The Recommended Reading Order
Getting started with Douglas Reeman’s Royal Marines Saga is simple. Because the publication order aligns perfectly with the chronological progression of the Blackwood family tree, you should read the books in the order they were written. Starting in the mid-19th century and ending in the 1970s, each book introduces a new generation facing the changing face of modern warfare.
Blackwood Family Books in Chronological and Publication Order
- Badge of Glory (1982) – Sets the saga in motion in the 1850s. We meet Captain Philip Blackwood of the Royal Marines, who is sent to fight slavers off the West African coast before being thrust into the brutal trenches of the Crimean War.
- The First to Land (1984) – Set at the turn of the century (1899), this story follows Captain David Blackwood as he is deployed to China during the historic Boxer Rebellion, grappling with both duty and a forbidden romance.
- The Horizon (1993) – The saga moves to 1915 during the First World War. Jonathan Blackwood faces the tragic horrors of the Gallipoli campaign, highlighting the shifting nature of early 20th-century combat.
- Dust on the Sea (1999) – Set in 1943 during World War II, this installment follows Mike Blackwood as he leads specialized Royal Marine commandos in high-stakes Mediterranean operations against Axis forces.
- Knife Edge (2004) – The final chapter begins in 1970. In the wake of tragedy, Lieutenant Ross Blackwood navigates the twilight of the British Empire, spanning guerrilla warfare in Malaysia, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and conflicts in the South Atlantic.
Spin-Offs and Author Connections
While the Blackwood Family series is self-contained at five novels, readers looking for similar military adventure will find plenty of material in Douglas Reeman's extensive bibliography. Under his own name, Reeman wrote dozens of standalone naval fiction novels focusing on 20th-century warfare. He is also famous under the pseudonym Alexander Kent, under which he penned the legendary Richard Bolitho series—an epic maritime saga set during the Age of Sail. While the Bolitho books are set in a completely different era, they share the same rich attention to nautical detail and command psychology.