This is a real life account of service in the Royal Navy from 1793-1814. It provides some insight into naval service of that era from the standpoint of an officer. It has some failings in that it does not identify the time from year to year, and sometimes leaves the reader wondering exactly where the action is taking place. It also reflects the biases of the writer who comes across as a little self-centered and concerned with his own personal comforts. It is a little hard to sympathize with the writer's complaint about being retired as a commander on half-pay, as that was probably about five times the earnings of an ordinary working person and, as he relates in the book, he tended to squander money when he had it. He also dawdled about Paris for about 3 months after being released from captivity rather than reporting back to the Admiralty. Overall, the book is worth reading if one wants to gain some insight into the realities of naval service, where disease and accidents were often more life threatening than the enemy.