Ocean-themed Fantasy?

Tower75

Tower75

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Hi, all.

You're the knowers of the know, right? What's the chances that there's a hidden cache of fantasy novels out there that are based on ships and the ocean?

The only one that comes to mind is R. Hobb's Live Ship series. I don't necessarily mean sword and sorcery when I say "fantasy", though, I'm open to suggestions.

What sayeth, you, Chaps and Chapettes? Any recommendations?
 
I think China Mieville wrote a book called Armada about ships, but that's all I know about it. And there's Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, which is partly about pirates. And On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, which is set in the Carribean during the "golden age" of piracy. Both of those two aren't really about the ocean, though: they're more about pirates having adventures.
 
You could try the Chathrand Voyage series by Robert V.S. Redick (starts with The Red Wolf Conspiracy). The majority is set on a huge 18thC (?) style war/trading ship. A pretty good read in my opinion.

My own The Goddess Project has a fair bit of sea-based (both above and below the surface) action, with 1900s-era ships.
 
I was going to say the Chathrand books, but HB beat me to it.

While we're racking our brains for more -- though it looks like Paul had provided a good long list -- I'll move this thread over to GBD, since it's wanting recommendations, rather than a particular book you're trying to remember/find again.
 
Tower75 said:
Hi, all.

You're the knowers of the know, right? What's the chances that there's a hidden cache of fantasy novels out there that are based on ships and the ocean?

The only one that comes to mind is R. Hobb's Live Ship series. I don't necessarily mean sword and sorcery when I say "fantasy", though, I'm open to suggestions.

What sayeth, you, Chaps and Chapettes? Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

Would definitely recommend Brian Wigmore's The Goddess Project as an interesting one. :)

And if you're looking for books dedicated to ships and sailing, and are also open to historical fiction, we've seen a lot of discussion about C S Forester’s Hornblower books and Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series. :)
 
The Mark of Ran by Paul Kearney, though he never finished the series. It's about pirates and some kind of weird non-human lineage mixed in with humans that makes some people angelic and others troll-like.

Gravedigger Chronicles by Alan Campbell. A very grimdark world that is drowning in 'Brine' - a fluid that transforms living beings into an alien and aquatic form.

There was a novel about Shadow Mages and Water Mages fighting some kind of evil empire but I don't recall the details. Wasn't great anyway.

There might have been a D&D series of novels with an underwater theme as well.

And someone has made a list of ocean themed fiction on Goodreads. Popular Ocean Fiction Books
 
Thanks, everyone.

A lot of stuff there; appreciate it.

You know, I didn't even think of looking at Goodreads, and I'm on that site all the time*. Sitting on Goodreads at 0810 on a Monday morning is work, right? If I'm honest I don't actually know how to search for book lists, but thanks for the info. (y)

* I blame sleep deprivation; new baby. :sleep::sleep:

HareBrain said:
My own The Goddess Project has a fair bit of sea-based (both above and below the surface) action, with 1900s-era ships.
Click to expand...

[Reads blurb on Goodreads] Colour me intrigued**, sounds like a sordid mash of magic, ironclads and the currently fashionable brother-sister lovin'. Won't lie, the Edwardian era is my go-to historical setting at the moment, so I'm very tempted. To Amazon!

** what is the colour of intrigue?
 
Nobody's mentioned Ursula LeGuin's The Farthest Shore? Maybe because it's part of a series and the prior two books mostly use ships to get from point A to point B?

I'd recommend the novel Blue World by Jack Vance and the novellas "A Man of the Renaissance" by Wyman Guin and "Surface Tension" by James Blish. Though they're science fiction, they both take place in technologically-regressed worlds which are almost entirely water (in "Surface Tension" they're set underwater), so they have a certain fantasy feel to them. So does Jack Vance's Maske: Theary, which is set on another regressed world and involves a lot of sailing, and "Showboat World," which is set entirely on a riverboat. (Jack Vance spent a good part of his life at sea and a good number of his books involve boats somehow, though only those three involve significant boat action.)
 
Depending on how you define fantasy: The Ghost Pirates & The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" by William Hope Hodgson. Haven't read the former yet, and don't really trust my 30+ year old memory of the latter. Someone will fill in, I'm sure. Many of Hodgson's short stories also take place at sea.


Randy M.
 
Mccaffrey's Crystal Singer books have lots of ocean faring in amongst everything else.

And there's something niggling in my head but I can't remember that involves ships... Helpful I know!

Lots of pirate novels about, which generally involve the sea and are often fantasy ;)
 
REF: Vince W.
Have you heard Iron Maidens version of this?
It's on there "Power Slaves" album!
 
I think David Brin's "Startide Rising" takes place on an ocean world.
Most of the crew of the ship are up-lifted dolphins.
 
Randy M. said:
Depending on how you define fantasy: The Ghost Pirates & The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" by William Hope Hodgson. Haven't read the former yet, and don't really trust my 30+ year old memory of the latter. Someone will fill in, I'm sure. Many of Hodgson's short stories also take place at sea.


Randy M.
Click to expand...

Adrift on the Haunted Seas By William Hope Hodgson.(y):cool:
 
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