Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Privateer | 1981 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 2 | The Tern Schooner | 1981 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 3 | To Glory Arise | 1981 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 4 | Brig of War | 1981 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 5 | The Yankee | 1981 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 6 | The Macedonian | 1984 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 7 | Cat Island | 1984 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 8 | The Raider | 1981 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
Privateers & Gentlemen was Walter Jon Williams’s first published series, and it is a long way from the cyberpunk and space opera he later became known for. These eight novels are straightforward Age of Sail adventure fiction, set during the era of American privateering and naval warfare. Williams wrote them in his early twenties, and they have the energy of a young author who loves the material.
The books follow various characters through naval engagements and privateering raids during the early years of American seafaring. Starting with The Privateer and running through Cat Island, the series covers the years when American ships were still scrapping with European navies for control of Atlantic shipping lanes. Fans of Patrick O’Brian or C.S. Forester who want an American perspective on the same era will find these books worth tracking down, though they are harder to find than Williams’s science fiction.