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Amazon.co.uk Review
Review
'…full of the energy that comes from a writer having struck a vein… Patrick O'Brian is unquestionably the Homer of the Napoleonic wars.' James Hamilton- Paterson
'You are in for the treat of your lives. Thank God for Patrick O'Brian: his genius illuminates the literature of the English language, and lightens the lives of those who read him.' Kevin Myers, Irish Times
'In a highly competitive field it goes straight to the top. A real first-rater.' Mary Renault
'I never enjoyed a novel about the sea more. It is not only that the author describes the handling of a ship of 1800 with an accuracy that is as comprehensible as it is detailed, a remarkable feat in itself. Mr O'Brian's three chief characters are drawn with no less depth of sympathy than the vessels he describes, a rare achievement save in the greatest writers of this genre. It deserves the widest readership.' Irish Times
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Ever since Jack Aubrey had been dismissed from the service, ever since his name, with its now meaningless seniority, had been struck off the list of post-captains, it had seemed to him that he was living in a radically different world; everything was perfectly familiar, from the smell of seawater and tarred rigging to the gentle heave of the deck under his feet, but the essence was gone and he was a stranger. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Having just completed the twelth book in the series "The Letter of Marque", I can say it gently dove-tails into the end of the previous novel (as all books in the series do), providing a continuous insight into the lives of the main characters. The story begins with a despondent Jack Aubrey having been dismissed from the Navy for a stock-market fraud he didn't comit. It unwinds into a series of mini adventures arranged by his close friend and secret agent; Stephen Maturin and his Naval Intelligent colleagues, designed to get Aubrey reinstated to the Naval List. All the usual twists and turns of an O'Brien novel follow.
What Fascinates me about this and the other eleven books I have already read in the series is their realism. Patrick O'Brian has the ability to transfer you back to the period. His descriptive powers, the richness of language used by the characters, and the general storyline prove compelling reading. A must read. My suggestion is to start at the very beginning by reading "Master and Commander", then work your way through the entire series as I am doing. That way you'll really appreciate the variations each new book brings.
It starts deep in the doldrums. Captain Aubrey has been dismissed the service: thrown out of the Royal Navy, his life. But his particular friend, the surgeon Dr Stephen Maturin, has bought the frigate *Surprise*, and they - and a prime crew of old Surprise hands and shady Shelmerstonian privateers and smugglers - are off on a private mission, as a Letter of Marque. Essentially, as a privateer. For aficionadoes this is all they could wish for: we meet all our old friends, Pullings, Killick, Bonden, Plaice, even Babbington and Mowett make an appearance: and, of course, the lovely *Surprise* itself, no longer H.M.S. but still her old self, and a real personality. There is heartache; there is extreme tension; there are ruses; and there is the interplay between old friends Jack and Stephen, between them and their music, and between the ship and the elements. This is old ground, lovingly rediscovered and described with the Master's hand. There is no-one to touch O'Brian, and he is in full flow here - little touches of humour, painful personal moments, and descriptions of life at sea to touch your soul. Even if, like me, you are a landsman. On land we meet again Sir Joseph Blaine, Mrs Broad of the Grapes, and even the butcher's dog. There are enchanting scenes at Ashgrove Cottage, and some good life at Shelmerston, that freelancing Devon port.
And there is long-drawn-out tension, something O'Brian is particularly good at - on and on it goes, and it keeps your nerves as taut as the rigging in a full-blown gale. Tension during two very important cutting-out expeditions: one for the Diane in France, one for Diana in Sweden. This is O'Brian at the peak of his form, and this is a wonderful book.
Supplied by Afrohead on time and in good condition.
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