The Nautical Fiction List
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Entries preceded by a '*' are reviewed on my Nautical Book Reviews page
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Schoonover, Lawrence The Gentle Infidel, 1950 (The adventures of a Italian lad wrongly drafted into the Ottoman Janissaries during the reign of the sultan immediately before Mohammed the Conqueror. Has some very good descriptive material on the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The story of how the Sultan has his fleet carried over land into the Golden Horn, and why, is worth reading in itself, but there is more on the role of sea power. "...Very well written and an easy read." [LF]) The Revolutionary, 1958 (Yet another fictionalized bio of John Paul Jones.) Central Passage, 1962 (Nuclear war blasts Panama to bits, opens a passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific.) Scortia, Thomas N. 1926- and Robinson, Frank M. The Gold Crew, 1980 (Psycological experiment aboard a US Navy SSBN leads to big trouble under the Arctic Ocean.) Scott, Douglas The Burning of the Ships, 1980 (A merchant captain, surviving a torpedoing, gets rescued by Vichy forces attempting to recover Italian survivors from a torpedoed liner -- shades of the LACONIA. This gets him involved in a web of intrigue involving Vichy collaboration with the Germans, a sabotage ring burning Allied merchant ships, and a Soviet spy seeking to wreck Anglo-Allied cooperation.) Chains, 1984 (Merchant captain, captured by a German U-Boat crew after his ship is torpedoed and sunk, escapes from a special POW camp in France and finds himself enmeshed in a web of espionage and treachery in the days leading up to Allied invasion of Sicily.) The Albtross Run, 1986 (American war correspondent, recuperating from airplane crash injuries in Bombay get swept into the orbit of a hard-bitten, self-taught merchant captain who befriends the correspondent. The captain arranges for the correspondent -- who is trying to get to Sierra Leone -- to travel on his merchantman, which is making an unescorted passage from Bombay to Durban in the face of German and Japanese opposition. The captain faces down a Japanese raider, a typhoon, and a hostile crew, before the correspondent discovers that this hero is being destroyed by personal burdens. Good read.) Scott, James Maurice 1906-1986 The Devil You Don't, 1969 (Three Britons take a 20 ton yawl to South Trinidad Island off Brazil in search of treasure stolen during the Peruvian war of independence.) Scott, Justin The Shipkiller, 1978 (The story of a man whose sailboat was rammed by the largest tanker in the world. He lost his wife and swears that he is going to sink the ship. Will he make it ? The story takes you all over the world. A well documented fiction but not far from reality.) The Normandie Triangle, 1981 (German saboteur who sank the NORMANDIE plans an encore by sinking the QUEEN MARY in New York harbor with 12,000 soldiers aboard. A naval architect working on salvaging the Normandie discovers the plot.) Scott, Michael 1789-1835 Tom Cringle's Log, 1836 (Magazine serial 1829-33) (Scott puts Tom in the Royal Navy in the years 1805-1812. Tom has many nautical adventures though the book is as much a travelogue as a nautical log. In some ways the book is reminiscent of Marryat and in other respects a precursor of O'Brian.) Scott, William Ralph (using psuedonym Weldon Hill) Onionhead, 1957 (A fictionalisation of the author's WW II experiences in the US Coast Guard.) Searls, Hank 1922- The Hero Ship, 1969 (A retired mustang USN Captain seeks to block the CNO appointment of an officer that served under him during WW II because of an act of cowardice committed by the CNO candidate during a raid on Japan where their carrier gets hit by multiple kamikazes. The captain had backed off punishing the officer in 1945 because he was the only witness, and the officer had had an affair with the captain's wife while a midshipman at Annapolis.) Overboard, 1977 (Yachtsman sailing the Pacific wakes up to discover that his wife has fallen overboard. Seventy miles from Tahiti he searches for her along the yacht's path.) Soundings, 1982 (A sperm whale that wants to communicate with humans encounters a sonar officer in a Soviet nuclear submarine stranded on the ocean's bottom. Object: survival.) Sellwood, A. V. (Has written many excellent non-fiction books about naval warfare.) Stand By to Die, 1961 (Extremely improbable novel about a Royal Navy river gunboat, built for China service but withdrawn to Singapore in 1940, that is trapped behind Japanese lines when Singapore falls. The crew attempts to escape to Australia, but encounters a Japanese invasion fleet in Indonesia, and goes down in a blaze of glory, with the survivors then continuing their efforts in small boats and with native assistance.) Senseney, Dan Scanlon of the Sub Service, 1963 (Teen joins the Navy, following family tradition by striking for submarines, experiences submarine training, and is posted on a nuclear sub heading for the North Pole. For young Readers.) Setlowe, Richard The Black Sea, 1991 (The Soviet luxury liner BLACK SEA is highjacked by Moslem fundamentalist pirates in the Singapore Strait, who then hide her up an uncharted jungle river. A US destroyer captain tries his darndest to find and rescue the hostages. A thriller about the new world order.) Shannon, Dell 1921- The Scalpel and the Sword, 1987 (Irish surgeon moves to London in 1803 to improve his fortune, then does a stint as a Royal Navy surgeon. He serves in the Mediterranean, and sees action at Trafalgar.) Shay, Edith Foley and Smith, Katherine The Private Adventures of Captain Shaw, 1945 (Cape Cod captain's curious adventure in 1790s France lead to a prosperous voyage.) Shea, Philip The Devil Captain, 1992 (Bartholemew Roberts, forced to become a pirate when captured by them, becomes captain Black Bart Roberts, scourge of the Atlantic. Improbable but fun pirate adventure set during War of Jenkins' Ear.) Shellabarger, Samuel 1888-1954 Lord Vanity, 1953 (From galley slave to the most dangerous swordsman in Europe in the 1750s.) Shepperd, Stephen For All the Tea in China, 1988 (Two rogue captains are challenged to sail the tea route from China to England in a race against a steamship. The Winner makes a fortune, gets the girl, and keeps his ship.) Sherlock, John 1932- and Westheimer, David The Amindra Gamble, 1982 (Cargo ship smuggles England's gold reserves to the Canada in fall 1940 struggles to avoid capture by Germans.) Shirreffs, Gordon D. Roanoke Raiders, 1959 (William Barker Cushing fits out a spar torpedoboat to destroy the newly launched Confederate ram ALBEMARLE, lying eight miles up North Carolina's Roanoke River. Based on an actual exploit.) The Gray Sea Raiders, 1961 (Civil War adventure for young readers.) The Mosquito Fleet, 1961 (The siege of Vicksburg, for young readers.) Powder Boy of the Monitor, 1961 (Civil War adventure for young readers.) Torpedoes Away!, 1967 (Bob Dunbar and Gary Lunt get back on board the submarine GRAYFIN just in time for its third patrol in World War II, a special mission in the Java Sea to seek out and destroy enemy ships.) The Killer Sea, 1968 (Discharged from the Navy after World War II but not yet ready to exchange sea life for college life, two young men join the crew of a salvage tug, and find themselves trying to salvage a Canadian ship taken over by twenty Japanese who do not know the war is over. For young readers.) Captain Cutlass, 1978 (Giant pirate battles other pirates, Spanish ships and two women. Somewhat erotic at times.) Shute, Nevil (Nevil Shute Norway) 1899-1960 *Most Secret, 1945 (A flamethrower is fitted to a fishing boat as a secret weapon during WW II.) The Breaking Wave, 1955 (REQUIEM FOR A WREN in UK. Australian veteran of WW II returns home to discover his parent's housekeeper has just died through an overdose of sleeping pills. In attempting to unearth her true identity he discovers that she was his late brother's fiance, a WREN during the War. Much of the novel takes place ashore, but the central events are linked to the sea, whether in harbor or on the English Channel.) The Trustee from the Toolroom, 1960 (Machinist goes to the South Seas to salvage a yacht and settle an estate.) Silliphant, Stirling Steel Tiger, 1983 ( Our hero, an ex-cop and Vietnam vet, sails off to the South Pacific, smack into a mystery of brutal killings that he has to solve.) Silver, Richard Captain Shark series: (Pirates against Spanish in the 1680s Caribbean) By Pirates' Blood, 1975 [1] (Introduces, Sebastian Shark, pirate captain in the dying days of the buccaneers -- who sailed with Morgan to Panama in his youth and now commands various ships, generally named DRACO. He buckles a swash across the Spanish Main in various scrapes and contretemps. Ahrrg, me hearties!) Jaws of Death, 1975 [2] (Picks up from BY PIRATE'S BLOOD with Shark escaping from Spanish captivity, embarking on a wide variety of stereotypical buccaneering activities, and finally going in search of Morgan's treasure.) Silverberg, Robert Lord of Darkness, 1983 (In the late 16th century a young British seaman is captured by the Portuguese and shipped to Angola, where he's forced to act as pilot for slavers. He gets drawn into African Satanic rites, and confronts the Lord of Darkness.) Simpson, George E. and Burger, Neal R. Ghostboat, 1976 (Fantasy. US Submarine CANDLEFISH disappears on December 11, 1944 and reappears on October 5, 1974 with everything in perfect working condition - but no crew. A new crew assembles to retrace the last voyage.) Thin Air, 1978 (Shades of THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT! A ship disappears during tests, the crew reappear 25 years later. Investigation of Navy coverup of secret weapon tests ensues.) Skouen, Arne 1913- Stokers' Mess, 1948 (Norwegian sailors on Norwegian-flagged cargo ships.) Slater, Ian 1941- Firespill, 1977 (An oil spill ignites off the Canadian coast, turns into an inferno.) Slaughter, Frank G. (AKA C. V. Terry) 1908- Buccaneer Surgeon, 1955 (Originally published using the pseudonym C.V. Terry. Footloose British-Spanish surgeon's adventures as a spy, adventurer, and ship's captain serving Francis Drake as "El Draco" raids Santo Domingo and Cartegena in the years leading up to the Armada. A CAPTAIN BLOOD knock-off, but not a particularly good one.) Darien Venture, 1955 (English who used his buccaneering income to become a surgeon. Unable to set up a practice is Edinburgh, he gets dragged against his better judgment into a Scots attempt to buccaneer and settle in the Darien coast (Panama). Events take place in 1698-1700.) The Mapmaker, 1957 ("A novel of the days of Prince Henry the Navigator." Andrea Bianco escapes from slavery on a Moorish galley to become a navigator in the service of Prince Henry of Portugal. Between fending off the treachery of his half-brother, he discovers the Senegal River and Cuba -- before Columbus. Fun and plausibly told. _Very_ loosely based on the life of a noted cartographer: Andrea Bianco.) The Deadly Lady of Madagascar, 1958 (A C. V. Terry book. Bonita, daughter of pirate pirate Red Carter, buckles swashes with the best of them, mesmerizes British captain, and steals gold.) Pilgrims in Paradise, 1960 (Puritan expedition to settle Eleuthera in the 1650s. Book pivots around the interaction of the expedition's surgeon, a freethinking doctor, and its leader, the surgeon's bluenosed brother. Action includes plagues and pirates at sea, survey of a coastline, shipwreck, and escape on a raft, a battle against a Spanish ship that attempts to raid the colony, and a witchcraft trial.) The Purple Quest, 1965 (The Phonecian merchant-prince Stabon -- who is _not_ a surgeon -- helps Queen Dido establish Carthage, after himself establishing a Phonecian colony in Spain. Sea battles, shipbuilding and ocean voyages a plenty, but as with most Slaughter sea novels, most of the action occurs on shore. Enjoyable read.) Plague Ship, 1976 (An archeologist releases an Ebola-like disease from an ancient burial site in Peru. Only the archeologist's brother, a Nobel-winning epidemiologist, and a clapped-out hospital ship with a bad engine, offer a chance to control the virus before it becomes a world-wide epidemic. Then the superstitious population of the port at which the ship is berthed force it out to sea into the path of a Pacific storm. Good medical detective read, but doesn't get to sea for the first 2/3rds of the story.) Smith, Arthur Douglas Howden 1887- Porto Bello Gold, 1924 (A prequel to TREASURE ISLAND, telling about all the characters and how they became who they were. I starts off with Captain Flint and all the pirates on the WALRUS and how they end up on Treasure Island...Darby, Ben Gunn, Long John Silver are all explained in this book...very well written.) Smith, Cicely Fox -1954 Tales of the Clipper Ships, 1926 (Six short novels about adventures aboard clipper ships.) Smith, Martin Cruz 1942-(Author of Gorky Park) Polar Star, 1989 (Arkady Renko, formerly a top criminal investigator in Moscow, investigates deaths aboard the Russian fish factory ship on which he is crewman. Set in the Bering Sea in the late 1980s.) Smith, Wilbur Shout at the Devil, 1968 (Flynn Patrick O'Flynn, an ivory poacher by profession, lets his hatred of the German East African governer lead him to an assault on a mercantile raider in 1914. He drags Sebastian Oldsmith, an innocent son of English industry, into his schemes. Made into a movie by the same name starring Lee Marvin and Roger Moore.) Eye of the Tiger, 1976 (Attempted salvage of a sunken East Indiaman off the coast of Africa. The title refers to a diamond from the throne of Tipoo Sultan, an indian ruler in the 18th century. Boat chases, diving, shooting, sex, sharks, sunburn and the British Library!) Hungry As The Sea, 1978 (Nicholas Berg, forced out of leadership of the Christie Line, starts over with an ocean salvage company, then rebuilds his fortune by salvaging ships from the company he once headed. A business duel with the man who stole his wife and company results, leading to a climactic conclusion when the world's largest tanker breaks down with a load of poisonous oil in a hurricane.) The Diamond Hunters, 1991 (Two men battle for supremacy in the Van Der Byl Diamond Company. Lots of action and adventure from Cape Town to London. The successfull exploration of an offshore diamond field will decide the winner.) *Birds of Prey, 1997 (Action, sex and skullduggery along the African coast as British privateer Francis Courteney and his 14 year old son harass and loot the ships of the Dutch republic.) Monsoon, 1999 (Sir Hal Courteney goes back to sea to confront the pirates who are threatening the East India Trading Co.) Smollett, Tobias 1721-1771 (Born in Dalquhurn, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, he was apprenticed to a Glasgow surgeon in 1736. After moving to England and failing to get his tragedy THE REGICIDE accepted, he took the post of surgeon's mate in HMS CHICHESTER. He witnessed the appalling conditions during the siege of Cartagena in 1741. On the way home, the fleet put into Jamaica, where Smollett fell in love with Nancy Lascelles, a planter's daughter he married on his return to London. In 1756 he published an official record of the siege in AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXPEDITION AGAINST CARTHAGENA.) The Adventures of Roderick Random, 1748 (The siege of Cartagena and other nautical adventures with his uncle Lt. Tom Bowling. Good descriptions of the conditions aboard British men-of-war of the period. Smollett had been at the siege of Cartagena while serving as a surgeon's mate in the Royal Navy in the 1740s.) Snow, C. P. (Charles Percy), 1905- Death Under Sail, 1963 (Six guests are detained on their murdered host's wherry halfway through a holiday on the Norfolk Broads. One of them has killed Roger Mills, and, as the enigmatic Finbow points out, all of them hated him... A murder mystery of buttonholding tension.) Solley, George C. 1946- and Steinbaugh, Eric (Editors) Moods of the Sea: masterworks of sea poetry, 1981 Short Stories of the Sea, 1984 Southworth, John V. D. 1904- The Pirate From Rome, 1965 (Young Roman, captured by Mediterranean pirates, and abandoned by his family, who would rather see him dead -- so they can inherit his estate -- joins the Pirate Brotherhood rather than allow himself to be sold into slavery. Shortly after he does so, Rome begins efforts to eradicate the pirates. Features appearances by Julius Caesar and Sparticus. "A first rate story combined with first rate history as well..." [PH]) Spector, Robert M. Salt Water Guns, 1970 (Impetuous and strong-willed youth, who wants to join Washington's Army is instead put on a ship that is running guns and ammunition to the Continental Army. Because he is aboard unwillingly, his attitude and actions threaten the mission until he becomes convinced of its importance.) Sperry, Armstrong 1897- All Sail Set, the authentic yarn of a race 'round the Horn on board the greatest clipper ever built, The Flying Cloud, 1935 Call it Courage, 1940 (Polynesian youth goes into self-imposed exile from his island because of his fear of the sea. During his adventures on the sea and on a taboo island, he overcomes his fears and comes to manhood. For young readers. Newberry Award winner.) Storm Canvas, 1944 (American Jason Cobb learns that his stepfather is a British spy in 1814. To avoid the man's vengence when he discovers Jason's knowledge, Jason flees to the ship commanded by a friend of his birth father, the 32-gun USN frigate THUNDERBOLT. Jason sets sail on the ship for adventures in the Caribbean, including a diplomatic mission to Haiti, and the improbable capture of Admiral Home Popham's flagship -- a 74-gun ship-of-the-line.) Hull-Down For Action, 1945 (Independent sequel to LOST LAGOON. Four young men are stranded on a raft in South Pacific, after a German and Japanese agent on their sailing brig take over the ship on December 7, 1941. Young adult.) Danger to Windward, 1947 (In 1816, an orphaned teen inherits a whaler from his grandfather, but has to battle his uncle's family -- figuratively and literally -- to keep the prize when they dispute the existence of the will, and go to more direct lengths to eliminate the youth from consideration.) Black Falcon, 1949 (It is the last year of the War of 1812. Wade Thayer is captured by the British while aboard a merchant ship running the blockade from New Orleans to Havana. Escaping, he joins up with Jean Lafitte, and helps repell the British invation of New Orleans. For young readers.) Lost Lagoon (Teenage boys discover uncharted island in South Pacific which is covered with a valuable, rare shell.) Stabenow, Dana Fire and Ice, 1998 (A well-wrought thriller set in the herring-roe fishing fleet of Bristol Bay. The Alaskan background is first rate. "I learned more about that kind of fishing than I ever imagined I would. I'll certainly be looking for her other books." [JD]) Stables, Gordon, MD, RN (W. Gordon-Stables) 1840-1910 Westward With Columbus, 1894 (Fictionalized account of Columbus' famous voyage.) The Cruise of the Vengeful, 190? (The Royal Navy in a war against France and Russia set in 1909! Although for the younger reader the message was clear Britain must have a modern powerful navy or this sort of thing would happen!) The Meteor Flag of England, c1900 ("A rousing tale of war. England, some eighty years hence [c1980], has to fight a combination of powers on sea and land. How she meets her foes and overcomes them is told in Dr. Stables' well-known vigorous style." [From a bookjacket blurb]) Stackpole, Edouard A. 1905- Madagascar Jack; The Story of a Nantucket Whaler, being the account of Obed C. Folger, thirteen years of age, who went to the South Seas with whalemen and found there many adventures as well as sperm whales, 1935 Stacpoole, Henry de Vere 1863-1951 Palm Tree Island trilogy: The Blue Lagoon: A Romance, 1908 (A boy and a girl shipwrecked on a tropical island grow up together and learn about the birds and the bees. Filmed in 1949 and 1980.) The Garden of God, 1923 (Sequel to THE BLUE LAGOON. The movie RETURN TO THE BLUE LAGOON was loosely based on this novel.) The Gates of Morning, 1925 The Cruise of the "Kingfisher": A Tale of Deep-Sea Adventure, 1910 ("The KINGFISHER is a cable ship which has undertaken a voyage down to the Canaries in order to mend the Venezuelan cable which runs under the sea near there." [from review in THE NEW YORK TIMES) The Ship of Coral: A Tropical Romance, 1911 (A tale of pirates, treasure, and murder in the Carribean.) The Children of the Sea: A Romance, 1913 (Chronicles the exploits of a deep-sea cable mender and his friend; set in the sea of Japan and in Iceland.) The Blue Horizon: Romance from the Tropics and the Sea, 1915 (A collection of sea tales set along the Florida coast.) The North Sea, and Other Poems, 1915 The Pearl Fishers, 1915 (Two men and a woman "fish" for pearls on a Pacific island.) The Reef of Stars: A Romance of the Tropics, 1916 (GOLD TRAIL in US. Five men leave Sydney for New Guinea in search of gold.) In Blue Waters, 1917 (Consists of eight short stories and three novellas, including THE LUCK OF CAPTAIN SLOCUM.) Sea Plunder, 1917 (Consists of two novellas: THE BUCCANEERS and THE "HEART OF IRELAND".) The Beach of Dreams: A Story of the True World, 1919 (A flapper named Cleo is shipwrecked on a barren island in the Indian Ocean.) Under Blue Skies, 1919 (A collection of stories, some set at sea, including one about a photographer on board a cable ship which pulls a sea serpent to the surface, and his excitement over developing the photograph, only to discover that he had used an already exposed plate.) A Man of the Islands, 1920 (A collection of stories originally published in magazines. "Once again we are on the fringe of southern Pacific seas, lost in a world thronged with lovely, lonely islands, whereon sailor-men, beachcombers and Kanakas play the good or the bad game of love and hatred, vice and death, with romantic wilfulness. The most acceptable part of this book consists of the first six tales, which group around Sigurdson, a big, brawny and bearded Dane, with enormous strength, unsubduable persistence and a pretty fashion of winning his way in the end. He belongs to the fraternity of wandering sailors who inevitably get cast on a rough beach in the company of a woman...." [The Bookman]) Vanderdecken: The Story of a Man, 1922 (Hank Fisher sets out with a friend to claim the reward offered to anyone who can capture the pirate Vanderdecken.) Golden Ballast, 1924 (Richard Sebright discovers that the dilapidated mystery ship BALTRUM he has just bought contains a beautiful girl and a pile of golden ballast. In order to convert the gold to cash without arousing government suspicions he takes the BALTRUM south on a hazardous voyage, ostensibly in search of hidden treasure.) Ocean Tramps, 1924 (A collection of fifteen stories, including: Bud and Billy; Mandelbaum; A Deal with "Plain-Sailin' Jim") Tropic Love, 1928 (Stories.) Old Sailors Never Lie, and Other Tales of Land and Sea, By One of Them, 1938 (Stories.) Stahl, Norman The Assault on Mavis A., 1978 (A hijacked supertanker and crew of terrorists attacks an enormous oil rig in the North Sea, in the midst of a storm.) Stanton, Ken Whirlwind Beneath the Sea, 1972 (Secret agent Tiger Shark and the underwater service are off to Australia to solve the mystery of an undersea eruption, a rising land mass and beautiful babes.) Stanwood, Donald A. The Memory of Eva Ryker, 1978 (Eva Ryker survives the sinking of the TITANIC. In 1941 a middle-aged couple are murdered in Hawaii. In 1962 a multi-million dollar salvage expedition is exploring the TITANIC. All three events are linked in this thriller.) Steinbeck, John 1902-1968 Cup of Gold, 1929 (The infamous 17th-century pirate Henry Morgan, captain of the real JOLLY ROGER, consumed by lust and greed, tries to conquer Panama--and a mysterious woman. Steinbeck's first novel.) Stephens, Edward Blow Negative, 1962 (Beach bum gets called back from the inactive reserves in an effort to discredit a Jewish submarine commander, Sampson Greice, but instead becomes an efficient submariner, and one of the commander's loyal supporters as Greice confounds his superiors and contemporaries while commanding a diesel boat, then forces through the development of the nuclear powerplant for submarines. Can anyone say Hyman Rickover? "One of the best nautical novels I have ever read." [DH] "...enthralling, inspiring, and hilarious!... a 'read it in one setting' joy." [AK] "I won't say it's great literature, but it does cover a broad slice of Navy life in a funny but eye-opening sort of way.... There's a scene in the book where the young, confused hero, briefly in command a submarine on his qualifying run, can't remember what to do next. He needs to blow a tank -- the safety tank -- but can't think which. His commander silently mouths 'safety, safety' and the young officer finally blurts out 'Blow Sanitary!' Which means that the contents of the head are distributed throughout the submerged boat leaving everyone smelling -- well, not like roses. The next scene of officers and crew all staggering out into the fresh air when the boat finally surfaces, cursing under their collective breath is priceless." [BB]) Sterling, Dorothy 1913- Captain of the Planter: the story of Robert Smalls, 1958 (Robert Smalls, a slave who is captain of a paddle wheel steamer in Charleston at the outbreak of the Civil War sails (paddlewheels?) her Up North, and later is elected to Congress. A novel based on true events.) Stevenson, Janet Departures, 1985 (Novel about a 19th Century woman allowed to sail with her husband, captain of a merchant ship. She takes command after he falls gravely ill and, having learned navigation, gets the ship to the mouth of the Columbia River. Loosely based on an actual incident.) Stevenson, Robert Louis 1850-1894 +Treasure Island, 1883 (The classic grandaddy of all pirate stories. Jim Hawkins discovers a map to treasure on the Spanish Main. With the local squire and doctor, he sets out to recover the treasure -- only to discover they hired the pirates that originally buried it for the crew of their ship.) Kidnapped, 1886 (David Balfour is kidnapped and shipped off in the brig COVENANT, but escapes and is shipwrecked.) Stevenson, Robert Louis 1850-1894 and Osbourne, Lloyd The Wrecker, 1891 (A wonderful mystery novel set in roughly 1880 or so, centering on the salvage rights to a wreck out on Midway Island. When the rights are auctioned in San Francisco, and an odd consortium bids far more than the wreck ought to be worth, Our Hero outbids them -- and then has to try to figure out what's so valuable about his wreck.) The Ebb-Tide, 1894 (Some neer-do-wells steal a ship and discover an uncharted island on which a pearl fishery is operating. Set about 1890.) Stevenson, Robert Louis III (Yes, a descendant of THE RLS) Torchlight, 1997 (In 1917, a U-boat torpedoes an American cruiser making a secret voyage to England, which sinks in 250 feet off the coast of Rhode Island. On board the cruiser is a fortune in American Double Eagle twenty-dollar gold coins. These coins were to be used to keep the Russians in the war against Kaiser Bill. Today, a ruthless arms dealer with the very highest connections in Washington wants to use the treasure to buy nuclear weapons from the former USSR. He acquires the assistance of two ex-SEALS, who, unbeknown to him, are connected to American Intelligence! Throw in some romance and double crosses, but the realistic deep-water diving scenes are the centerpiece and most memorable parts of the novel.) Steward, Davenport Way of A Buccaneer, 1956 (English youth escapes from Spanish treachery when his father is killed and his ship stolen. He takes up with the maroons in Jamaica, grows into manhood, then gets captured and enslaved by the Spanish. After a long period he is liberated by buccaneers, joins Morgan's raid on Porto Bello, and becomes a buccaneer captain.) Caribbean Cavalier, 1957 (Professional soldier on his way to visit an ill brother in Georgia gets caught up in the opening of the War of Jenkins Ear. After escaping Spanish imprisonment, he seeks revenge by becoming a privateer.) Stewart, Fred Mustard 1932- The Magnificent Savages, 1996 (The illegitimate son of an American shipping magnate signs on to one of his father's clipper ships. Marked for murder by his half brother, he's saved by a missionary's daughter, only to be attacked by pirates & taken as a slave in China.) Stockenberg, Antoinette The Challenge and the Glory, 1987 ("Harlequin" style romance set around the America's Cup races.) Stockton, Frank Richard 1834-1902 The Adventures of Captain Horn, 1895 (A typical late 19th century adventure story, with 2 shipwrecks, Aztec gold, and a shootout with a murderous gang.) Stone, Irving 1903-1989 The Origin, 1980 (Fictionalized biography of Charles Darwin. Nautical part is his voyage with Fitzroy in the BEAGLE.) Stone, Raymond Tommy Tiptop and His Boat Club, 1914 (Tommy Tiptop is the born leader of his neighborhood and is always getting up ideas, teams, projects, trips, etc. This time he forms a boat club. He's a nervy and responsible little lad and of course everything goes very well indeed in the club's first race.) Stone, Robert Outerbridge Reach, 1992 (A decision to enter a solo round-the-world pits man against the sea and impinges on relationships he has established ashore. With an episode inspired by the Crowhurst disappearance in the 1960s during a similar race, this novel concerns love, betrayal, and self-betrayal.) Stoppard, Tom Rough Crossing, 1985 (Comedy play set on an ocean liner by the author of ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, loosely based on another play by Ferenc Molnar, best known now for some stuff that got turned into screwball comedy movies.) Street, James Howell 1903- By Valour and Arms, 1944 (The Civil War battles for Vicksburg form the backdrop for this novel. Even though the North controlled most of the Mississippi River throughtout the Civil War, it wasn't until July 4, 1863 that Vicksburg fell. While following the exploits of a confederate naval gunner through his service on the truly amazing CSS ARKANSAS in the summer of 1862 and his efforts to find iron to build a new ARKANSAS during the following year, Street manages to include a lot of history and seemingly authentic and fascinating insights into the politics and social customs of the times. He presents a fairly thorough picture of the laws and attitudes about slavery and the relations between black and white, northern and southern sympathizers, high society and low, without letting it get in the way of a good story with lots of action.) Strickland, Brad Dragon's Plunder, 1992 (Having been kidnapped by former pirates because of his ability to whistle up the wind, fifteen-year-old Jamie agrees to help their leader, a living corpse, find the dragon of Windrose Island. For young readers.) Stuart, V. A. (Vivian Stuart, William Stuart Long, an officer with the British Army in Burma, Japan, India and Australia.) Phillip Hazard 19th Century British naval series: (Crimean War and Indian Mutiny.) The Valiant Sailors, 1966 [1] (We meet our hero, 1st Lieutenant Phillip Horatio Hazard, in London aboard the 300 hp. 31 gun steam frigate TROJAN. TROJAN is dispatched to the Crimea with a large RN fleet to deal with the Russian Black Sea fleet and support the reduction of Sevastapol. By 1854 the RN has many steam driven vessels but the captain of TROJAN is an old timer who finds the whole concept obnoxious and makes the life of Hazard very unpleasant(hazardous?) indeed. Much of the novel's ensuing action takes place on land.) Brave Captains [2] (Charge of the Light and Heavy Brigades, supported by men and ships from the Royal Navy.) Hazard's Command, 1971 [3] (In temporary command of TROJAN, Commander Hazard transports troops and battles a hurricane.) Hazard of Huntress, 1972 [4] (Hazard gets his own ship, the steam-screw sloop HUNTRESS, in time to do battle in the Crimean winter.) Victory of Sebastopol, 1973 [5] (Hazard must clear a channel through the Strait of Kertch so the Allied fleet can launch a final attack on Sebastopol and end the Crimean War.) Hazard in Circassia, 1973 [6] (Hazard to the Rescue in the US. Hazard meets with guerrilla leaders in the spring of 1855.) Guns to the Far East, 1975 [7] (Also published as SHANNON'S BRIGADE, Hazard is sent to India to support the beleaguered British army.) Escape From Hell [8] (Also published as SAILORS ON HORSEBACK, Philip Horatio Hazard serves in the Naval Brigade ashore in India supressing the Sepoy Mutiny, and seeking his two sisters, caught up in the Mutiny.) The Seafarers, 1988 (The only nautical book in Stuart's Australian series, published in the US as written by William Stuart Long. Samuel Gordon is mate aboard the clipper Cutty Sark.) Sturgeon, Theodore (Popular sci-fi author) Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, 1961 (The SEAVIEW, an atomic research submarine belonging to a federal exploration agency is on its maiden voyage when solar activity begins cooking the world. The submarine's designer realizes that the only way to counteract the flare is to launch a payload of ionized carbon into the Van Allen Belt, and takes the SEAVIEW to do so. Unfortunately a distinguished scientist decides that this will worsen the problem, and mobilizes the United Nations to destroy SEAVIEW. Translation of a movie screenplay, basis of the TV series by the same name.)
Copyright © John Kohnen 1999
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