Book excerpt: Sea fiction a genre of literature with a setting on or near the sea, that focuses on the human relationship to the sea and sea voyages and highlights nautical culture in these environments. Nautical fiction usually includes distinctive themes, such as a focus on masculinity and heroism, investigations of social hierarchies, and the psychological struggles of the individual in the hostile environment of the sea. For this book, the critic August Nemo selected seven great examples of these stories of salt water and adventure. Enjoy! - The Open Boat by Stephen Crane. - The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson. - The Sea Raiders by H. G. Wells. - Soaked in Seaweed: or Upset in the Ocean by Stephen Leacock. - A Descent into the Maelström by Edgar Allan Poe. - An Adventure in the Upper Sea by Jack London. - The Old Man of the Sea by W. W. Jacobs. For more books with interesting themes, be sure to check the other books in this collection!