Ramage, Killigrew, Sheridan, Drinkwater, Hervey...?

October 2, 2006 5:54 AM

I've read Flashman and Aubrey-Maturin, now I'm a few books away from finishing Sharpe. Who's next?

I really enjoyed Patrick O'Brian's series; thought Flashy was great fun; liked Sharpe's swashbuckling. Must be late 1700s, through the 1800s -- Napoleonic wars or tales of the Empire. Preferably a series of stories taking in some of the major battles/wars of the time. A good strong, swashbuckling hero (or a complete cad!) required.

Any recommendations?

posted by mtonks to Writing & Language (21 answers total)

No lover of high seas adventure in the Napoleonic Wars can do without the Hornblower Series of C.S. Forester. A good deal more pulpy than the literary Aubrey-Maturin series, but more novellish than the relatively lowbrow Sharpe series.


Keep your powder dry and beware that lee shore.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 6:08 AM on October 2, 2006

I am reading "Jewish Life in Small-Town America" by Weissbach. Utterly fascinating.
posted by parmanparman at 6:14 AM on October 2, 2006

I've read Flashman and Sharpe along with my Dad. I haven't read this yet so I can't vouch for it, but I know my Dad loves this stuff and he swears by Wilbur Smith. I don't know if all his books are set in 19th/18th centuries, but I think some of them are.
posted by Heminator at 6:40 AM on October 2, 2006

Oh and I second C.S. Forester...
posted by Heminator at 6:41 AM on October 2, 2006

I'm not sure that one can ever be really "finished" with Sharpe as every time I turn around Cornwell has another book out detailing yet another of Sharpe's lost weekends or something. So there will be more, always more, than the original 12 or so volumes.

Add on top of that Cornwell's other series, some good (Grail trilogy), some bad (Starbuck Chronicles), and you can end up stuck in the Cs for awhile.

Seconding the Forester. I actually like Hornblower more than Aubrey, but I'm in an oft shouted at minority.

Consider also Dewey Lambdin's Alan "Ram-cat" Lewrie series. A bit more wenching in with the Daring Do here.

Now, I know that you're looking for historical fiction, but I'd be remiss if I didn't suggest Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts series. Yes, it's sci-fi. Yes, it's even that dreaded sub-pit of sci-fi known as "Game Fiction." Please don't hold that against it (I know I did until I picked up one of Abnett's books as an airport-timekiller). Instead, look at the Sharpe-ish (there's a lot of crossover between fans) main character, Gaunt, and his rag-tag band of scout troopers that are dropped into a variety of different battles (trench warfare, city fighting, storming a citadel, etc) and come off with flair and aplomb. You don't need any knowledge of the game setting/rules (Warhammer 40k) to enjoy these books. The first series is out of print, but I started in with the first book of the second, Honour Guard, and had zero problem with the setting, characters, and plot.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:01 AM on October 2, 2006

Hornblower, Hornblower! I just discovered this through the A&E series, and picked up one of the volumes this weekend. Lovely writing.
posted by kalimac at 8:52 AM on October 2, 2006

Must be late 1700s, through the 1800s -- Napoleonic wars or tales of the Empire.

Douglas Reeman/Alexander Kent's Bolitho books fit the bill; the series starts in the 1770s and works up to Napoleon's time. Dewey Lambdin, mentioned above, and Richard Woodman's Nathaniel Drinkwater series fit, too, and maybe James Nelson's Biddlecomb books, which focus on the American Revolution at sea. Can't vouch for quality compared to O'Brian, though; he's hard to match.

Also, many people I know who loved the Aubrey/Maturin books read them more than once, and say they're just as good, if not even better, the second time around. Just a thought.
posted by mediareport at 9:31 AM on October 2, 2006

If you haven't read Forester, you must. Absolutely must. Although O'Brian's earlier books are better than any of the Forester books, Horatio Hornblower is THE archetypal Napoleonic Era naval hero.

I would also second the Alexander Kent novels. Very much in the same tradition, though not nearly as well written as O'Brian.

I read a few of Woodman's "Drinkwater" books a long time ago and they did not capture my interest much.
posted by briank at 10:42 AM on October 2, 2006

Have you read Patrick O'Brian's manuscript of Aubrey-Maturin #21 (what was on his desk when he died in 2001)?
posted by gum at 10:47 AM on October 2, 2006

Response by poster: I've shied away from reading Hornblower; having enjoyed Aubrey-Maturin and read a bit about Thomas Cochrane, I was worried that it might seem repetitive. Given the thumbs up he's got here, though, Hornblower has to be on the shortlist for next read.

The Bolitho and Biddlecomb series look interesting (as do Reeman's Royal Marines novels). I like the sound of Alan Lewrie; there seems to be a touch of the Flashy about him.

Anything set a bit later? After Aubrey-Maturin and Sharpe, I wouldn't mind a return to Victoria's reign before getting back to bashing Bonaparte. Anyone read VA Stuart's novels?

gum: I have the Aubrey-Maturin #21 book but, when I finished the series proper, I just couldn't bring myself to read it.

robocop is bleeding: Thanks for the Dan Abnett recommendation, I'll certainly take a look.

Many thanks for all the suggestions.
posted by mtonks at 11:38 AM on October 2, 2006

"Also, many people I know who loved the Aubrey/Maturin books read them more than once, and say they're just as good, if not even better, the second time around."

I'm currently immersed in round two, and it's better, definitely better.
posted by Manjusri at 11:38 AM on October 2, 2006

it's better, definitely better.

Yeah, a co-worker has gone through the series three times and said the same thing, which I can understand, given how fast I find myself flipping the pages the first time through. They're very rich books.
posted by mediareport at 11:52 AM on October 2, 2006

I've shied away from reading Hornblower; having enjoyed Aubrey-Maturin... I was worried that it might seem repetitive.

Hornblower's completely different. I love them both -- I say this as someone on her third go-around with Jack and Stephen -- but Hornblower's a much lighter, easier read. Kids could read Hornblower and enjoy them.

I read Aubrey-Maturin just for plot the first time, and the second time I followed along with maps, dictionaries, e-mail lists, and other guides. Maybe you could give that a try.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:31 PM on October 2, 2006 [1 favorite]

Although Wilkie Collins didn't write in a continuing series, his books have lots of swashbuckling adventure.

For more meat on the bones, read Melville's short novels and then plunge into Moby Dick.

Search bookstore sites for "Thumping Good Read."
posted by KRS at 12:31 PM on October 2, 2006

Captain Blood is an adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini,
available freely at Project Gutenberg

Original swashbuckler: Alexandre Dumas, 'Three Musketeers'
posted by dragonsi55 at 12:49 PM on October 2, 2006

For a one-off, how about The Scarlet Pimpernel? Seemingly shallow and dim-witted society playboy is secretly an undercover hero who fights evil and rescues innocent people from the guillotine during the French Revolution. Possible inspiration for Bruce Wayne/Batman. Plenty of swashbuckling for you, the right time period, and he's a cad to his wife, who doesn't know his secret identity until partway through the story.
posted by Asparagirl at 3:15 PM on October 2, 2006

Heart of Darkness, by Conrad maybe? And of course Dumas.
posted by oxford blue at 5:23 PM on October 2, 2006

Response by poster: I'm a huge fan of Dumas, The Count Of Monte Cristo would be my Desert Island book. I have the (unabridged) Captain Blood audio book queued for listening sometime in the future, when I've finished all 62 hours of War & Peace. Hadn't thought of Wilkie Collins, will take a look. The Scarlet Pimpernel is on the must-read list.

I very, very rarely re-read fiction but I'm looking forward to another pass at Aubrey-Maturin. Actually, I've been thinking about getting the audio books and letting Patrick Tull do the reading for me.

I do like to have a long series of novels on the go (to read) while I listen to a variety of other books.
posted by mtonks at 12:47 AM on October 3, 2006

After hearing O'Brian compared to Jane Austen so many times I read one. Could have used more violence. Give her a try, though.
posted by Phred182 at 10:34 PM on October 3, 2006

I just finished round 2 of O'Brian. It improves greatly because by the time you've finished all 20 books, you have some idea what all the puddenings, spars, catheads, yardarms, and block-tackles look like, if not what they do, and you can start to see the engagements in your mind's eye.

But once that was out of the way, I noticed that after book 6 - The Fortune of War - the writing takes a serious turn for the worse. Whole chapters in "The Ionian Mission" are just retreading of familiar ground that was already trodden flat in the first few books.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:54 AM on February 21, 2007

Off the beaten path: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is a marvelous little (big) novel, and goes to some creepy unexpected places. And yes, there're bits with Napoleon and his French infantry swine.
posted by waxbanks at 10:01 PM on June 21, 2007