Go on a Swashbuckling Adventure with These Pirate Audiobooks and Podcasts

Originally published in 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is a must-listen for pirate fans. This classic tells the story of young innkeeper Jim Hawkins, who happens upon a treasure map where X marks the hiding spot of priceless pirate gold. But he'll be up against the sinister Long John Silver every step of the way! This Audible Original dramatic performance has been modernized for today's listeners and features an all-star cast, including Philip Glenister, Daniel Mays, Catherine Tate, and Owen Teale.

If you or your youngster want to learn more about the famous pirates throughout history, then pick up this hilarious and informative listen. Pirates! tells true stories about some of the most audacious and influential pirates who sailed the high seas, from Jean and Pierre Lafitte to Ching Shih, and so much more! This Audible Original is perfect for listeners of all ages who enjoy their history with plenty of laughs. Lively narration is provided by Sean Patrick Hopkins, Kevin T Colins, Gabriel Vaughan, Cary Hite, Khristine Hvam, Margaret Ying Drake, Eddy Lee, and Feodor Chin.

The Real History of Pirates is just one of many fascinating entries in The Great Courses series, available exclusively from Audible. Written and narrated by Manushag N. Powell, an award-winning Professor of English at Purdue University, this engaging listen will challenge your perceptions of pirates and their role in global history and civilizations, from the days of Alexander the Great to more modern times. Along the way, you'll find surprising truth about how pirates really operated and who supported their exploits.

Looking for an unconventional tale of pirate adventure? Give Eli Brown's novel a try! Cinnamon and Gunpowder reveals what happens when renowned chef Owen Wedgwood is kidnapped by a notorious pirate, who demands that he present her with sumptuous feasts once a week. Sourcing ingredients aboard a pirate ship proves to be quite a challenge, but one that Owen rises to. As he impresses his pirate mistress, he soon learns the truth about the dangers she's dodging, and comes to forge genuine friendships with her crew and the pirate captain herself.

The best-selling author of suspense thrillers, Elmore Leonard was known for his wit as well as his twisty plots. His talents shine in Djibouti, a tale of modern-day pirates. An acclaimed documentary filmmaker looking for her next big project, Dara sets her sights on pirates. With her trusted assistant Xavier, she heads to Djibouti to make a film about the region's flourishing pirate trade. But her plans go askew when she finds that the colorful locals aren't at all what she expected, leaving her to wonder if the footage she's collected is more worthy of a documentary or a Hollywood movie. Tim Cain narrates this larger-than-life story.

In The Republic of Pirates, historian Colin Woodard provides a riveting account of a courageous band of Caribbean buccaneers, who in the early 18th century defied colonial rule and formed their own system of governance. Comprised of indentured servants, runaway slaves, and former sailors, the heroic pirates fought against the might of imperialism and built their own society, which was highly successful—if only for a short time. Narrator Lewis Grenville brings this remarkable and little-known true story to life.

This much-anticipated sequel to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is a pirate tale with multiple twists. A year after Felicity Montague goes on a whirlwind adventure across the continent with her brother Monty, she's back in England—bent on entering medical school and avoiding marriage. But to achieve her dreams, she must first travel to Germany, and that takes money. Out of the blue, a mysterious woman offers to pay Felicity's way in exchange for traveling with her posing as her maid. This unusual proposal marks the start of another rollicking Montague adventure that leads to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic. Moira Quick narrates this feminist and fantastical tale.

Set in a fantasy world where few options exist for women, The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is a pirate tale tailored for teenage girls that's also perfect for fans of The Princess Bride. An orphan desperately in need of a home and protection, Flora boards the pirate ship Dove, transforms herself into Florian, and focuses on passing—and surviving—as a pirate. Her fate changes when Lady Evelyn comes aboard, resigned to taking the dreaded journey to an arranged marriage. Unexpectedly, Florian and Evelyn find themselves drawn together, then falling in love, then plotting their escape. Kate Rudd narrates this swashbuckling story.

Celia Rees's Pirates! is another exciting adventure reinforcing girl power. Nancy Kington and Minerva Sharpe are two exceptionally daring young women for their time: the dawn of the 18th century. Joining forces, they take to the high seas from a ship setting out from Jamaica. From a wealthy white family, Nancy is escaping a betrothal she doesn't want, and Minerva, who is Black, is fleeing from slavery. The girls share an unusual bond that is strengthened when they realize their ship has been hijacked by pirates—and then rises to another level when they seize on the idea of joining their captors.

Hilary dreams of joining The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, along with her best friend, a gargoyle. But the only problem is that she's a young lady, and young ladies aren't allowed to be pirates. Well, Hilary is about to show them she’s more than fit for the pirate life! She answers a curious advertisement for a ship’s crew, and soon finds herself swept away on a marvelous and magical adventure to prove her worth. This kidlit listen and its two sequels are narrated by the legendary Katherine Kellgren.

Welcome to outer space, sometime in the future, the setting for this sci-fi pirate adventure. Adda and Iridian are deeply in love and desperate for work. Unable to find a job anywhere in a solar system wracked by recession, they decide to join the notorious pirate crew at Barbary Station—surely the pirates there could use two brilliant young engineers! Except, as the couple is shocked to find, Barbary Station is no pirate paradise. The pirates are being held hostage by a rogue AI, and it's up to Adda and Iridian to outwit this formidable force—if they want to live, let alone prosper. Mia Barron narrates all three audiobooks in the Shieldrunner Pirates series.

Seafire is another gripping tale of space pirates. Caledonia Styx is on a mission for revenge against Aric Athair, the warlord who killed her parents and kidnapped her brother. Left to chart her own course, she becomes the captain of a ship with a crew of kindred women who have lost loved ones and homes to Aric's bloodthirsty rampages. They share one goal: to take him down at all costs. But when her first mate is saved by a boy who claims to want to defect from Aric's crew to theirs, Caledonia faces a tough decision: Is she willing to risk everyone she loves by trusting a stranger? Rebecca Soler, a seasoned narrator of YA and fantasy, brings this story and its sequels to life.

Notions about what pirate life must have been like are pervasive, and we see many examples of pirate conventions and tropes in fiction and fantasy—walking the plank, treasure maps, and complicated pirate codes. But what is the reality, and what is embellishment? What is pure make-believe? In this fascinating history, narrated by Don Hagen, the truth is revealed about what it meant to be a pirate of the high seas. Be prepared: the facts of life for a pirate are more complex and often bloodier than our enduring myths.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of the Golden Age of Western piracy, then dive right into Black Flags, Blue Waters. Author Eric Jay Dolin reveals how politics influenced pirate crews to form in the late 1600s and early 1700s, and how they garnered early support from colonists in America, who opposed British rule from afar. But just as tides change, so did public opinion, and the pirate crews went from being adored to feared and loathed as the British Navy hunted them down. Paul Brion narrates this riveting true history.

Heard enough pirate reality? Here's a thrilling YA pirate fantasy ready for your next listening escape. 17-year-old Alosa is the daughter of the pirate king, and she has a secret plan to secure her own fortune. When she is captured by her enemies, she willingly becomes their prisoner. After all, it gives her the perfect excuse to stay aboard their ship, get to know their routines, and search for a priceless treasure she intends to steal. But she might have just met her match in the first mate, Riden. This swashbuckling and romantic adventure is narrated by Marisa Calin.

Piracy, manners, and magic collide in this hilarious and romantic tale about The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, an all-female league of pirates who use magic to abscond with houses and manors that aren't theirs. When Cecilia, a hopeful member, finds herself the target of an assassination attempt, she's drawn into a much more complicated plot involving a terrible pirate who wants to exact his revenge on the women who have wronged him. Elizabeth Knowleden offers a narration that is both high class and humorous in this laugh-out-loud series starter.

Set in Restoration London in the 1660s, Frenchman's Creek is a pirate tale for romance lovers. Bored and restless with court life, Lady Dona retreats to her country estate. In remote Navron, she is shocked to make the acquaintance of a daring French pirate, who is being pursued by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark on a quest rife with danger. As she falls in love, Lady Dona faces a choice: Is she willing to sacrifice her passionate pirate to certain death, or will she risk her own life to save him? Actor John Castle narrates this riveting and romantic classic from Daphne du Maurier.

Exploring a little-known pocket of history, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates tells the story of how a young nation took a bold stand against pirates. From America's colonial days, Barbary pirates had threatened its fledgling economy, capturing its trading ships and holding the crews hostage, demanding ransom beyond what the indebted country could afford. In 1801, President Jefferson finally decided to move beyond diplomacy and make a courageous move: to wage war on the Barbary pirates. Coauthor Brian Kilmeade narrates this fascinating chapter in America's journey towards superpower status.

This Audible Original podcast tells the remarkable true story of two of history's most notorious women pirates. Anne Bonny and Mary Read were born hundreds of miles apart, but bad luck and poverty drove them both to escape their lots by disguising themselves as boys and taking to the high seas, which eventually brought them together. While living secret lives as pirates, they fell in love with one another and supported each other through daring efforts to escape the men bent on tracking them down. Hosted by Carina Rodney, Hell Cats captures the spirits of two extraordinary pirates and their quest for freedom, equality, adventure, and love.