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Quick answer: If you liked The North Water, read Moby-Dick, In the Heart of the Sea, The Terror and Blood Meridian. All are brutal, atmospheric stories of men pushed to extremes in remote places by sea or ice.
Ian McGuire's 2016 novel follows Patrick Sumner, a disgraced surgeon who joins a whaling ship bound for the Arctic in 1859, and Henry Drax, a violent harpooner. It is gritty, gripping and unflinching about cruelty and survival. Please note it contains graphic violence. The books below offer similar tales of ships, ice and the darkness of men.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moby-Dick | Herman Melville | Adult | American epic |
| In the Heart of the Sea | Nathaniel Philbrick | Adult | whale and shipwreck |
| The Terror | Dan Simmons | Adult | arctic horror |
| Blood Meridian | Cormac McCarthy | Adult | violent Western |
| In the Kingdom of Ice | Hampton Sides | Adult | Arctic disaster |
| Endurance | Alfred Lansing | Adult | polar survival |
| The Wager | David Grann | Adult | shipwreck history |
| The Sea Wolf | Jack London | Adult | brutal captain |
| Heart of Darkness | Joseph Conrad | Adult | dark journey |
| Lord Jim | Joseph Conrad | Adult | guilt at sea |
| Master and Commander | Patrick O'Brian | Adult | Napoleonic sea fiction |
| The Sisters Brothers | Patrick deWitt | Adult | darkly comic Western |
| Burial Rites | Hannah Kent | Adult | last execution in Iceland |
| Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry | Adult | Western epic |
| Mutiny on the Bounty | Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall | Adult | mutiny at sea |
1. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Captain Ahab chases a white whale. Long, strange and powerful.
Best for: American epic.
2. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
The sinking of the whaleship Essex. Gripping and powerful.
Best for: whale and shipwreck.
3. The Terror by Dan Simmons
Two ships are trapped in ice and something stalks the crew. Long and chilling.
Best for: arctic horror.
4. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
A teenager joins a gang of scalp hunters. Bleak, poetic and violent.
Best for: violent Western.
5. In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
The USS Jeannette sails for the North Pole and is crushed by ice. Vivid and tragic.
Best for: Arctic disaster.
6. Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Shackleton's crew is stranded in Antarctica for months. A classic of exploration.
Best for: polar survival.
7. The Wager by David Grann
A British warship is wrecked and the survivors turn on each other. Gripping narrative non-fiction.
Best for: shipwreck history.
8. The Sea Wolf by Jack London
A man is rescued by a violent sea captain. Dark and gripping.
Best for: brutal captain.
9. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
A man travels upriver into the Congo. Short, haunting and influential.
Best for: dark journey.
10. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
A young officer lives with the memory of a cowardly act. Moody and thoughtful.
Best for: guilt at sea.
11. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
The first Aubrey-Maturin novel. Rich, witty and detailed.
Best for: Napoleonic sea fiction.
12. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
Two hired killers travel to California. Funny, violent and strange.
Best for: darkly comic Western.
13. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
A servant awaits execution in 1829. Atmospheric and sad.
Best for: last execution in Iceland.
14. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Two retired Texas Rangers drive cattle to Montana. Long, sad and beloved.
Best for: Western epic.
15. Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
The 1789 mutiny aboard HMS Bounty. Fast and dramatic.
Best for: mutiny at sea.
How to Choose
For sea epics choose Moby-Dick, In the Heart of the Sea or Master and Commander. For ice and horror pick The Terror, In the Kingdom of Ice or Endurance. For brutal fiction read Blood Meridian or The Sea Wolf. For moral darkness try Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim. The North Water is grim, so these picks suit readers who like rugged, tense stories. The North Water was adapted into a BBC miniseries, but the book is far more detailed about the hunting of whales and the cold, and its style is unusually vivid and physical. Cold-weather survival stories are best read in comfort, but if you want atmosphere, wintry evenings are perfect. If you want real history, Philbrick and Sides write clearly about whaling and Arctic disaster. If you want the original, Moby-Dick is long but rewarding. Audiobooks capture the dialect of the sailors.
Related: The Water Dancer Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes) · The Covenant of Water Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The North Water about?
A disgraced surgeon joins a whaling ship and clashes with a brutal harpooner.
Who wrote it?
Ian McGuire.
When was it published?
2016.
Is it based on a true story?
It is fiction, inspired by the real whaling history of the 19th century.
Is it violent?
Yes, very, with graphic scenes.
Is there a TV series?
Yes, a 2021 BBC miniseries.
Is it hard to read?
No, the prose is fast and clear.
What should I read next?
Try The Terror or In the Heart of the Sea.
Is The North Water historically accurate?
The setting and whaling detail are researched, though the characters and plot are invented.
Is Henry Drax based on a real person?
No, he is a fictional villain.
Which book here is best for violent Western?
Try Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, which suits readers looking for violent Western.
Which book here is best for shipwreck history?
Try The Wager by David Grann, which suits readers looking for shipwreck history.