A list of 15 Novels about Pirates
- 1Treasure Island by
When you think of pirate stories, “Treasure Island” comes straight to mind. Jim Hawkins narrates this classic tale, full of excitement, treachery, and treasure maps marked with the iconic black “X”.
You’ll follow Long John Silver, the wily, one-legged pirate who shifts alliances easily to suit himself. Stevenson offers the definitive pirate tale that has inspired countless films, comics, and other stories.
It’s full of danger from mutinous crews, mysterious islands, and skirmishes at sea, capturing your imagination from the first page to the very treasure-soaked, adventure-filled end.
- 2Captain Blood by
“Captain Blood” is Sabatini at his finest. It begins when Peter Blood, a former doctor, finds himself wrongfully accused and sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean.
But Blood doesn’t remain a slave—he escapes, commandeers a ship, becomes a cunning, brilliant pirate captain, and sails across seas, taking prizes and fighting naval battles.
With sword fights, naval warfare, daring escapes, and tense battles against the Spanish, the novel elevates piracy beyond cliches. Peter Blood, in fact, is not only an adventurer and pirate—he’s also a thinker, strategist, and humanist.
- 3On Stranger Tides by
“On Stranger Tides” isn’t your standard pirate adventure. Powers blends history, fantasy, voodoo, and pirate lore into a mesmerizing tale. John Chandagnac is captured by pirates, but before long, he embraces a piratical identity as Jack Shandy.
He navigates among pirates seeking not only treasure but magical powers hidden in the Caribbean. Pirate rivalry, supernatural elements, and vivid sea battles make this novel unique.
Powers gives readers a complex, gritty view of pirates entwined with folklore and sorcery—with stakes higher than mere gold, making it a wild, captivating novel.
- 4Pirate Latitudes by
Crichton’s “Pirate Latitudes” offers pirates as tough, cunning opportunists navigating treacherous Caribbean waters. Set in the 1600s, privateer Captain Hunter assembles a rogue crew to seize a heavily guarded Spanish treasure ship in a daring raid.
Facing brutal seas, exotic threats, and Spain’s military might, the team risks all in a vivid tale of piracy, politics, and adventure on the frontier-like seas.
While not as famous as Crichton’s other books, it’s gritty, fast-paced, and seamlessly mixes historical accuracy with gripping pirate action—gunpowder, cannons, and intrigue galore.
- 5The Princess Bride by
Goldman’s “The Princess Bride” isn’t specifically pirate-centric, but the dread pirate Roberts looms large in this whimsical tale. Young Buttercup, kidnapped on her wedding journey, faces various threats including ruthless bandits and kingdom conspiracies.
Enter the mysterious Roberts, legendary and feared across the seas, whose name is itself an inheritance passed pirate to pirate.
Packed with clever dialogue, sword duels, kidnappings, and legendary maritime figures, the novel is equal parts romance, adventure, and humor—complete with pirates salty enough to satisfy any reader drawn to high-seas exploits.
- 6The Black Swan by
In “The Black Swan,” Sabatini introduces Charles de Bernis, a charming French adventurer tangled in Caribbean pirate politics. De Bernis gets drawn deep into pirate life through treacheries, alliances, and battles over territories and treasures.
Best is the adventure’s historical background. Sabatini shows how pirates operated within colonial politics and shifting loyalties, making fortunes and creating rivals. The narrative features pirate battles, romantic intrigues, and suspenseful captures.
It weaves real Caribbean history into fiction, creating pirates who contest power structures, challenge authority, and battle for independence on high seas.
- 7The Sea Hawk by
Another sea-swept classic by Sabatini is “The Sea Hawk.” Sir Oliver Tressilian, betrayed and robbed of his rightful fortune, transforms from English gentleman to dangerous pirate. He takes to the seas for revenge and often finds himself clashing with enemies who betrayed him.
Sabatini gives readers naval battles, thrilling escapes, and characters driven not merely by greed, but bitterness, revenge, and honor.
Its complicated protagonist blurs easy moral boundaries, vividly showing piracy as a tool of personal retribution among shifting sea-borne disputes and offshore wars of empire.
- 8Frenchman's Creek by
In “Frenchman’s Creek,” Daphne du Maurier gives readers a pirate story steeped in romantic escapism.
Lady Dona St. Columb departs refined society for Cornwall to escape boredom and finds herself entangled with dashing pirate Jean-Benoit Aubéry, exploring a path of freedom, adventure, and danger at sea.
Richly atmospheric with secret coves, moonlit escapades, and sailing under darkness, this story blends piracy with romance.
Du Maurier’s poetic storytelling and her depiction of outlaw life make it uniquely appealing, giving piracy a romantic allure quite distinct from typical pirate adventure novels.
- 9Peter Pan by
Barrie’s “Peter Pan” is famous for its adventurous, vivid portrayal of pirates as formidable foes. The sinister Captain Hook leads a crew of pirates determined to rid Neverland of Peter, the Lost Boys, and their carefree way of life.
Hook obsessed over Peter after losing his hand to a hungry crocodile. Battles between pirate and playful boy are full of comedy and peril—highlighted by roaming seas, pirate lairs, cannon-shots, and elaborate plots.
Barrie’s pirates are humorous, villainous characters who capture the imagination and frequently steal the scene.
- 10The Requiem Shark by
The Requiem Shark brings historical accuracy to piracy’s brutal, gritty side. Griffin plunges readers straight into a crew sailing with infamous pirate Bartholomew Roberts.
The focus isn’t swashbuckling romance; instead, Griffin emphasizes Roberts’s ruthlessness and pirate crew politics—mutinies, conflicts, raids, storms at sea.
Delivered through the eyes of Cooper, a captive forced to sail with Roberts, readers witness piracy’s unforgiving reality.
There are fierce ship battles, tense negotiations, and clashes within pirate ranks, all painted in ample historical detail revealing a grimmer reality beyond romanticized pirate stories.
- 11Where Loyalties Lie by
Rob J. Hayes crafts a dark, gritty pirate world in “Where Loyalties Lie.” With pirates as antiheroes, the story explores life on pirate islands built beyond laws or morality.
Drake Morrass dreams of uniting pirate factions to create a free haven, navigating brutal violence, betrayal, and pirate codes of honor. It’s full of realistic battles at sea, vicious rivalries, and harsh realities faced by these lawless adventurers.
This novel presents a brutally honest yet thrilling portrait of piracy, less noble swashbucklers and more ruthless opportunists.
- 12The Pyrates by
The Pyrates by Fraser satirizes pirate tropes with sharp wit and hilarious exaggeration. Fraser’s pirates swagger through outrageous adventures, dramatic rescues, and absurd swordfights, subverting pirate clichés humorously.
Yet, the author respects the romance and mythology surrounding pirates. The novel brilliantly parodies famous literary and film pirates, poking fun at conventional plot twists and recognizable stock pirate characters.
It’s a playful and affectionate treatment of pirate fiction, perfect for readers familiar with traditional pirate adventures who appreciate lighter-hearted humor along with their tales of piracy.
- 13Bloody Jack by
In “Bloody Jack,” teenage orphan Mary disguises herself as Jacky Faber, emerging from London’s dangerous streets to serve aboard a British navy ship. Meyer vividly portrays Jacky’s adventures and hardships at sea.
She masters seamanship, swordplay, and survival amid sea battles and crisis. Eventually Jacky transitions from sailor life to piracy’s perilous and exciting world.
Her adventures across dangerous waters illustrate both piracy’s camaraderie and inherent violence, providing youthful, fast-paced storytelling full of fighting, naval battles, voyages, and Jacky’s clever disguises, courage, and charm.
- 14Ship of Magic by
In “Ship of Magic,” Robin Hobb blends piracy and fantasy seamlessly. Magical sailing ships possessing conscious awareness, seafarers seeking the legendary Rain Wilds treasures, and daring pirate Captain Kennit drive the tale’s intricate plot.
Kennit seeks to solidify pirate factions, taking risky factors into his quest for power. The novels vividly explore pirate culture, trade, and maritime politics.
Hobb’s imaginative, complex setting reveals piracy’s layers—power struggles, greed, freedom, and morality—on enchanted ships coursing through dangerous seas.
- 15Cinnamon and Gunpowder by
Eli Brown’s “Cinnamon and Gunpowder” offers pirates unlike any you’ve met. Pirate captain Mad Hannah Mabbot kidnaps a talented chef, proposing a strange bargain: his culinary masterpieces for his life.
Amid culinary delights aboard a pirate ship, readers experience naval battles, political intrigue, and ocean adventure. The novel unravels exotic locales alongside lush scenes of shipboard meals.
Brown crafts relatable pirates whose stories reflect struggle, diplomacy, and unexpected humanity—piracy full of rich, sensory pleasures beyond typical battles and buried treasures.