On the Sea
(2026)Naval Alternate History
(A book in the Arc of Ares series)
An anthology of stories edited by James Young
You seldom hear of the fleets except when there’s trouble, and then you hear a lot.
— Admiral John S. McCain
The sea. Bearer of commerce, fertilizer for empires, and a battlefield where the environment itself is set to kill the warriors who engage each other upon it. From the galleys of ancient Greece to the deadly, silent murder machines of the nuclear age, Mankind has set across the oceans to visit great harm upon their fellow man on distant shores. On The Sea brings you alternate endings to these voyages, with characters and points of divergence as varied as the oceans themselves.
Prefer your sea tales in an era of wooden ships, coal smoke, and iron men? Dragon Award Winner Sarah Hoyt (‘For Want of A Pin’), 2025 Imadjinn Award Winner Dan Kemp, and Day Al-Mohamed (‘Martha Coston and the Farragut Curse’) will give you all the splinters, canvas, and cannonballs you could ask for.
Like your torpedoes to be self-propelled rather than damned and your fleet actions wreathed in coal smoke? Veteran authors Joelle Presby (‘A Safe Wartime Posting’), Rob Howell (‘Far Better to Dare’), and Philip Wohlrab (‘Beatty’s Folly’) bring you very different endings to the Spanish American War and World War I that stretch from the Falklands to the Irish Sea.
‘I don’t know, I’m more a fan of Long Lances than Black Lung…’ Dear reader, On The Sea has so many Imperial Japanese Navy cameos, there should be an Imperial Chrysanthemum on the cover. Two-time Dragon Award nominee Kacey Ezell, 2024 Imadjinn winner William Alan Webb, and Sidewise Award Finalist Lee Allred will give you turning points from the volcanoes of Rabaul to the far reaches of the Indian Ocean.
More a fan of Détente than Bushido? 2010 Sidewise Award winner Eric G. Swedin provides a new short story set in his When Angels Wept universe, while 2020 Sidewise nominee William Stroock keeps the Geiger counters growling with his short ‘Atlantic Flash.’ If you like your points of deviation with more pho sauce and less unscheduled sunrises, 2025 Dragon Award nominee Justin Watson (‘Decision Over Cam Ranh’) and editor James Young (‘Mr. Ford’s Cats’) provide two very different views of war in Indochina.
Bottom line: Whether you’re partial to Ares or Poseidon, On the Sea has alternate history that scratches the nautical itch. With a carefully curated mix of previously published favorites and new stories, this thunderous conclusion to the Arc of Ares series reflects what happens when the war god brings his chaos over the water’s edge. Grab a cutlass or activate the CIWS, as the fish are about to get fed!
Editor’s Note: Also includes excerpts from James Young’s Wonder No More, an alternate history of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Genre: Science Fiction
— Admiral John S. McCain
The sea. Bearer of commerce, fertilizer for empires, and a battlefield where the environment itself is set to kill the warriors who engage each other upon it. From the galleys of ancient Greece to the deadly, silent murder machines of the nuclear age, Mankind has set across the oceans to visit great harm upon their fellow man on distant shores. On The Sea brings you alternate endings to these voyages, with characters and points of divergence as varied as the oceans themselves.
Prefer your sea tales in an era of wooden ships, coal smoke, and iron men? Dragon Award Winner Sarah Hoyt (‘For Want of A Pin’), 2025 Imadjinn Award Winner Dan Kemp, and Day Al-Mohamed (‘Martha Coston and the Farragut Curse’) will give you all the splinters, canvas, and cannonballs you could ask for.
Like your torpedoes to be self-propelled rather than damned and your fleet actions wreathed in coal smoke? Veteran authors Joelle Presby (‘A Safe Wartime Posting’), Rob Howell (‘Far Better to Dare’), and Philip Wohlrab (‘Beatty’s Folly’) bring you very different endings to the Spanish American War and World War I that stretch from the Falklands to the Irish Sea.
‘I don’t know, I’m more a fan of Long Lances than Black Lung…’ Dear reader, On The Sea has so many Imperial Japanese Navy cameos, there should be an Imperial Chrysanthemum on the cover. Two-time Dragon Award nominee Kacey Ezell, 2024 Imadjinn winner William Alan Webb, and Sidewise Award Finalist Lee Allred will give you turning points from the volcanoes of Rabaul to the far reaches of the Indian Ocean.
More a fan of Détente than Bushido? 2010 Sidewise Award winner Eric G. Swedin provides a new short story set in his When Angels Wept universe, while 2020 Sidewise nominee William Stroock keeps the Geiger counters growling with his short ‘Atlantic Flash.’ If you like your points of deviation with more pho sauce and less unscheduled sunrises, 2025 Dragon Award nominee Justin Watson (‘Decision Over Cam Ranh’) and editor James Young (‘Mr. Ford’s Cats’) provide two very different views of war in Indochina.
Bottom line: Whether you’re partial to Ares or Poseidon, On the Sea has alternate history that scratches the nautical itch. With a carefully curated mix of previously published favorites and new stories, this thunderous conclusion to the Arc of Ares series reflects what happens when the war god brings his chaos over the water’s edge. Grab a cutlass or activate the CIWS, as the fish are about to get fed!
Editor’s Note: Also includes excerpts from James Young’s Wonder No More, an alternate history of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Genre: Science Fiction
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