Frankly, I didn't have very high expectations for this twelfth installment in the saga of Capt. Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin; turning the Surprise into a privateer seemed to be merely scrambling for a plot twist. But, however (as they say), I was mistaken. O'Brian takes the opportunity to point up the significant social and operational differences between the national and private man-of-war, the superior attitudes of the "real" navy toward those not in blue and gold uniform, and the real advantages sometimes enjoyed by the privately financed operation. And he sensitively explores Jack's deep depression at being separated from the service. Moreover, we all know Jack's estrangement, the result of his engineered conviction on trumped-up charges of rigging the stock market, cannot last. And, indeed, his sobriquet of "Lucky Jack" comes to the fore as his first cruise, intended only as a two-week shakedown exercise in preparation for a surreptitiously government-backed diplomatic and intelligence-gathering expedition to the Pacific coast of South America, quickly turns into a triumphant procession of Franco-American prizes back to Plymouth. There are also several interesting sub-plots, including Stephen's reconciliation with his departed wife, Diana, and his gradual but unintentional weaning from his extreme opium habit via his Irish servant. I'm pleased to recommend this yarn as one of the best in the mid-part of this series. (But if you haven't read the previous four or five, you'll have no idea of what's going on.)

Stephen Maturin once noted that Aristotle's definition of tragedy encompassed not only a great man being brought down but also the redemption and raising up of a man who had been laid low. Fortunes can reverse in many ways, and Aristotle recognized the literary and moral value of each.

In the twelfth of Patrick O'Brian's wonderful series of twenty naval adventures, a combination of luck, adherence to honor, and determination turn Jack Aubrey's fortunes. The HMS Surprise is sold out of the service - to Maturin, whose intelligence activities continue in Britain and promise a voyage to South America. First, though, Aubrey undertakes two voyages as a privateer, under a "letter of marque", which combined with Maturin's unmasking of a spy, restore his reputation. Maturin's private reputation has similarly suffered from false gossip about his doings in Malta (in "Treason's Harbour"), and he must similarly seek redemption in a typically private way. So, Maturin travels to Sweden to reconcile with his wife. This gives occasion for the reappearance of the Blue Peter diamond, and further exploration of Maturin's complicated relationship with Diana.

"The Letter of Marque" closes the book on many of setbacks that Aubrey and Maturin suffered recently, leaving them reunited, restored, and with their decks otherwise cleared for action in succeeding volumes. As always, O'Brian's writing is intelligent, informed, and full of wonderful historical nuance.

The Letter of Marque (the entire series for that matter) goes so far beyond the swashbuckling cliche as to make the comparison irrelevant. O'Brian's ability to evoke a place, an era, an age is to my mind unprecedented. The series is actually so many chapters of one great work that will hook you completey, and leave you in awe of the mind that contained them.

Jack Aubrey falls upon hard times, beginning with the apparent failure of his luck when a long, long chase across the Atlantic from the West Indies after a privateer ends with the quarry slipping into port just ahead of him. The old SURPRISE is for the knackers -- she's been living on borrowed time for the past two volumes -- and Jack seems headed that way, too, after falling into a cunning trap that ends with him being roasted in a political show-trial for trying to manipulate the stock market. Stephen Maturin's fortunes, on the other hand, seem to be rising. He has found himself unexpectedly wealthy and he comes into information that answers the disturbing questions arising in his recent intelligence operations. As always, O'Brian shows himself a master of the details of early 19th century British society, language, and general style, . . . but his plotting is unfortunately becoming almost pro forma. A pretty good story, but far from his best.

The eleventh installment in Patrick O'Brian's excellent series of naval adventures finds Aubrey and Maturin back in Britain as their journey to the Pacific, begun in the previous book, comes to a conclusion. Aubrey, always a minnow among land sharks when he has money in his pocket, finds himself innocently ensnared in a complicated stock exchange scam that may have been set up by Maturin's enemies in the intelligence game. The complex case and courtroom scene, O'Brian assures us in a note, are based on a real case. The pillory scene is powerful, as Bonden gruffly clears the square of all but sailors, and officers and seamen of all stripes come to show Jack their love and respect.

After several books at sea, "The Reverse of the Medal" brings readers back to the Admiralty in London with its complicated and layered intrigues, back to Ashgrove and Sophie, and back to Maturin's espionage machinations. As always, O'Brian's wonderfully intelligent prose and satisfying grasp of historical nuance captures the reader in little pockets of 18th-century Britain. The entire Aubrey/Maturin series is great, and this installment is no exception.

I find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series a challenge to read, albeit an excellent, well-connected long novel. I could not put down the eleventh in the series, The Reverse of the Medal, once I began it. Although most of this book occurs on land, where Captain Jack Aubrey is naive and awkward, O'Brian exploits this: the force of the plot is as strong as the earliest, more typically naval stories in the saga. The climax brought tears to my eyes, and the last chapter's denouement evoked a cheer for Maturin and his dear friend. I went right to the Web to order the next two novels.

This is the eighth in the naval action adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, and, except for the last twenty pages, there's a surprising lack of action. Jack is doing a turn commanding a seventy-four-gun ship of the line in the blockade of Toulon on the French Mediterranean coast, a mostly cold, dreary, boring, enervating sort of warfare. The admiral he admires is wasting away from overwork and the vice-commander, Jack's old nemesis, tries to use him in a diplomatic feint which turns into a debacle, damaging his reputation among those of his crew who don't really know him and even making him doubt himself. Stephen is busy behind the scenes, sharing the secret limelight with Prof. Graham, an expert in all things Turkish. Finally, in a narratively somewhat disconnected incident, they are sent off to the Turkish-held Greek islands to undermine the French among the local beys and pashas. While it makes for interesting reading in depicting another, rather less dashing, side of the naval war against Napoleon, this volume is uncomfortably episodic and not at all one of O'Brian's best. I would definitely not recommend this as one's first novel in the series.

Patrick O'Brian continues his series of wonderful novels about the Royal Navy in the age of sail. I am amazed how he is able to continue to construct fresh interpersonal dynamics to keep the plot lively. I continue to be impressed with his ability to convey vivid images and emotions of his characters. Those who have served in the military will sympathize with O'Brian's characters through his great descriptions of how leaders wrestle with leadership and endure bureaucracy. Anyone unfamiliar with his work should start with the first in the series, Master and Commander.

This book was very enjoyable, but, after reading the first eight books in this series, I have the feeling that I've already read the best of the series. This book is wonderfully well-written, as have been all of the books in this series so far, and there is no shortage of the wit and humor that O'Brian is famous for. There are a couple of problems with this book, however. First (and this will be a problem for all of the rest of this series as well) there is the problem of time. In the previous book in this series, O'Brian stopped giving us real historical events that would allow us to know exactly what period of time the events in the books are taking place in. The reason is obvious; by the time the events in this book have taken place, the war would be very nearly over (I figure late 1814 at the earliest) and there is still another ten books or so in this series before the war ends. The other problem with this book is that nothing very exciting happens until about two-thirds of the way through this book. In the last third of the book, Jack is given a special mission that requires diplomacy as well as fighting ability, and even Jack knows that diplomacy is not his strong suit. There is a great plot twist towards the end of this book worthy of a good mystery novel which leads to a fantastic ending. Everything comes together at the end of this book, and it gives the reader a good reward for persevering through the earlier slow parts. I will certainly continue reading this series, although I don't think the later books will quite equal his early masterpieces.

An excellent book, though no less could be expected from O'Brian. I took a considerable amount of time off between Desolation Island and this book so the characters and the nautical terms were a little unfamiliar to me. After the first twenty pages or so the characters, terms and myself came together like three old friends laughing and remembering our past adventures.

O'Brian re-introduces characters from his previous books (Diana Villiers, Michael Herapath and Louisa Wogan) which I found tiresome from his previous works. In this book, however, O'Brian uses these three characters to great effect. To see my old friend Stephen Maturin become the ruthless spy I always wanted him to be was exhilirating.

This is an excellent book and should be read by anyone who professes a liking for sea stories or historical fiction. Any bibliophile who is aimlessly scanning these reviews and has not read this series should start as soon as possible. Any O'Brian fan who wants to know if this tale is as good as the others in the Aubrey-Maturin series, let not your heart be troubled, it is excellent.

"Fortune of War" is the sixth installment in Patrick O'Brian's monumental 20-volume 19th-century maritime series. It is full of energy, as Captain Jack Aubrey and best friend Stephen Maturin limp into port in HMS Leopard, after their adventures from the previous book. Aubrey learns that he is to be given a fine new ship, but must take a transport to Britain to meet her. He never makes it. He suffers shipwreck, two burnings, and two of the epic sea battles that O'Brian depicts so keenly that a reader is torn between reading them apace and pausing to catch some breath. The War of 1812 with the United States has begun and the American frigate USS Constitution is building what will become an enduring historical legacy. In Boston, Maturin meets Diana Villiers, his long-time love, and confronts shadows from his past of espionage.

Once again, O'Brian has combed the historical records and offered up an engaging blend of fiction and fact. These ships did exist, the spirit of 1812 Boston is faithful and evocative. Odd as it sounds, Aubrey and Maturin have evolved in something of a Kirk-and-Spock team. Aubrey is all action, sometimes a bit shallow, but always gregarious and outgoing. Maturin is stoic, deep and introspective, and always pulling strings that others can not even see but that often reach across seas and years in their reach. They are a well-matched team, they make us smile. This is a good book.

Of the early Aubrey-Maturin novels, this is my favorite! O'Brian has dug deeply into historical reality to place his characters in the middle of the War of 1812, making real-life sea heroes like Bainbridge, Lawrence and Broke come alive in their scenes with Aubrey. What's more, O'Brian finally lifts the veil off Maturin's espionage, as Stephen's previous activities have blown his cover, and enraged the U.S.-based French intelligence officers who hope to make him pay big-time. Less talk, more action than in earlier books, as French and American spymasters hunt down Maturin in Boston. Yet he has time for another coup, and Aubrey recovers from serious injuries to show amazing resourcefulness and courage in engineering Maturin's escape. Regarding the obligatory-and-thrilling battle scenes, American readers will cheer the USS Constitution's capture of HMS Java, and mourn anew the bloody defeat of Lawrence's USS Chesapeake by the determined Captain Broke of HMS Shannon. O'Brian does an excellent job of describing just how seriously the little US Navy humiliated the Brits during the Second War of Independence. Finally, O'Brian plucks the romantic heartstrings with grace as he renews Maturin's and Diana Villiers' relationship (which I'd earlier found unconvincing) in a most unusual fashion.

At the end of the previous novel in the series, Jack Aubrey is returning home to England and marriage to his beloved Sophie, dreaming of the rosy future.

Here in the opening chapters of The Mauritius Command is that future, and they are some of the most sustained humorous scenes of the entire Canon. Poor Jack - marriage isn't quite what he imagined it to be!

But all too soon we are away on another cruise with Stephen Maturin, this time with a temporary promotion to Commodore, and the flying of a broad pendant to mark the fact. There's glory for you!

The bulk of the novel concerns the more or less historical campaign to win back Mauritus from the French, and it is here that I venture a word of criticism, for Patrick O'Brian bound himself a little too tightly with the actual history and has to resort to some literary strategems to keep up with the sometimes confusing action.

But that's by the by and along the way we meet some fascinating new characters, revisit some happy old ones, and spend a reasonable amount of time doing the things that make a Patrick O'Brian novel so well worth reading.

I enjoyed this book very much, hence the five star rating, for even a Patrick O'Brian book a trifle off his usual pace is a very good book indeed.

It is a good self-contained adventure, very rare in this series where a journey quite often takes four books or so to come to a conclusion, and it comes with the necessary maps at the beginning and an excellent essay on Jack Aubrey's ships at the end, including extracts from the plans of the dear old Surprise.

An excellent read and the pleasure is enhanced by the marvellous Geoff Hunt painting on the cover.

"The Mauritius Command", the fourth in the Aubrey/Maturin series of novels written by Patrick O'Brian, shows Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey several years after the events chronicled in "H.M.S. Surprise" in wedded bliss, but alas, without much of a fortune to support his growing family. Indeed, he is no longer on active command, but a Royal Navy captain on half pay. Stephen Maturin arrives bearing salvation in the form of a special mission to the Indian Ocean, along with Aubrey's temporary promotion to Commodore in command of a small squadron. What follows is one of the most exciting installments in the entire Aubrey/Maturin saga, and the start of an extended story arc which will take their fight against Napoleonic France and its allies throughout much of the Indian Ocean and the adjoining portions of Southeast Asia. Once more Patrick O'Brian delivers the goods, with his excellent, lyrical prose that seems more at home with the likes of Jane Austen than with contemporary authors of fiction.

"The Mauritius Command" opens a few years after the end of "HMS Surprise". Jack has discovered married life to be very different than he imagined, & longs to be back at sea. The arrival of Stephen Maturin (& mushrooms) stirs the household to a frenzy.

This humorous beginning shows Patrick O'Brian's masterful abilities. In a few deft strokes, the past years are filled in with no heavy exposition or flashbacks, & the events to come are put into motion. Aubrey faces many new challenges in the course of "The Mauritius Command", having to learn to sooth battling egos, command while refraining from fighting, & create a fighting machine from almost nothing. His faithful follower Tom Pullings plays an expanded role in this tale as the captain of a transport & deus ex machina, while Stephen Maturin's political abilities overshadow his medical duties.

This is one of the most exciting Aubrey/Maturin novels, a real "Boys Own Life" type tale, full of gunplay, cat & mouse feints & hearty comradeship. The most exciting aspect of it is that it all really happened (of course with different protagonists!). Learn about a forgotten campaign of the Napoleonic wars & enjoy yourself in the process! Read "The Mauritius Command"!

"Desolation Island" is probably my least favorite Aubrey/Maturin novel. I should add that it contains the single most exciting description of a sea battle that I have ever read! This alone makes it well worth reading. The description of the "horrible old Leopard" racing thru towering seas desperately trying to stay ahead of "the bloody minded" Waakzamheid is guaranteed to make your pulse beat faster & your head shake in wonderment as you visualise it. The towering seas these men faced in their wooden vessels are awesome to contemplate, & Patrick O'Brian's descriptive powers will make the scenes vivid to your minds' eye.

Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin have become so real to me in the course of this series that I have a difficult time reading about bad things happening to them. It may sound silly, but since most of "Desolation Island" is a series of misfortunes & tragedies, it was hard going for me. Unlike other installments of this 20 book series, the plot of "Desolation Island" is pretty much self-contained; it has very few repercussions in the later books in the series. Of course, any reader embarking upon Patrick O'Brian's world will eventually want to read all his tales, but this one would be safe to read out of sequence.

Desolation Island is one of the richest, and at the same time most easily approached, titles in the Aubrey Maturin series. I'm an avid Patrick O'Brian reader, one who's been through the series more than once, and I'm running through this one again right now at spare moments.

Maybe it's heretical to suggest not starting with the first book, but Desolation Island, H.M.S. Surprise, and The Far Side of the World are the ones I recommend to people when I'm trying to get them hooked. Master and Commander is excellent, but it seems to me like O'Brian was writing for a genre audience to start with. (The historical setting is truly wonderful and the characters are a delight, but he was writing for readers who were already interested, say, in the detailed workings of the royal shipyards.) By the time he got to Surprise he had hit his stride, at least for me. The books had stopped being "Another variation on sea life during the Napoleonic age" for him, and the world he was writing just feels complete and right.

Also, those three books all feature long, solo voyages. It's a simple point, but that plotline is easier for a beginning fan to understand and follow. In some ways it gets at the heart of O'Brian's writing best, too. The ship's community as a close, isolated society, the complex nature of Jack's choices as captain, Stephen's isolation with his secret life, the consolation they take in their friendship -- those elements all shine during the long voyages throughout the series.

Desolation Island, as a starting point, also includes one of the most exciting, tense chases in the series. It has a full set of complex minor characters whose fates you really do care about, and it's one of those O'Brian plots that gives you a double-take or two if you don't know where it's going. Highly recommended.

Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series is a special genre unto itself. I can only compare it to Jane Austen with sea legs and a jolt of testosterone! O'Brian offers a unique and realistic insight on human nature.

In this book, Maturin's fruitless pursuit of love has brought his spirit to new lows. His friends fear for him; even he, as a physician, fears for himself. But his secret agent role brings a new lease on life. He is assigned to get the details of the newly fledged American intelligence service from a convicted American agent - who just happens to be a beautiful woman, strongly resembling Diana, the object of Maturin's hopeless love.

In the course of this voyage, Captain Aubrey comes to a sudden realization of the true horrors of war, and Dr. Maturin finds the generosity of spirit to enjoy and mentor vicarious love. With a long and suspenseful chase on the water, a witch on board, and a "Jonah" to boot, this is one of the best yet.

If you want to read the best Napoleonic War at sea series, start with O'Brian's 2nd book. As charming as it is moving. Here is early 19th century England with all it's mores and written in a venacular rare among authors. But this is O'Brian at his best.

"Post Captain" is the second in Patrick O'Brian's epic 20-volume 19th-century maritime series. Captain Jack Aubrey, who made and lost a fortune in the first book, spends this book on the run. On the run from France as war comes, from debtor's prison throughout, and from the entanglements of romance. His shotgun-approach to courtship leads to a near-disastrous conflict with his best friend, the ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, whose own secret life slowly unfolds behind Aubrey's back.

This is a wonderful book, not a typical novel in the sense that it does not open questions in the beginning and then answer them by the end. Instead, it is a linear narrative that ends on a cliff-hanger just begging for a sequel. O'Brian's writing is crisp and spare. The characters are fully-developed human beings, the action is exciting. The book is hard to put down, but the best thing is that there are eighteen more to follow.

Post Captain is the second in the Aubrey/Maturin series and perhaps the first written with the knowledge that it was part of a series. O'Brian's first novel in the series was published shortly after C.S. Forester's death and the publication of Pope's and Kent's first novels in their series of wooden ships and iron men. O'Brian found a different niche within the genre and one that ultimately led to his recognition as a serious author of historical novels. If one has read Pope or Kent and even Forester, then the reader might have some difficulty getting into O'Brian's novels. If one accepts that O'Brian is a longer read and that the emphasis is more on character and historicity than violent action then one can enjoy this novel thoroughly.

I read the first book in the series, Master and Commander, and was disappointed. I enjoyed Post Captain more. Perhaps that was due to knowing what to expect and perhaps it is because Post Captain is better than its predecessor. However, it is not your typical naval action adventure. In fact, the first few chapters sounded a bit like Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective. The fact is that O'Brian writes well enough to pull it off. Post Captain does pick up when war is declared and Aubrey goes back to sea.

One area of conflict that I found strangely missing in Master and Commander was that between Aubrey and Maturin. I had expected that Maturin would be critical of Aubrey taking the ship into actions that caused wounds Maturin would have to treat. There is a serious conflict between the two in Post Captain although it's not over Aubrey's naval actions. Since the series has 18 more novels one knows that the conflict will be resolved.

The main problem that Aubrey faces in the novel is not the French navy but his own indebtedness and the inability to obtain a suitable command. Paradoxically, Aubrey is safe from creditors while at sea. The problems that a person faced while in debt in 1800 are explained well and the reader has great empathy with Aubrey.

The naval activities in Post Captain seem similar to those in Hornblower and the Hotspur to the point that the climactic action appears to correspond to the same point in history. While O'Brian did not appear to value the Hornblower novels greatly it is obvious that he owes Forester a debt of gratitude for creating the genre. Without Forester it is doubtful that O'Brian would have been able to develop his own unique niche and this excellent novel would not have been published.

"The Wine Dark Sea" is a slightly misleading title for this exciting continuation of the Aubrey/Maturin books. Much of it takes place on land, in Peru and the Andes to be exact, and those parts are wonderfully written as well as exciting. The nautical sections of this novel, while also thrilling, are really a continuation of the previous book "The Truelove" to such an extent that they could almost function as one novel! Characters are aboard whose motivations and actions will be mysteries to those who haven't read the previous installment in this series.

To those familiar with Patrick O'Brian's previous stories, "The Wine Dark Sea" will not disappoint! Just don't start here if you're not...

I once had a creative writing instructor who insisted all ofhis students read one of O'Brian's novels to learn what truly superiorwriting was all about. I chose The Wine-Dark Sea and am I glad I did. O'Brian is truly a master! The Wine-Dark Sea opens with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin in pursuit of an American privateer sailing the South Sea. The British, already engaged in the Napoleonic Wars, have made the mistake of also blundering into war with a young upstart, the United States. Maturin, in the Wine-Dark Sea, desires to relieve the pressure on the British government by inciting the revolutionaries of South America, more specifically, Peru. O'Brian, a master storyteller, also has a sharp eye for detail. His descriptions of the landscape, the sea, life on board the midgit man-of-war and even the Andes are no doubt the best in all of literature. The spine-tingling barbarity and bloody battle scenes are so real, they'll make you glad you're only reading a book (although the writing is so good you may forget that at times)! I really can't praise O'Brian highly enough. He is both artist and perfect craftsman and beside him, most authors rapidly pale. If you love the sea, if you love adventure, if you just love a good book, you absolutely can't go wrong with The Wine-Dark Sea or any of O'Brian's other novels. All of them are just perfect. END

The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian

There are few prose stylists writing today who can compare with Patrick O'Brian for the smooth, evocative and fluid stories which come from his pen. This book, a particularly fine example of O'Brian's craft, is part of his Aubrey/Maturin series of sea-faring novels. Sailor Jack Aubrey, while a typically crusty man of the blue briny, is also a well-read and witty contrast and companion to Doctor Stephen Maturin, an erudite physician with a huge love of the sea. Together, the two have had many adventures, but in The Wine-Dark Sea, they face some of their greatest challenges ever with remarkable spirit and aplomb. The story here is great entertainment with lots of page-turning action, but the lush writing is simply seductive and so easy to become lost and quite "at sea" within. While these are often consider "men's books," I strongly suspect that many women would be attracted to the strong plots, grand characterization, and fine writing; there is never the least hint of the crude or the coarse in these highly literate, but so readable novels. I have often suggested the works of Patrick O'Brian to writing students as a model for crisp, fresh, lively prose and most highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a great read.

A fine first effort with high marks for historical accuracy, so far as I can tell. Master and Commander is stiff in places, but a must-read for anyone who wishes to enjoy the rest of the series. I perhaps am not the typical reader of what is essentially a war-on-sea story with a sad dearth of feminine characters, and I found it somewhat plodding. That said, I liked Jack Aubrey's bold simple character, and I found Dr. Stephen Maturin's eccentric personality quite interesting. I was captivated by their first meeting; as soon as they nearly came to blows I knew that they would establish a fast friendship - remember how D'artagnan irritatates all three of the Musketeers when first they meet, agreeing to dual each at 15-minute intervals? Of course D'artagnan and the Musketeers become life-long friends. Jack and Stephen start their friendship in much the same way. But this doesn't turn out to be a buddy-novel. It's mostly about life at sea and in battle. It's factual, not emotional, a bit dry, but very realistic.

I liked this book, and if I could I would give it 3.5 stars, but I didn't love it as some do. The second book is much better but you really must read the first book first. I recommend this to anyone, even women like myself.

Master and Commander is the first book in Patrick O'Brian's much lauded Aubrey/Maturin series. Like C.S. Forester, O'Brian sets this novel (along with the rest of the series) in the tumultuous years of the Nepoleonic Wars and likewise, O'Brian's Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin serve in Great Britian's Royal Navy. However, unlike Forester, O'Brian's frequent confrontation of the seemer side of naval warfare as well as Georgian society render his tales far more grittier and therefore, much more true to life. Furthermore, O'Brian's skillful combination of nineteenth century custom, language, and historical events makes these tales absolutely engaging in their overall sense of realism. You can taste the salt permiating the air, feel the cold sea spray blowing in your face, hear the thunderous roar and see the brilliant flash of cannon and smell the acrid powder smoke as it stings your nostrils.
As for the characters themselves, Jack Aubrey is the ingratiatingly sanguineous and impulsive Commander of H.M.S. Sophie who's impolitic and indiscrete shoreside antics continually taint his otherwise brilliant nautical career. Counterbalancing Aubrey is H.M.S. Sophie's surgeon, the eminent Dr. Steven Maturin who is possessed of a wonderfully melancholic and self-abusive nature. Both protaginists are made all the more fascinating for their individual peccadillos. In Master and Commander, Aubrey and Maturin embark on a series of lively adventures, which take place on both the land and the sea. The result of these increasingly enthralling encounters is the open revelation of their particular strengths along with the uncompromisng exposure of their peculiar weaknesses. Meanwhile, a solid foundation is laid for what becomes, in subsequent books, perhaps one of the most intriguing friendships in all of literature.

Rated 9 only because I lacked the courage to rate it 10. If you like to read books you will probably be swept away by this novel, the first of a thankfully long series by Patrick O'Brian. The subjects are the British Navy of the Napoleonic Wars and two men: Aubrey -- a naval officer and (one quickly assumes) one of the best sailors who has ever lived and Maturin -- a physician and "agent extraordinaire" who seems to be bent on giving Thomas Jefferson a run for his money as the man who knows the most of everything that could be known. O.K. so you don't like war, sailing, or the early 19th century. After a few minutes reading this book, you will. Even lazy readers (myself for example) will suddenly develop a great interest in the rigging of three-masted sailing vessels of the era. And did I mention, color, romance, and character development? A lot of natural science as well. The publisher offers the whole set of Aubrey/Maturin novels in hardback for a package price because many who read the first will be tempted to just buy them all and avoid any waits in between. I'm certainly tempted.

Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin voyage to unfamiliar waters, chasing an American frigate around Cape Horn, up the South American coast to the Galapagos and into the South Pacific. The American is laying waste to British whaling, and Aubrey's mission is to stop her.

"The Far Side of the World" of course has O'Brian's signature scholarship, his extraordinary attention to the detail of a square-rigged ship during the Napoleonic Wars, his wit and sense of the absurd, and, best of all, his pulse-racing descriptions of a chase and battle at sea.

What sets this installment a bit above its counterparts is the exhilaration of a chase that winds through two oceans and thousands of miles, and a wonderful scene wherein Aubrey and Maturin are plucked from the drink by a female crew of Polynesian men-haters.

By all means, read this book. (But read all the others in the series first!)

"The Far Side Of The World", the tenth installment in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, packs a lot of action, adventure and intrigue. Here our heroes are off to the South Pacific and its fertile whaling grounds in pursuit of a large U. S. Navy frigate which is harrasing British whalers. Along the way there are incredible twists and turns in the plot, much descriptive natural history and a thrilling showdown with the Americans. While this is not the best in the Aubrey-Maturin series, both the quality of O'Brian's writing and his well woven plot ensure that it is among the finest installments. Indeed, it is among the best in his miniature story arc chronicling naval warfare during the War of 1812.

When reading the Aubrey/Maturin series it is hard to think that perhaps any one book is better then the rest. Because of O'Brians brilliant use of language and subtlety, the best book always seems to be the one you have most recently put down. This seems to be the case until you read The Far side of the World. This book has all the elements that you love about the series - great dialogue, authentic naval warfare, love, intrigue, and more - all rolled into one. O'Brian is able to present early 19th century life to you in a way that can only be equalled by primary sources. I would recommend that you read the series in order , but if you had to read just one make it The Far Side of the World.