Order of Book Series
0

John Pearce Books in Order

John Pearce by David Donachie contains 18 books, published between 2005 and 2023. The first book is By the Mast Divided (2005) and the newest is Droits of the Crown (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
18
Published
2005–2023
Pages on record
4,676 in 14 of 18 books
Reading time
78–117 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,676 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 14 of 18 titles with a page count on record.

See all 18 books in order Printable John Pearce checklist

John Pearce is a naval adventure series by David Donachie. Eighteen books follow Pearce from By the Mast Divided (2005) to Droits of the Crown (2023), through A Shot Rolling Ship (2005), An Awkward Commission (2007), A Flag of Truce (2008) and The Admiral's Game (2008). Sea stories, British naval history and France supply the material. Nothing has been added since 2023.

How many John Pearce books are there?

John Pearce has 18 books, released between 2005 and 2023.

John Pearce Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 18 John Pearce books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of By the Mast Divided by David Donachie, book 1 of the John Pearce series (2005)
  2. Cover of A Shot Rolling Ship by David Donachie, book 2 of the John Pearce series (2005)
  3. Cover of An Awkward Commission by David Donachie, book 3 of the John Pearce series (2007)
  4. Cover of Blown Off Course by David Donachie, book 7 of the John Pearce series (2010)
  5. Cover of Enemies at Every Turn by David Donachie, book 8 of the John Pearce series (2012)
  6. Cover of A Sea of Troubles by David Donachie, book 9 of the John Pearce series (2012)
  7. Cover of A Divided Command by David Donachie, book 10 of the John Pearce series (2013)
  8. Cover of The Perils of Command by David Donachie, book 12 of the John Pearce series (2016)
  9. Cover of A Treacherous Coast by David Donachie, book 13 of the John Pearce series (2016)
  10. Cover of On a Particular Service by David Donachie, book 14 of the John Pearce series (2017)
  11. Cover of A Close Run Thing by David Donachie, book 15 of the John Pearce series (2019)
  12. Cover of A Troubled Course by David Donachie, book 17 of the John Pearce series (2022)
  1. 1
    By the Mast Divided2005 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2005288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    A Shot Rolling Ship2005 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2005288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    An Awkward Commission2007 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2007288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    A Flag of Truce2008 · 356 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2008356
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Admiral's Game2008 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2008384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    An Ill Wind2009 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2009352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Blown Off Course2010 · confirmed 2/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Enemies at Every Turn2012 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2012352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    A Sea of Troubles2012 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2012352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    A Divided Command2013 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2013320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Devil to Pay2014 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2014320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Perils of Command2016 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2016352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    A Treacherous Coast2016 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2016320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    On a Particular Service2017 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2017320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    A Close Run Thing2019 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    HMS Hazard2021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    A Troubled Course2022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Droits of the Crown2023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for John Pearce?

No separate chronological order is on record for John Pearce, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read John Pearce books in order?

You should read the John Pearce books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each John Pearce book also stands alone.

Where to start with John Pearce

Start with By the Mast Divided (2005), the earliest published title.

What is the newest John Pearce book?

Droits of the Crown (2023) is the newest John Pearce book released so far.

Is there a new John Pearce book coming?

No next John Pearce book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

John Pearce at a glance

Paused
No new John Pearce title has appeared for 3 years. The last was published in 2023.
Release pace
John Pearce books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
4,676 pages across the 14 of 18 books with a recorded length, a median of 336 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John Pearce books, 9 of 18, were published in the 2010s.

What the John Pearce books are about

16 of the 18 John Pearce books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: great britain is tagged on 14 of 16. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by David Donachie

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.