character, Archie Kennedy, hardly appeared in the books. I had to read with a naval glossary at first. Eventually, when I got to book three, I enjoyed the series. It took me a bit, but it charmed me. I’ve read almost the entire series, and I keep going back to review important moments and get ideas for my own sea stories.

I’ve started reading other sea fiction series, but I strongly preferred C. S. Forester’s writing to other authors. When it comes to giving ship and battle details, he is the master. He can spend a page explaining how the sails need to be trimmed during a storm and keep me interested in the story.

The best male protagonist at sea—Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini

When it comes to male protagonists in sea fiction, not all of them come across as good men. Many have attitudes that make them seem arrogant and insensitive. While I enjoyed the Hornblower series, I didn’t approve of how he treated his friends, and especially his wife. Every time he thought of her, he elaborated on how  unsuitable and unattractive she was.

Captain Blood, on the other hand, is a hero modern readers can admire. His story starts when he was a doctor in England, arrested for tending to a wounded rebel. He’s a long sentence of servitude in Barbados. When he escapes his cruel master, he becomes a pirate, but one who acts with morality and wants to clear his record and return to England. Through all his adventures, he loves one woman and stays faithful to her.

A pirate who is noble and a romantic at heart has my vote as the best protagonist at sea.

The best female protagonist at sea—Chalotte Doyle by Avi

Much of classic sea fiction is focused on male protagonists. When I came up with a story about a female surgeon on the Age of Sail ship, several male friends told me it would be unbelievable. None of them heard of Mary Patten, or Hannah Snell, or Mary Lacy. They didn’t even know there were female pirates!

I had to search high and low for a great female protagonist at sea, someone who’s not a passenger or a woman waiting for her sweetheart to return. A friend pointed me to The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. It’s aimed at middle-schoolers, but so what? The writing is beautiful. Young Charlotte shows tremendous growth through the story. She works with the crew, takes risks, and eventually becomes the captain. She’s a heroine I cheer for!

The best coming-of-age story set at sea—Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure island is an old classic that captured my heart when I was a teen. It has the most exciting elements of sea fiction—pirates, treasure, and a secret plot. The story is told from a point of view of Jim Hawkins, who becomes the cabin boy on a voyage to search for Captain Flint’s treasure. During the perilous journey, Jim learns that most of the sailors on his ship are pirates and are planning a mutiny after the treasure is found. Just thinking about that story makes me want to find the old book and leaf through the worn pages.

Treasure Island has been adapted as numerous films, tv series, plays, and video games. I grew up watching the Soviet animated version from 1988 that apparently was released in the United States as Return to Treasure Island.

The recent release more should know – Perilous Beginnings by Kester J. Bathgate

I very much want this book to get more recognition. I spotted it when browsing through a Facebook group for writers. The author, Kester Bathgate, posted about his book launch. I checked the bio and learned that he spent eighteen years working at the Marinetime Museum in Dorset, England. At the time, I was looking for a naval expert to review No Job for a Woman manuscript. Mr. Bathgate kindly agreed. While he reviewed Ella’s adventures to help me with accuracy, I read Perilous Beginnings.

His voice reminded me of the classic writers. It’s accurate language for 1800s England that shows how various classes spoke. The characters jump off the page. The adventure is captivating and charming. The cover was created by a well-known marine artist, depicting a scene from the story. This book is not a quick read but is well worth it.