Most avid readers have a bucket list for books they intend to read but never seem to get to. I have long been fascinated by naval history and have enjoyed historical accounts of naval battles, from the Spanish Armada to the Battle of Midway, with occasional stops along the way to visit the lives of Lord Nelson, John Paul Jones and William Halsey. In that vein of reading, I also have a few fictional naval adventure books that I fully intend to read. Several volumes of the Horatio Hornblower series by C. S. Forester and the Master and Commander series by Patrick O’Brian are somewhere on my bookshelves, but I have yet to get to any of them.

Thus it was with great pleasure that I received a copy of THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI by James L. Haley. It is a novel of historical seafaring fiction that promises to be the first in a series of books that introduces readers to 14-year-old Bliven Putnam, commencing his service in the U.S. Navy as a probationary midshipman. Haley is a historian, with award-winning biographies of Sam Houston and Jack London to his credit. He plans to chronicle Putnam’s career beginning with THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI and moving forward to the War of 1812 and then on to the Civil War. Factual events will guide these future novels as he explores Putnam’s rise from midshipman to captain of his own vessel.

"Haley’s talent as a historian coupled with his skill as a novelist make THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI a wonderful debut novel."

The Barbary War was the first foreign action of the infant U.S. Navy created as a deep-water force after the new Constitution authorized the creation of American fighting forces. THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI is exhaustive in its treatment of the infant U.S. Navy. Historical novels often can be just stories with minor historical references, and names and places from a bygone era, but Haley does far more here. First, he creates very authentic scenes as the young crew of U.S. Enterprise embark upon a voyage across the Atlantic to confront the Tripoli pirates, who are attacking American merchant ships and imprisoning citizens and crew. There are exhaustive and thorough descriptions of life aboard the ship. Putnam, barely a teenager, is introduced to readers as he is trained to command guns and taught to use a saber and pistol. In his first battle, that training will come into play. The portrayal is vivid and educational but never dull.

With great attention to detail, Haley continues the story of the naval foray. Putnam acquits himself courageously in battle, earns a promotion to the U.S.S. Constitution, and eventually fights in the deciding battle of the Tripoli expedition, the battle at Derna, memorialized in the Marine Corp anthem’s “to the shores of Tripoli.” Along the way, Haley is true to many historical facts, including President Thomas Jefferson’s concern over his constitutional authority to deploy the Navy as well as misgivings by many Americans over his Louisiana Purchase.

Haley has started his series of naval adventures with a different perspective from the Hornblower or Master and Commander novels. Those books were never intended to be part of a series. However, after their success, the authors were forced to write prequels and sequels to expand the stories and create a series. Haley began his novel with the plan of writing a series, so he knows where Putnam is headed. The second book will be set during the War of 1812, and Haley plans to send Putnam to Hawaii in 1819 for volume three. Of course, there may be some changes based on reader response. Whether the series continues as planned or not, Haley’s talent as a historian coupled with his skill as a novelist make THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI a wonderful debut novel.