Do you enjoy cannon-blasting, cutlass-clanging, impossible odds sea adventure stories?
Set in the tumultuous 1550s, the historical fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna is the coming-of-age story of Francis Drake—a farm boy before his notoriety as a swashbuckling pirate who spectacularly raided the Spanish Main, or his fame as a circumnavigator and bold admiral who “singed Phillip’s beard.”
The introduction of the new English Prayer Book during the regency of Edward VI kindles the wildfire of civil unrest and drives the Drakes off their farm, seeding the dark identity of an underdog in Francis.
While living in the household of a relative, he marinades in the lore of seafaring adventures beyond the horizon, and sees the wealth, power, and influence that captain Hawkins creates for himself. Ripping a page from Hawkins’ history, Drake sets out to create his own destiny, and to defy his world of patronage, religious turmoil, miserable penury, and cruel punishment.
Becoming an apprentice on an armed merchantman Tiger, he learns coastal trade, the art of navigation, and the salty skill of sailing ship handling. He also discovers that the sea’s lawless frontier is far from a meritocracy or a path to easy riches.
When the Tiger is attacked and overtaken by a pirate, Francis learns the lesson that will irrevocably define his destiny.
Fans of CS Forrester’s Horatio Hornblower, Dewey Lambdin’s Alan Lewrie, or Patrick O’Brian Aubrey Maturin books will enjoy seeing Francis Drake in the naval historical fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna.
This is the origin book of my historical fiction series Adventures of Francis Drake. While exists about Drake’s later life, little is about his formative experiences. I attempt to breathe life into history by drawing on research of naval action, period ships, 16th century maps, religious turmoil of Tudor history, and history of pirates and privateers to paint Drake’s story.
Read the first scene of the naval historical fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna.
Be sure to sign up for my email list to get the full chapter 1 and be notified when the book is released!
