Pirates

[bernoodist]

Greetings All,

I am currenlty extremly fixated with Pirates in D&D Novels and possibly other RGP novels, but primarity as inspiration for my 3.5 D's adventures

If anyone can recommend a handfull of novels with pirate content would be appreciated thankyou

Have just read Swordmage and Corsair by Richard Baker, was resonable but im looking for something with more pirate content as a source of insparation

Thanks

 

[Richards]

Pirate Freedom, by Gene Wolfe
Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Crichton

Johnathan

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

It's not all pirates, but for the seafaring flavor I'd also recommend the Horatio Hornblower series of novels by C.S. Forester. More of it is Napoleanic Wars flavor, but IIRC there's some pirate content in Hornblower in the West Indies.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Medieval pirates and their fantasy equivalents were closer to Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts than Captain Kidd or Blackbeard, so most fantasy novelizations of pirates leave me a little... cold. But obviously, the "Voyages of Sinbad" stories and the "Tales of the Argo" are great inspiration.

 

[Mark CMG]

Some Conan stories might be within that focus. Find an old copy of Conan the Buccaneer at a used bookstore (or amazon) and it might be a fast and fun read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_the_Buccaneer

 

[Dioltach]

No list of pirate novels is complete without The Pyrates by George MacDonald Fraser. In fact, it contains every single pirate cliché ever conceived: hidden treasure, naval battles, marooned prisoners, steely-eyed heroes, swooning heroins, dastardly villains, steamy jungles, steamy ladies, conniving clerks, treacherous Dons, nightmarish lairs and duels to the death. And much, much more ...

 

[Pbartender]

It's not all pirates, but for the seafaring flavor I'd also recommend the Horatio Hornblower series of novels by C.S. Forester. More of it is Napoleanic Wars flavor, but IIRC there's some pirate content in Hornblower in the West Indies.

The Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brien is another nautical historical fiction series set during the Napoleonic wars. The movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany was based on the series.

In particular, in one book, The Letter of Marque (12th in the series), Captain Jack Aubrey temporarily becomes a privateer after having been dismissed from the British Navy.


Oh, and for that matter, don't forget to read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson... It is, of course the apotheosis of pirate novels, and defined many of the stereotypical pirate tropes we now hold dear. Be certain to look for a copy that has the illustrations and paintings by N. C. Wyeth (or at least look them up online, when you get a chance). Wyeth's Treasure Island illustrations will give you more piratey inspiration than just about anything you'll read in a book.

 

[thastygliax]

Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Crichton

Seconded!

On Stranger Tides, by Tim Powers, is also excellent.

This is an anthology, not a novel, but I'm enjoying rereading High Seas Cthulhu (ed. William Jones).

And straying a bit off-topic, I'd recommend Green Ronin's Skull & Bones (historical age of sail) and their Freeport setting (pirates + magic + Lovecraftian cults) as 3E material ripe for plundering for any pirate game.

 

[Banshee16]

The Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brien is another nautical historical fiction series set during the Napoleonic wars. The movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany was based on the series.

In particular, in one book, The Letter of Marque (12th in the series), Captain Jack Aubrey temporarily becomes a privateer after having been dismissed from the British Navy.

These are excellent novels (the ones I've read so far). I've enjoyed them.

Banshee

 

[invokethehojo]

I was researching pirate culture awhile back and found The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard to be awesome. It was about pirate history, everyday life, why they chose that life, and how they plundered. Excellent source for ideas on how to flesh out a long pirate campaign.