The ocean has played a major role in the development of our local community and our province. These books will take you on a journey from the realm of fantasy and fiction to reality and from the Atlantic Ocean to the coast of British Columbia.
The first in a series, The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert Redick begins the tale of the merchant ship Chathrand, the last of its kind. The 600-year-old vessel is about to sail on its most important mission: escorting a young woman whose marriage will seal a peace treaty between the Empire of Arqual and the Mzithrin Empire.
Thasha, the young lady in question, has no intention of going quietly and she, a deckhand named Pazel and their allies discover that the ship's true mission is not of peace but war. Robert Redick has been compared to George R.R. Martin, China Miéville, and Phillip Pullman.
Think cruise ships are immune from terrorist attacks? Think again.
First there was the Achille Lauro hijacking by Palestinian terrorists and then the Somali pirate attack on the MSC Melody; now the Atlantis Queen is the target of a terrorist attack. Coonts' Deep Black: Sea of Terror is a fast-paced adventure fiction novel with U.S. Special Forces trying to stop a double hijacking: a cruise ship infiltrated by Middle Eastern terrorists and a nuclear waste transport ship by Japanese eco-terrorists. If these two ships are allowed to rendezvous and carry out their plan, it will cripple the U.S.'s financial centres on the eastern seaboard.
The Cold War is about to be turned into the United States' favour with a new defense technology that utilizes sound waves to disrupt ballistic missiles. The only problem is the rarity of mineral needed to power it and the only available quantity went down on the Titanic.
It's up to author Clive Cussler's hero, Dirk Pitt, to salvage the mineral from the bottom of the sea before a hurricane or Soviet spies can bring the operation to a halt. Find out if Pitt and his team succeeds in Raise the Titanic.
From fictional stories of sunken treasure to the real deal, Treasure Hunter: Diving for Gold on North America's Death Coast by Robert MacKinnon is sure to give everyone gold fever.
MacKinnon shares his story as he dives for the first time as a kid on Cape Breton, to finding actual sunken treasure. The challenges of diving in this area from icy water, unpredictable weather and a government that has become hostile to amateur treasure hunters are only some of the risks that MacKinnon has faced.
George Vancouver's epic voyage from 1791 to 1795 to lay claim and map western North America produced charts of such accuracy they were still being used well into the twentieth century.
His voyage is one of history's greatest feats of scientific discovery and marine cartography, but instead of returning to London a hero, he became the victim of a smear campaign by members of the aristocracy intent on destroying his reputation.
Learn what led to Vancouver's fall from grace in Madness, Betrayal, and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of George Vancouver by Stephen R. Bown.
George Vancouver's earlier adventure as a crew member aboard James Cook's HMS Resolution at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island first sparked interest in commerce in the Pacific Northwest, which has been ongoing since the age of sail. Jacques Marc's Pacific Coast Ship China offers a fascinating study of shipping companies from the age of steam to the modern era and of the China that was used on board ships from lowly freighters to the grand floating palaces of the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways on the Pacific.
Fully illustrated with historical photographs, vintage ads, and colour images, this book is a must for steamship collectors and enthusiasts.
Dennis Neumann is a librarian at the Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.
