SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hi, I am currently obsessed with naval adventure books so it would be great if I could have recommendations for naval/sea adventures fantasy/scifi books.

I've read Naomi Novik's Temeraire series(and loving it so much), Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies and despite it's not fantasy, the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Haven't read any naval scifi book, unless Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea counts.

I also plan to read Robin Hobb's Liveship Trader series. But I need more recommendation :)

I wonder if Stations of the Tide counts. There aren't ships, but it's got a maritime vein to it.

While they aren't fiction, the two essential books in sea-faring are Dana's "Two Years Before The Mast" and Slocum's "Sailing Alone Around The World". I'd give a 3rd slot to the famous adventures of a certain Captain Ahab, fiction.

If you've not read any of the "Master & Commander" stories, those are also excellent.

When I think of the sea in literature, I think of the novels of Joseph Conrad, like Heart of Darkness. His books are rooted in his experience as a sea man. They are not science fiction, like the works of Jules Verne, but they are the best books about the sea that I have read.

You should give Taylor Anderson's Destroyermen series a go. It's chock-full of navalling. (I'm sure that's a word.)

It's about a WWI-era destroyer that finds itself outclassed by a state-of-the-art Japanese battleship during WWII when they both enter a weird storm that sends them to a parallel Earth where dinosaurs never went extinct and humans never evolved. It's a lot of wide-screen epic adventure involving sea and land battles with sentient dinosaurs and intelligent sea-faring giant lemurs who have built sailing ships larger than aircraft carriers.

The first book is Into the Storm, and I think there are about 7 or 8 more books in the series so far.

Philip: Oh yes! Conrad for sure! Great choice.

You don't mention a specific period of naval adventure -- most of what I have to offer involves navel warfare in the "age of sail."

For pure naval adventure (not SF or Fantasy) it is hard to beat Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series (20 novels, plus a partial 21st he was writing at his death). But if you want to combine naval adventure with SF, you might consider David Weber's Safehold series, beginning with Off Armageddon Reef. While the series (particularly the later novels) also involves land warfare, much of the action occurs at sea.

Land of Mist and Snow by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald

Most "naval" SF just decrees that Space is an Ocean.

Well... if you go with the "Space is an ocean" paradigm, then almost all of David Weber's "Honorverse" novels could be called "naval" (i.e. the heroic exploits of the Royal Manticoran Space Navy).

I suspect, however, that Silvana is making the distinction between "wet" navy and space navy. Weber's Safehold books involve wet navy action (evolving from oar-driven galleys through sail and into steam) in an SF setting.

One of the earliest SF novels I read that had a "wet" naval component was Andre Norton's War of the Wing Men.

Yeah, that's why I didn't list, oh, the Paul Sinclair series even though it's not only the US Navy IN SPACE but written by John G. Hemry, a former naval officer. 0:)

I think you mean Poul Anderson's War of the Winged Men, also known as The Man Who Counts.

You need to read the Horatio Hornblower books, by C.S. Forester. The direct lineal ancestor of not only Novik and O'Brian, but of Star Trek. They are set in the Napoleonic era, just like TEMERAIRE.

Yes, I'm sorry -- it was Poul Anderson, but the title was War of the Wing Men. It was an early book (Originally 1958, reprinted in 1976) in the Polysotechnic League series, featuring the noteworthy character Nicholas Van Rijn.

Copies are still available. http://www.amazon.com/War-Wing-Sphere...

I note that one seller is offering an author-signed hardcover for $75. I am honestly tempted...

Re: Brenda's post above -- David Weber openly acknowledges that C.S. Forester's Hornblower was his inspiration for the "Honorverse" novels as well. It's no coincidence that his prime character (Honor Harrington) has the same initials as Forester's Horatio Hornblower.

The King's Buccaneer by Raymond E. Feist might fit what you're looking for. Admittedly, it's been awhile since I read it, but it starts with the sacking of a castle and surrounding town and the capture of the townsfolk and some nobility. A single ship chases the pirates across a vast ocean with much more at stake than just the prisoners.

Some of the Ring of Fire books by Eric Flint feature a naval theme. The basic premis of the series is a whole town of modern people are transported back to the 1600s and change history with their knowledge of science and engineering. I think one of the books in the series that particularly feature naval action is 1634 The Baltic War in which the uptimers attempt to build a civil war style ironclad navy. It may be a bit confusing to jump into the series at that point, though, as many of the characters in this book are introduced and developed in the three previous books of the series (1632, Ring of Fire, and 1633).

Ack! How could I have forgotten the excellent Voyage of the Chathrand by Robert V.S. Redick. The story starts with The Red Wolf Conspiracy. Great series.

Ah, thanks to moderator, didn't realize I should've put this in another folder :)

Great suggestions you guys, my Kindle will be overflowing with these excellent books.

Speaking of period, I like the age of sail the most but would be interested to read about other period.

There's Frank Herbet's The Dragon in the Sea, David Drake's Seas of Venus, James Schmitz's The Demon Breed

Silvana wrote: "Hi, I am currently obsessed with naval adventure books so it would be great if I could have recommendations for naval/sea adventures fantasy/scifi books.

I've read Naomi Novik's Temeraire series(a..."

The Ship that Sailed the Time Stream -Edmonson and its sequel.

For WWII submarine adventure (not SF): Up Periscope -Robb White (for some reason I though this was written by a retired Rear Admiral)

You'll have more luck finding the first one than "Up Periscope". I read U.P. over 50 years ago.

Oh, and that reminds me, you might try McCaffrey's SHIP WHO SANG. I am not sure the latter books are worth anything, but the first is good.
ON STRANGER TIDES by Tim Powers is pirates and fantasy.

The Ship Who Sang is a space opera. No water. But it's still a darned good story.

Reading the title I was going to recommend the Temeraire series or Hobbs living ships books. I'm all out of ideas now :)

Here's one for you: Sheppard of the Argonne, by G. William Weatherly. Alternative naval military history novel based on a simple question: "What if the Great Powers had failed to halt the naval arms race in the 1920's and warships grew ever larger remaining immune to the weapons of all but their own breed?" Imaginative and impressive, in a word, authentic and captivating. The author's finesse with battle scenes would be enough to recommend the book, but the author also provides rare insight into the nature of PTSD and the way a captain's leadership is tested during command of a capital ship at war.

Thank you everyone! I wonder if there are others with female lead? Scifi is fine too.