Douglas Reeman was an English naval novelist who wrote twentieth-century sea stories under his own name and the long-running Richard and Adam Bolitho series under the pseudonym Alexander Kent. He also wrote the five-volume Blackwood family saga about generations of Royal Marines.
Reading order depends on which side of Reeman’s bibliography you choose. Most novels published as Douglas Reeman are standalones, the Blackwood books form a connected family saga, and the Alexander Kent novels require special attention because their publication order differs substantially from their internal chronology.
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Three Ways to Start Reading Douglas Reeman
Best starting point under his own name: Begin with A Prayer for the Ship if you want twentieth-century naval fiction. It was Reeman’s first published novel and is a standalone.
Best starting point for the Blackwood family: Begin with Badge of Glory and continue through all five books.
Best starting point for Alexander Kent: First-time readers can begin with To Glory We Steer, the first Bolitho novel published, or with Richard Bolitho, Midshipman if they specifically prefer the internal chronology. Publication order and chronological order offer genuinely different experiences.
Douglas Reeman Standalone Novels in Publication Order
Reeman’s official bibliography describes the novels under his own name as mostly standalone sea stories, generally set during the twentieth century. Readers can therefore choose among them without following one continuing cast.
- A Prayer for the Ship (1958)
- High Water (1959)
- Send a Gunboat (1960)
- Dive in the Sun (1961)
- The Hostile Shore (1962)
- The Last Raider (1963)
- With Blood and Iron (1964)
- H.M.S. Saracen (1965)
- Path of the Storm (1966)
- The Deep Silence (1967)
- The Pride and the Anguish (1968)
- To Risks Unknown (1969)
- The Greatest Enemy (1970)
- Rendezvous – South Atlantic (1972)
- His Majesty’s U-Boat (1973), also published as Go In and Sink!
- The Destroyers (1974)
- Winged Escort (1975)
- Surface with Daring (1976)
- Strike from the Sea (1978)
- A Ship Must Die (1979)
- Torpedo Run (1981)
- The Volunteers (1985)
- The Iron Pirate (1986)
- In Danger’s Hour (1988)
- The White Guns (1989)
- Killing Ground (1991)
- Sunset (1994)
- A Dawn Like Thunder (1996)
- Battlecruiser (1997)
- For Valour (2000)
- Twelve Seconds to Live (2002)
- The Glory Boys (2008)
Continuity: These are generally independent stories. Reeman repeatedly returned to the Royal Navy, submarines, destroyers, motor torpedo boats, wartime convoys, and later naval conflicts, but he did not make these books one continuous series.
Publication dates occasionally differ by a year between British, American, hardback, and paperback records. The ordering above follows the commonly accepted original sequence rather than later reissue dates.
The Blackwood Royal Marines Saga in Order
The Blackwood novels are the major connected series Reeman published under his own name. They follow different generations of a fictional family serving in the Royal Marines across a long span of British military history.
- Badge of Glory (1982)
- The First to Land (1984)
- The Horizon (1993)
- Dust on the Sea (1999)
- Knife Edge (2004)
Recommended order: Read all five books in publication order. The family connection across generations is the central continuity, so beginning with Badge of Glory gives later Blackwoods their intended historical context.
The series is also called the Royal Marines Saga or Blackwood Family series. Those labels refer to the same five-book sequence.
Douglas Reeman as Alexander Kent
Reeman used the name Alexander Kent for his Age of Sail novels about Richard Bolitho and later Richard’s nephew Adam Bolitho. The series began with To Glory We Steer in 1968.
This is where reading order becomes more complicated. Reeman did not write Richard Bolitho’s life from youth to old age in a straight line. Several later publications are prequels set before books that had appeared years earlier.
Bolitho Books in Publication Order
Publication order preserves the way readers originally discovered Richard Bolitho. This is the safest choice for readers who prefer authorial development and the historical publishing sequence.
- To Glory We Steer (1968)
- Form Line of Battle! (1969)
- Enemy in Sight! (1970)
- The Flag Captain (1971)
- Sloop of War (1972)
- Command a King’s Ship (1973)
- Signal – Close Action! (1974)
- Richard Bolitho, Midshipman (1975)
- Passage to Mutiny (1976)
- In Gallant Company (1977)
- The Inshore Squadron (1977)
- Midshipman Bolitho and the ‘Avenger’ (1978)
- Stand Into Danger (1980)
- A Tradition of Victory (1981)
- Success to the Brave (1983)
- Colours Aloft! (1986)
- Honour This Day (1987)
- With All Despatch (1988)
- The Only Victor (1990)
- Beyond the Reef (1992)
- The Darkening Sea (1993)
- For My Country’s Freedom (1995)
- Cross of St George (1996)
- Sword of Honour (1998)
- Second to None (1999)
- Relentless Pursuit (2001)
- Man of War (2003)
- Band of Brothers (2005)
- Heart of Oak (2007)
- In the King’s Name (2011)
Authorship: All of these were written by Douglas Reeman under the Alexander Kent name. Alexander Kent is not a second author contributing to the series.
Bolitho Books in Chronological Order
Readers who want to follow Richard Bolitho from his youth through his naval career should use the internal historical chronology below. Adam Bolitho’s books follow naturally after Richard’s later story.
- Richard Bolitho, Midshipman
- Midshipman Bolitho and the ‘Avenger’
- Band of Brothers
- Stand Into Danger
- In Gallant Company
- Sloop of War
- To Glory We Steer
- Command a King’s Ship
- Passage to Mutiny
- With All Despatch
- Form Line of Battle!
- Enemy in Sight!
- The Flag Captain
- Signal – Close Action!
- The Inshore Squadron
- A Tradition of Victory
- Success to the Brave
- Colours Aloft!
- Honour This Day
- The Only Victor
- Beyond the Reef
- The Darkening Sea
- For My Country’s Freedom
- Cross of St George
- Sword of Honour
- Second to None
- Relentless Pursuit
- Man of War
- Heart of Oak
- In the King’s Name
Why chronological order is different: Reeman introduced Richard as an experienced captain in To Glory We Steer, then later went back and wrote stories about his youth and early commissions.
Chronological order therefore gives a smooth career progression, but it changes the order in which Reeman originally revealed the character’s past.
Richard Bolitho and Adam Bolitho: Where the Handover Happens
The saga eventually shifts from Richard Bolitho toward his nephew Adam Bolitho. This is one continuous family and naval chronology rather than an unrelated spinoff.
The later Adam-centered sequence is:
- Second to None (1999)
- Relentless Pursuit (2001)
- Man of War (2003)
- Heart of Oak (2007)
- In the King’s Name (2011)
Do not start here on a complete first read. Adam’s story inherits relationships, family history, and naval consequences from the Richard Bolitho books.
Which Bolitho Order Is Better for a First Read?
Both approaches are defensible, but they serve different readers.
- Publication order: best for experiencing the saga as Reeman developed it, with later prequels filling in Richard’s past.
- Chronological order: best for readers who want to watch Richard advance from midshipman through the ranks without jumping backward in time.
Recommended for a first read: Publication order preserves the original reveals and is the safer literary choice. Chronological order is especially satisfying on a reread or for readers who strongly prefer linear historical progression.
Midshipman Bolitho Omnibus Editions
Some editions titled simply Midshipman Bolitho combine three early adventures:
- Richard Bolitho, Midshipman
- Midshipman Bolitho and the ‘Avenger’
- Band of Brothers
If your edition contains all three, do not buy the separate books again unless you want individual copies.
Other Bolitho Omnibuses
Various publishers have issued Bolitho omnibus editions combining two or more previously published novels. Titles such as The Bolitho Omnibus or Captain Richard Bolitho R.N. Omnibus should be treated as collections, not additional installments.
Optional: Check the contents page before buying an omnibus if you already own individual Bolitho novels.
Major Douglas Reeman Second World War Novels
A large part of Reeman’s standalone bibliography is set during the Second World War. Readers interested specifically in that period can use the following thematic route.
- A Prayer for the Ship
- Dive in the Sun
- The Hostile Shore
- With Blood and Iron
- H.M.S. Saracen
- The Pride and the Anguish
- To Risks Unknown
- Rendezvous – South Atlantic
- His Majesty’s U-Boat
- The Destroyers
- Winged Escort
- Surface with Daring
- Strike from the Sea
- A Ship Must Die
- Torpedo Run
- The Volunteers
- The Iron Pirate
- In Danger’s Hour
- The White Guns
- Killing Ground
- Sunset
- A Dawn Like Thunder
- Battlecruiser
- For Valour
- Twelve Seconds to Live
- The Glory Boys
These books share historical background rather than one fictional continuity. They can be read independently.
His Majesty’s U-Boat and Go In and Sink!
His Majesty’s U-Boat has also appeared under the title Go In and Sink!. These are two titles for the same novel.
Do not place both names into a reading order as separate books.
Douglas Reeman Short Stories and Non-Fiction
Reeman’s bibliography is dominated by novels, but he also contributed to shorter and non-fiction maritime work.
- Douglas Reeman Introduces Sea Captain’s Tales (1986), an edited or introduced collection of maritime stories.
- D-Day: A Personal Reminiscence, a non-fiction account connected with Reeman’s wartime experience.
These are Optional and do not affect the Blackwood or Bolitho novel orders.
Does Douglas Reeman Have One Master Chronology?
No. The standalone twentieth-century novels use different protagonists and periods, the Blackwoods occupy their own generational family saga, and the Bolitho books form a separate Age of Sail continuity.
The only place where a detailed chronological reconstruction is especially useful is the Bolitho series because several prequels were written after later periods of Richard’s career had already been published.
A Practical Douglas Reeman Reading Strategy
- For twentieth-century naval fiction: begin with A Prayer for the Ship, then choose other standalones according to the period or type of vessel that interests you.
- For a family saga: read the five Blackwood novels beginning with Badge of Glory.
- For the Age of Sail as originally published: begin the Alexander Kent books with To Glory We Steer.
- For a linear Bolitho biography: start with Richard Bolitho, Midshipman and use chronological order.
- For Adam Bolitho: do not jump straight to Second to None unless you are comfortable missing the Richard Bolitho background.
Douglas Reeman’s Final Books and Series Status
Douglas Reeman died in 2017. His principal novel sequences are complete.
The final published Bolitho novel was In the King’s Name in 2011. It continued the Adam Bolitho era of the long-running Alexander Kent series.
The Blackwood saga concluded with Knife Edge in 2004. Reeman’s later standalone naval fiction included The Glory Boys.
Modern Douglas Reeman and Alexander Kent releases are generally reprints or new editions of established titles rather than new novels written after his death.
Douglas Reeman Books in Order FAQs
Is Alexander Kent really Douglas Reeman?
Yes. Alexander Kent was the pseudonym Douglas Reeman used for the Richard and Adam Bolitho novels.
What Douglas Reeman book should I read first?
A Prayer for the Ship is the natural starting point for Reeman’s twentieth-century naval fiction. It was his first published novel and stands alone.
What is the first Bolitho book?
To Glory We Steer was the first Bolitho novel published. Richard Bolitho, Midshipman is the first book in the internal historical chronology.
Should I read Bolitho in publication order or chronological order?
Publication order is recommended for a first read because it preserves the way Reeman developed and revealed Richard Bolitho. Chronological order is excellent for readers who prefer a continuous career progression.
Are Richard Bolitho and Adam Bolitho in the same series?
Yes. Adam is Richard’s nephew, and his later adventures continue the same Bolitho family saga.
What order should the Blackwood books be read?
Read Badge of Glory, The First to Land, The Horizon, Dust on the Sea, and Knife Edge in that order.
Are Douglas Reeman’s other novels connected?
Usually not. Most books under the Douglas Reeman name are standalone naval stories with different characters.
Is Go In and Sink! a separate novel?
No. It is an alternate title for His Majesty’s U-Boat.
Choosing Between Reeman and Alexander Kent
Readers who prefer destroyers, submarines, motor torpedo boats, convoys, and twentieth-century naval warfare should start with the novels published as Douglas Reeman. A Prayer for the Ship is the simplest first choice.
Readers who prefer sailing warships and the Royal Navy of the American Revolutionary, French Revolutionary, and Napoleonic periods should choose the Alexander Kent books. Start with To Glory We Steer for publication order or Richard Bolitho, Midshipman for chronological order.
The Blackwood family books occupy a third route, following generations of Royal Marines. Keeping those three strands separate makes Douglas Reeman’s large naval bibliography much easier to navigate.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.