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H.M.S."Surprise" [Special Edition] (Paperback)

by Patrick O'Brian (Author) "But I put it to you, my lord, that prize-money is of essential importance to the Navy ..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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  • This item: H.M.S."Surprise" by Patrick O'Brian

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Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Harper; 40th Anniversary ed edition (2 Sep 1996)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0006499171
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006499176
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 8,508 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #6 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > O > O'Brian, Patrick
    #53 in  Books > Children's Books > Education > GCSE > English > Literature

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Product Description

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 'Few, very few, books have made my heart thump with excitement. H.M.S. Surprise managed it. [O'Brian's] erudition is phenomenal, as is his capacity for creating another completely believable world. I might have given a better idea of this book if I had simply written 600 times the word "superb".' Helen Lucy Burke, Irish Times 'As sinewy, and virile as its predecessors, this is a copper-bottomed investment for the numerous fans of Jack Aubrey! we sail breathlessly through perilous seas to the Far East. Vivid and authentic as is Mr O'Brian's mastery of period and life at sea, it is in his creation of characters that he excels.' Sarah Lake, Daily Telegraph


Product Description

Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. All eighteen books are being re-issued in hardback by HarperCollins with stunning new jackets to coincide with a new film based on the adventures and to introduce these modern classics to a new generation. H.M.S. Surprise follows the variable fortunes of Captain Jack Aubrey's career in Nelson's navy as he attempts to hold his ground against admirals, colleagues and the enemy, accepting a mission to convey a British ambassador to the East Indies. The voyage takes him and his friend Stephen Maturin to the strange sights and smells of the Indian sub-continent, and through the archipelago of spice islands where the French have a near-overwhelming superiority. Rarely has a novel managed to convey more vividly the fragility of a sailing ship in a wild sea. Rarely has a historical novelist combined action and lyricism of style in the way that O' Brian does. His superb sense of place, brilliant characterisation, and a vigour and joy of writing lift O'Brian above any but the most exalted of comparisons.
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First Sentence
But I put it to you, my lord, that prize-money is of essential importance to the Navy. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The careers of Aubrey and Maturin take a darker turn, 24 Oct 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: H.M.S. "Surprise" (Hardcover)
I was already enthralled by the sea faring adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his secretive friend Stephen Maturin before I came to this book, but this was the point of no return. I am now happily condemned to read them all.

No less comic or swashbuckling, but with a darker, more mature tone - real tragedy and disappointment haunt these pages. This novel is an extraordinary achievement by any standard.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Drawn further in, 18 Jan 2001
By A Customer
Post captain is such a fine novel that HMS surprise took some time to draw me in.

This is in fact all a part of O'Brian's magic - once the Surprise is at sea once again I was hooked.

The scenes in India are particularly well- written and deeply moving.

The next instalment is safely ordered . This series is a tremendous treat

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11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Start with this one, 15 Jan 2002
By E. Clarke "eamonnclarke" (cambridge UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
From a series of 20 novels about Aubrey and Maturin this is the one I would recommend as the first to try if you are unsure. It has the perfect balance of political intrigue, gripping action and fine conversation, tragedy and humour. The rescue in the early part of the book is particularly well done.

But be warned, O'Brian is very addictive and if this book captures your imagination then there are another 19 to keep you away from all social contact until finished!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Beat to quarters Mr Pullings!
After 'Master and Commander' I waded straight into 'HMS Surprise' and after the first chapter ran aground like the land-lubber that I am. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Thylacine333

5.0 out of 5 stars (un)Surprisingly good
It seems strange now that when O'Brian's Napoleonic sea-faring tales were first published that they were initially compared to C S Forester's 'Hornblower' novels. Read more
Published 18 months ago by N. Webb

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
this is the third of the Aubrey - Maturin series and the first that really gets under the skin of the characters. Read more
Published 21 months ago by D. J. Brown

3.0 out of 5 stars Becalmed in India
I have never read historical novels before these and I read the first 2 books in this series with absolute joy, within a week. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2004 by John Cruet

3.0 out of 5 stars A Passage to India
This third offering from O'Brian of the Aubrey & Maturin seafaring tales is a somewhat sluggish and at times rather a monotonous addition to the series. Read more
Published on 4 April 2002 by Andy (aaamack@omantel.net.om)

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