Luckily, there are plenty of books for gamers who love sailing the high seas and solving mysteries of the deep, regardless of how much reading they normally do. We reviewed dozens of the best pirate books along with dozens of other sea adventure stories to find the best books for Sea of Thieves fans.
From quick and easy official tie-in novels to timeless classics and new twists on old tales, these books about pirates, mermaids, and unseen riches are ready to pull players down to new watery depths.
1. Sea of Thieves: Athena’s Fortune by Chris Allcock
An obvious choice, the first full-length Sea of Thieves novel is an adventure backstory focusing on pirate lord Ramsey and Bilge Rats leader Larinna, two characters who players should be very familiar with. The story follows these characters through two distinct places in time, focusing on each character’s first adventure as a pirate, during which they hunt for Athena’s lost treasure.
The writing offers thrilling action scenes in a back-and-forth that eventually melds into a single awesome origin story. With lots of piracy, treasure hunting, and a colorful cast of well fleshed out characters old and new, Athena’s Fortune will keep Sea of Thieves fans entertained between in-game adventures.
2. Sea of Thieves: Heart of Fire by Chris Allcock
Set eight years before the events of the Seabound Soul tall tale, Sea of Thieves: Heart of Fire tells the story of two ships racing towards a powerful ancient relic. Serving as the backstory for Captain Flameheart and the Skeleton Lord, the book actually follows the crew of the Morningstar. Making another appearance for fans, the pirate lord Ramsey hires the Morningstar to stop Captain Flameheart before he uses the relic to expand his reign of terror.
There’s lots of action to be had in this story, especially given the antagonistic premise of competing, power-hungry pirates. The quality of the writing is much improved in this novel compared to Athena’s Fortune, using quick pacing, excellent pirate vocabulary, and humorous characters to create the signature Sea of Thieves vibes that gamers love.
3. Sea of Thieves: Origins Vol. 1 by Jeremy Whitley (Author) and Rhoald Marcellius (Illustrator)
The final tie-in book that deserves attention is a compendium collecting three Sea of Thieves comics that explore the daily lives of treasure hunters, merchants, and mystics. Focusing on the leaders of three of the main trading companies, what sets this volume apart from the mainline Sea of Thieves comic series is the fact that there are complete stories being told rather than more generalized pirate adventure vignettes.
The Price of Gold tells the story of how the Gold Hoarders’ founder Rathbone first became obsessed with gold. The next comic, The Bonds of Union, follows the origin story of the Merchant Alliance and its founder, Chief Trader Mollie. The last comic offers a more creepy tale about the founding of the occult group Order of Souls and their founder Madame Olivia.
Perfect for gamers looking for more Sea of Thieves lore, this compendium features good writing, high quality art, and some superb color work.
4. Black Flags, Blue Waters by Eric Jay Dolin
For players who want to know more about real pirates and the short history of their prowess on the seas, Black Flags, Blue Waters offers a light history that goes over all the best pirates and their exploits.
Filled with debunked myths and fun facts, the book presents a nearly complete account of pirate history, including images, maps, and other historical documents. Written with narrative flair, each page reads a bit like a novel instead of something educational. Not that anyone is actually fooled!
Players will absolutely learn from this book as it discusses the truth about pirates like Black Beard and Captain Kidd. The approachable writing and interesting subject matter ultimately makes this one of the best nonfiction books about pirates.
5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
One of the greatest children’s classics of all time, Treasure Island has certainly aged since it was first published and, unfortunately, not in the best ways. However, this is the origin story for basically every pirate adventure tale since 1883, including Treasure Planet and Pirates of the Caribbean.
The pacing is quite slow, and the language can be tough to tackle, but the adventure still holds up really well! The pirates in this story aren’t like modern depictions. There are no trashy hunks here, only dumb, drunk, and mean sea dogs that make the already extremely likable main character Jim an even more admirable hero. Young readers probably won’t like this, but teens and adults can have a lot of fun reading this quick classic that set the standard for rapscallion adventure novels.
6. A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee
This historical fiction focuses on the legendary Dragon Fleet, the scourge of the South China Sea. Set in 1826, two young girls find a treasure map left behind by one of their fathers who used to be part of the Dragon Fleet.
The main plot is extremely similar to Treasure Island, but what A Clash of Steel offers goes beyond the base storyline. The representation in this book is awesome. This book explores the world of Asian piracy, which was booming at around the same time as American piracy, showing off a vibrant cultural history not often found in western books. On top of this, rather than centering the story around straight, white, male pirates, the author chooses to focus instead on two gay, female characters.
These big divergences from the original story are supported with a much more modern writing style, creating better pacing, more fluid action, and characters that are bold, smart, and tough.
7. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
Written by the incredible Robin Hobb, Ship of Magic is the first in The Liveship Traders trilogy, a story set in a world where sailing ships can be sentient. The way a ship “quickens” into a living ship is by having three successive generations of a family die on board. At 880 pages, this book is for gamers who are also avid readers.
When main character Althea’s father dies, she is unexpectedly robbed of her inheritance, a living ship named Vivicia. Not one to be knocked down so easily, she sets out to prove herself worthy of being a captain and eventually reclaim Vivicia. As expected of Hobb, the exceptional writing offers in-depth descriptions, a unique magic system, and thrilling action. One of the best pirate books ever to hit the sci-fi and fantasy market, Ship of Magic is a dynamic tale that immerses readers in an adventure they won’t soon forget.
8. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Daughter of the Pirate King is a master class in feminine sass. The main character, Alosa, is a cut-throat pirate who knows just how good she is. Overall, this book is a fun read with lots of laughs and over the top feats accomplished by Alosa.
The basic plot is that Alosa must get herself captured so that she can steal a treasure map and hopefully take the treasure for herself. Through this adventure, readers are introduced to a handful of characters who play off each other in interesting ways, creating a story that feels like a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. While the world-building isn’t the best, the dialogue and characterization is remarkably enjoyable. Plus, there are two sequels that give readers even more hilarious, sassy pirate action!
9. Child of a Hidden Sea by A. M. Dellamonica
This “transported to another world” book is the beginning of an exciting trilogy about a San Francisco woman named Sophie getting dragged into a world of islands, pirates, and magic. Child of a Hidden Sea is perfect for readers who like more in-depth fantasy without the huge page counts.
This book features exciting adventures, political subterfuge, and a good mix of characters from many backgrounds. The writing is approachable and the pacing is fast, so the story feels like a YA novel at times, but is missing the thick layer of teen angst that covers most YA books. Gamers who love self-insert characters will love the relatability of Sophie while enjoying the intricacies of this magical world of privateers and politics.
10. A Song of Silver and Gold by Melissa Karibian
Bridging the gap between pirates and mermaids, A Song of Silver and Gold is a fun romp and perfect for getting immersed in a mythical seafaring adventure. Written with impressive pacing and light, yet punchy vocabulary, even gamers who don’t read too often will find a lot to love here.
One part West Side Story, one part The Little Mermaid, and one part Pirates of the Caribbean, this book follows two young women in a classic enemies-to-lover plot. The dialogue is nearly perfect and reflects the author’s mastery of character work, which further shines through the handful of surprisingly memorable side characters. For a light, somewhat romantic pirate adventure, gamers would do well to pick up A Song of Silver and Gold.
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