20+ Indie SFF books about ships (seas, hijinks, pirates, and swashbuckling)

Ahoy, me hearties! Season 2 of Our Flag Means Death has been announced, and even though we still don’t have a definite date, we know it’s coming later this year in October. There are still a couple of months to wait until its release, but don’t despair! In the meantime, you can get your fix of pirates with some of the excellent indie books I compiled in this list. Plenty of swashbuckling and seafaring adventures in these standalone or series-starter novels.

1. Sinking Sands, by Monica Boothe

Cover of Sinking Sands by Monica Boothe

Daughter of the infamous infamous pirate Captain Will Sands, 17 yo Charlie wants to complete her father’s mission of finding a hidden treasure.

The rogue sailor she holds captive holds the last clue of where to find the mysterious treasure.

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Sinking Sands is a 17th-century swashbuckling adventure filled with mystery, romance, and a splash of magic. Great for readers who like enemies-to-lovers romances and plot twist novels.


2. Sailing by Orion’s Star, by Katie Crabb

Cover of Sailing by Orion's Star by Katie Crabb

Sailor Nicholas Jerome wants to leave his father’s pirate past behind. Joining a new crew, he gains a chosen younger brother in René Delacroix, grandson of Jamaica’s cruel governor.

While the Delacroix household becomes unbearable, René finds solace in the stories of Robin Hood-like pirate Ajani Danso. An uprising against colonialism begins and Jerome and René must decide what part they take in it.

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Sailing by Orion’s Star is the origin story of The Constellation Trilogy, a familial epic spanning from 1695 to 1718. The trilogy pulls on the hidden threads of the past and uncovers the truth behind who pirates really were—people of color, poor sailors, desperate runaways, women, and queer people—an army of all nations who dared to fight for a better world.


3. The Rusted Lantern, by Bill Patterson

Cover of The Rusted Lantern by Bill Patterson

Jason Hanson is your regular teen surfer until he finds an ancient lantern that will take him through a journey to the past where he’ll uncover the fate of his long-lost mother. Get ready for some pirates, sirens, and romance.

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The Rusted Lantern seamlessly weaves historical facts with fanciful fiction to create a tapestry of fantasy that will hook the reader from the very first page. This coming-of-age, young adult mystery is for readers of all ages who crave a pulse-pounding adventure full of excitement, danger, and romance. 


4. Return, by Elliott Baker

Cover of Return by Elliott Baker

A young French swordmaster mortally wounds a nobleman’s son and is taken to England in a slave ship. A better swordswoman than him and daughter of a Moroccan sheik joins him in his travels to return home.

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Rapier sharp pulse pounding action across the warp and weave of the seventeenth century. Sailing ships, pirates, and past lives contend in this first book of an award-winning trilogy.


5. Endless Seas: Never Meet Your Idols, by John Champaign

Cover of Endless Seas: Never Meet Your Idols by John Champaign

The crew of sailing ship Phoenix are sent on their first voyage through underwater dimension portals to establish diplomatic relations with a recently discovered friendly culture. But surprises await Captain Joseph Baxtor and his crew.

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6. The Tryphon Odyssey, by S.D. Howarth

Cover of The Tryphon Odyssey by S.D. Howarth

Sanctuary is a hostile planet. A misuse of magic in another age turned the seas acidic and angered the gods. Navigator Edouard Van Reiver defies superstition and stops warship Tryphon to rescue two survivors.

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7. The Journey, by Kelsey Ketch

Cover of The Journey by Kelsey Ketch

Meriden Cummings uses her blood to reveal an ancient map adorned with Mayan glyphs. Even when trying to escape the bad reputation of his great-grandfather, she embarks on a journey to find his hidden treasure.

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8. Graveyard Gods, by Steve Higgs, Joseph Daniel & Bryan Arneson 

Alchemist and grave robber Edmond Mondego has spent yearss looking for the grave of a God to harness its magic to bring back his dead wife.

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The currents sweep east, but the dead float south. This corpse laden tide carries with it the destinies of a tomb raider, a knight turned captain, and an empire fraying at the seams.


9. Murdoch’s Choice, by Wayne D. Kramer

Cover of Murdoch's Choice by Wayne D. Kramer

Seafaring merchant Zale Murdoch is tasked to retrieve a mythical artifact. The journey will take him through hostile lands and battling dark magic.

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10. The Bloody Chorus, by John Marco

Cover of The Bloody Chorus by John Marco

After Haru’s fathwer is mysteriously assassinated, he becomes the ruler of Tain. A war is brewing and Haru must protect his people while finding justice for his father.

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A murdered ruler. Magic on the march. Can a band of avenging misfits save their homeland from a ruinous war?


11. The Empress of Timbra, by Karen Healey & Robyn Fleming

Two bastard children of a nobleman meet when their father dies. They must now work together to prevent a catastrophe threatening their home.

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Award-winning author Karen Healey and co-writer Robyn Fleming have created thrilling high fantasy adventure in an intricate world of magic and intrigue. 


12. The Brotherhood of the Black Flag, by Ian Nathaniel Cohen

Cover of The Brotherhood of the Black Flag by Ian Nathaniel Cohen

Skilled swordsman Michael McNamara joins pirate-hunter with the mission of ending the Brotherhood of the Black Flag.

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An empire in peril. A quest for redemption. The high-seas adventure of a lifetime!


13. The Roar of the Lost Horizon, by K.N. Salustro

Cover of The Roar of the Lost Horizon by K.N. Salustro

Nate’s magic makes him a perfect candidate to work on a ship for the imperial navy. Everyone skilled with magic must serve the empire, but Nate’s ability is not strong enough. Captain Arani offers Nate a life free of the empire on her ship, not out of the good in her heart, mind you, only Nate’s magic will help her track something she’s been looking for.

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14. Wrath of the Olympus, by E.M. Kkoulla

Cover of Wrath of Olympus by E.M. Kkoulla

Something unseen has murdered Maia Abella’s cruel mistress and she’s the prime suspect. The city authorities and the Royal Navy are behind her—one to detain her, the other to recruit her. Unexpected allies join her in the discovering of her tragic consequences of her birth.

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The Roman Empire never fell. The Gods are real. Ships are alive. 


15. Staked: A Vampire’s Tale, by Kim Catanzarite

Cover of Staked: A Vampire's Tale by Kim Catanzarite

Ellery Page inherits a failing bookstore and a falling-down mansion in the quaint seaside village of Pirate’s Cove on Buck Island, Rhode Island. While it may seem as every aspiring writer’s dream, things take a turn for the worse when he finds rival bookseller Trevor Maples dead, and the murder weapon is the cutlass hanging over the door of Ellery’s bookstore.

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16. India Bones and the Ship of the Dead, by Set Sytes

Cover of India Bones and the Ship of the Dead, by Set Sytes

A street urchin suddenly finds himself amongst a crew of skeletons on the legendary Ship of the Dead.

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India Bones and the Ship of the Dead is the first book in a thrilling new pirate fantasy series, featuring the adventurous exploits of the young India Bones in an exotic yet dangerous world as different from our own as it is similar.


17. Leeward, by Katie Daysh

Cover of Bones to the Wind by Tatiana Obey

A victorius battle leaves Captain Hiram Nightingale physically and mentally wounded, and he is now tasked with hunting down a mutinous ship. The mission is more complex than he expected and he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets, with a crew that doesn’t fully accept him, and figures from his past trying to bring him down.

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A deeply poignant tale of naval warfare, political intrigue and a love between two men that stands tall in an unaccepting world. Perfect for fans of Hornblower, Sharpe and Outlander.


18. The Calamities of Camden Callahan, by Brittany Tucker

Cover of The Calamities of Camden Callahan by Brittany Tucker

After his father’s betrayal, Camden Callahan has kept his identity secret. Cam’s captain, the only one ho knows about his identity, has been captured and Cam must save him before the truth is revealed.

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19. Heart of the Sea, by Moriah Chavis

Cover of Heart of the Sea by Moriah Chavis

Nerissa’s power over the sea has her working with captain Cyrus Crow, who’s tasked with killing her to gain his freedom.

Nerissa will have to face sirens, sea dragons, betrayal, and powers that threaten to consume her to save her sister.

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20. Emerald of the Sea, by Kimberly Pearl

Cover of Emerald of the Sea by Kimberly Pearl

The merchant ship is the only home Emma’s ever known, but she’s tired of the captain’s lies and she’s planning to leave it for good as soon as they hit the next port. Her plans are disrupted and she finds herself running away with a man she probably won’t see ever again, and for whom she’s started developing feelings.

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Bonus!

Because not all pirates are bound to the seas, we also get some sky pirates!

21. Savage Skies, by Kat Ross

Cover of Savage Skies by Kat Ross

Restless spirits roam from village to village and Castelio has the power to banish them. Things get complicated and he reluctantly joins forces with a young woman and her demonic cat.

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22. Bones to the Wind, by Tatiana Obey

Cover of Bones to the Wind by Tatiana Obey

As a coming-of-age ritual, every child must succeed a trial, and Rasia is determined to break every record. Rasia’s biggest obstacle is being trapped in the same ship as Nico, who’s focused on helping her little brother succeed in the trial to avoid getting him banished by their father. Nico needs to find the ship her brother is in before he gets killed by whatever lives in the desert.

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Bones to the Wind is a coming-of-age sword and sorcery fantasy adventure. Action-packed and humorous, the novel includes strong female characters, LGBTQIA+ representation, and mature themes. It is appropriate for a NA/Adult audience, 18+.


23. A Canopy of Stars, by R.J. Louis

Cover of A Canopy of Stars by R.J. Louis

Captain Erin Thunder recruits a mismatched crew to carry a dangerous cargo into the depths of the daunting Faerie Country. Filled with murderers and misfits, the crew of The Kingfisher are hardly scared of anything, but being surrounded by living shadows poses an extra challenge even for them.

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Outgunned. Outnumbered. Outmatched. Under pressure and fighting for their lives. This is when The Kingfisher’s wild crew shines brightest. They must live recklessly, or die trying. But sooner or later, their luck is going to run out…


24. Broken Sky, by Morgan K. Bell

Forced to flee his home to protect his magical inheritance from the machinations of his ambitious stepfather, Dorian finds himself poorly suited as an an aeronaut of skyship Phoenix.

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25. River in the Galaxy, by Natalie Kelda

After losing his best friend and his parents disappearing, all joy in Captain Merlon Ricosta’s life is left behind. He finds a map from his parents and decides to trace the route into strange galaxies they took when they vanished eighteen years ago.

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In River in the Galaxy Merlon fights to keep his crew alive and suppress his prolonged grief and depression. But he must face his own struggles in order to protect the ship and the people aboard.


Please share with me your favourite indie high seas and swashbuckling adventures in the comments.


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