Patrick O'Brian/Master & Commander - Alternatives

[TCEvo]

Has anyone any authorbsuggestions/recommendations for a similar theme please - novels, not historical/bios, or Sharpe.

Present for someone.

Cheers

[SaulGoodman]

The Horatio Hornblower novels maybe? Or the Bolitho ones by Alexander Kent.

[Equus]

I enjoyed the Master Mariner by Nicholas Monsarrat - though he did rather inconveniently drop dead half way through the second book (Nicholas Monsarrat, that is, not the protagonist).

[TCEvo]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[jet_noise]

This is a target rich field, although perhaps none so carefully written nonetheless entertaining.
Firstly although perhaps too Sharpe-like being army rather than navy is Allan Mallinson's Hervey series.

Now naval. Bolitho has already been suggested, also try Reeman's Blackwood saga. Dudley Pope's Ramage & York series. Ramage perhaps slightly less grown-up than some.
Julian Stockwin's Kydd.
David Donachie has had two bites in the Privateer and later, better resolved (IMHO) John Pearce series.

One random thought, being neither naval nor Napoleonic (although definitely historic!), is Christian Cameron's Chivalry series. The loosely factual subject (Sir) William Gold I found highly engaging.

[akirk]

just spotted this - definitely Dudley Pope’s Ramage series - love them...

[cardigankid]

And there a lot of them. All these books, with the possible exception of Patrick O’Brien, are to a lesser or greater extent, derived from Hornblower. Not a bad thing at all.