Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winds of Marque | 2019 | Bennett R. Coles | Buy |
| 2 | Dark Star Rising | 2020 | Bennett R. Coles | Buy |
Blackwood & Virtue consists of two books by Bennett R. Coles: Winds of Marque (2019) and Dark Star Rising (2020). The series takes the conventions of Age of Sail adventure fiction – privateers, naval engagements, ship-to-ship combat – and transplants them into a science fiction setting. The result is a more adventurous and action-oriented story than Coles’s earlier military fiction.
The two books follow characters who operate in the gray area between legitimate naval service and piracy, with political intrigue adding complexity to the swashbuckling action. Coles’s naval background still informs the shipboard details and command structures, but the lighter tone makes this series more accessible to readers who prefer adventure over hard military fiction.