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Summary: Set sail for the High Seas
Review: Having returned to Master and Commander for a third or fourth read, I am still amazed and grateful for Patrick O'Brian's skill. This novel is the opening chapter in the greatest naval story of all time. Once you have completed the third or fourth book, it really sinks in and you are hooked.Master and Commander one of the better Aubrey/Maturin novels, which is saying a great deal. Patrick O'Brian makes good use of a distinctive writing style and deft humor to breath life into his principle characters, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. When I initially started these books in early high school I read them for the gunsmoke of battle and the incredible acounts of seaborne action; however, now it is the characters and their relationships that bring me back. There are no boring personalities in this book. No dialogue that is mechanical. It all sparkles with life not to be found in the average bestseller, and the story itself speaks of more than a mere naval adventure. When read as an individual book, Master and Commander is the best action-drama there is, whether on the ocean or off. It brings the Napoleonic Wars to a stature well deserved. O'Brian is a master at throwing all that existence has to offer at his characters, good and bad, then seeing what happens in the aftermath. You will never read anything like it. When read as a series, the Aubrey-Maturin novels become a grand epic that reflects on the nature of human life: the adventure, passion and heartbreak that we all are a part of. A classic for all time.
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Summary: A Pleasant Surprise!
Review: When you start reading the first book in any series of novels, you always have to make a decision at some point as to whether or not you will continue to read the next book(s). For me, the decision to continue with the series came very early, probably in the first 50 pages. O'Brian paints a wonderful picture of Captain Aubrey, a very interesting and colorful commander, his new friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, and the rest of the crew of the Sophie. Let me say that going into the book, I had very little knowledge of the Napoleonic era, ships, or the sea. I really didn't think that I would enjoy the book, but I was wrong. I was fascinated with every aspect of the book. The characters, the atmosphere, the action...all of the book is first-rate. I'm glad I've got 19 more books in the series left to enjoy, but I'm afraid the pages will turn all too quickly.
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Summary: Warning - This Series Will Be Habit-Forming!
Review: When I first picked up Master and Commander, I was skeptical. I was not particularly interested in the English navy circa 1800. But it came strongly recommended, so I plunged in - and I was hooked! These are the most complete and satisfying novels of friendship evolving over the course of many years that a person could wish for. I have come to feel a bond of affection for the characters O'Brian has drawn that is unique in a lifetime of reading. Some time after finishing the series - and there are 20 volumes in what amounts to a running narrative - I returned to Master and Commander to see how the experience would color my reading of it. Now, I am reading the series for the second time! Come, read, enjoy!
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Summary: You will treasure it. I wish I bough the hardcover edition.
Review: A friend recommended that I pick this up book, and also the next few volumes. She said I'd get hooked on it and I was. I bought 5 of the 17 volumes (now up to 19) and then went out a week later and bought the rest. I spent the next few months fighting with my sister for each copy as we each raced through the whole series. Lucky Jack Aubrey is a bold naval officer who befriends Steven Maturin, a physician and multilingual spy, in their efforts to thwart Napoleon's ambitions for the British Empire. The two oddball friends provide an interesting contrast as Patrick O'Brien takes us back 200 years and give us British Naval History more or less intact with the exception that he places these two hero's on the scene. Some explanation is given at the start of each story as to what is real and what is fiction. O'Brien's writing style uses turn of the century terminology and language--which can be confusing at times, especially some of the nautical maneuvers, but lends more authenticity to each volume. My only regret is that I purchased the paperbound version. These books are worth keeping and re-reading. I recommend you purchase them in the hard bound edition which will hold up as you re-read them in the future.
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Summary: The start of something wonderful...
Review: It's hard to believe I only discovered the Aubrey/Maturin novels last fall. Since first reading "Master and Commander", Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin, their shipmates & their families, have come to seem like members of our family to both myself & my husband! If "Master and Commander" is your introduction to the novels of Patrick O'Brian (as it should be), it may take awhile to become accustomed to the formality of the language. Think Jane Austen at sea, & you'll have some idea of their flavor. Pretty soon tho, the action will grab you & the pages will turn faster than you thought possible! Just make sure to savor the humor that infuses so many of the interactions & observations; you'll be laughing out loud without even realising it! Just be warned: if you buy this book it will probably only be the beginning for you. There are 20 Aubrey/Maturin novels in all, plus numerous books (the best by Dean King) that will provide maps, nautical & historical definitions, recipes etc. to help you more fully appreciate every aspect of Patrick O'Brian's creation. You'll want them all. You will want to check out some of the excellent web sites that elaborate upon these novels. You'll even find yourself reading biographies & histories of the period! In short, when you buy "Master & Commander" you are starting a whole new hobby! Enjoy!
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Summary: Under the O'Brian spell...
Review: Yes - I, too, am one of those readers who learned of Patrick O'Brian only when his death in January of this year brought forth an avalanche of obituaries as well as countless reports and comments on his voluminous work. Astonished at the amount of praise that was showered upon this seemingly nondescript Englishman, I ordered a copy of "Master and Commander", known to be the first of the Aubrey/Maturin novels, and - in full anticipation of a good story - carefully turned the first page. Let it be said here and now that the book surpassed all of my dangerously high-flown expectations! Now that I have finished reading it, I hardly know where to begin my enumerating all the many points and details that I took so much pleasure in. First of all, the characterization of both Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin is truly delightful. Where has there been an equally sworn, yet sometimes oddly antagonistic pair of companions? Then - and this might well be the most remarkable aspect of the whole book - Mr O'Brian proves to be extraordinarily skillful at re-creating a peculiarly turbulent period in European history. I had to do some additional reading in order to be able to grasp all of the tale's intricate details and in return was left with the impression that events could not have taken place but in the way as they are being described by Mr O'Brian. And finally, "Master and Commander" quite simply is a highly readable account of life at sea at the beginning of the 19th century, including lots of action and a chase (in chapter eleven) that made me completely forget the sights and sounds of the world around me. Perhaps I should consider myself lucky not to have heard of Mr O'Brian before, for the products of his genius are now still waiting to be reaped. I am looking forward to the harvest.
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Summary: The Best Sea Yarn Ever?
Review: Having grown up with Horatio Hornblower, Teddy Roosvelt's classic "Naval History of the War of 1812," and Fletcher pratt's "Empire and the Sea," among others, I don't impress easily. I am impressed by this book, and have three more in the series awaiting my reading pleasure. What helps to make the book so enjoyable, above and beyond a snapping good story, is the superb detail and authenticity of the telling. Mr. O'Brien, recently deceased, is a master of his genre, the period, and of the writer's craft. The story draws you in; the prose is so vivid, that there are passages that leave you unaware of your surroundings as you drink them in. The turns of fortune, set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, nener let the reader guess at the conclusion, even though the history is well-known. The principal charachers, Jack Aubrey, Dr. Stephen Maturin, and Lt. Dillon, are well-sketched, and quirky in ways that make them seem authentic to their time. Their speech, and even the turns of phrase used by the author in telling the tale have an 18th-century sound to them. The language is reminicent of Gibbon in terms of the seriousness of the tone of speech. After reading this book, two things are formost in my mind: is the rest of the series up to this level, and why, if they are, didn't he ever get the Nobel Prize? -Lloyd A. Conway
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Summary: An good sea story with lots of action
Review: This was the first in the series of Aubrey/Maturin novels, and one of the best of the series. The setting is in the Mediterranean (1798-1801), and like all books in this series, you need some knowledge of history to determine the time frame. Aubrey has just arrived at Port Mahon after serving as a lieutenant on the gun deck of a ship of the line at the Battle of the Nile. With a little help from bedroom politics (it helps to know an admiral's wife or mistress), he gets his step up to commander and a command of his own. He also meets Dr. Maturin, who is on his uppers after becoming stranded at Port Mahon, and is happy to obtain a paying position, even as a ship's surgeon. A little influence puts Aubrey in a position to venture on some independent cruises, and action proceeds accordingly. The book has a few insights into the politics of the Royal Navy, and the advantages of sometimes dropping a few guineas in the right places (the perquisites of some warrant officers in positions to make life easy or hard for commanders). All is not a bed of roses when Aubrey antagonizes a senior officer in a position to cause him trouble (Aubrey is not noted for being the most diplomatic or discrete person in the Royal Navy). The book develops Aubrey's character, along with providing a lot of naval action, fits in well with the historical period, and provides a good lead-in for the following books in the series (see "Post Captain" and "H.M.S. Surprise"). It is a good book to read on its own, and the next few books in the series are also quite good. The author passed away early this year without ever writing a prequel, so readers will never have the story of Aubrey's early years in the Royal Navy.
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Summary: Old Fahioned Virtual Reality
Review: You don't need a high powered game computer to experience being on the deck of a fighting British Naval Vessel at the end of the eighteenth century. You can smell the sea, watch the crew, hear the guns, and enjoy yourself unlike any book I've ever read. This book was a lot of fun and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
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Summary: Extraordinary writing -- one to savor
Review: I was in the US Navy for several years, and without that context I may well have been utterly lost. With a bit of nautical knowledge and/or fascination with the high seas, though, you'll be drawn into a rich and deeply moving world. This is a kind of writing one hardly ever experiences -- give yourself time and enjoy.
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