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Summary: Well-written, exciting and suspenseful
Review: I have read a lot of novels in a lot of different genres (mostly classics, mysteries and thrillers) but this is one of the most entertaining novels I have ever read. The characters are interesting and three-dimensional, the action is exciting and realistic and, as if that wasn't enough, the book is very humorous at times. I don't profess to be an expert on what life was like in the Royal Navy two hundred years ago, but it all sure seems very realistic. It is true that this is not the most profound of books (I wouldn't put him in the same catagory as Dostoevesky, Balzac or Falkner) but it sure was entertaining. I will admit that it does start a little slow, but if you stick with it you will be richly rewarded. Also, if you don't understand sailing terminology, it is helpful to learn some of it. I found a great web site that defines just about any sailing term you want to know. Anyway, I loved this book and I am going to read more of this series.
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Summary: Don't buy this book if you enjoy your current life!
Review: I stumbled upon O' Brian's books, read six of them and to the demise of my social skills am currently living at the beginning of the 19th Century with no return to modern life in sight. Thanks Patrick for your inspired creations.
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Summary: Kicks Hornblowers Rear End
Review: This is an awesome series (20 Volumes). I read them all and came back here to tell anyone who reads this to jump right in. Obrian is a fabulous writer. I am moving on to Cornwall (Sharps series - also a Napoleanic Era book - but on land)
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Summary: I have just read of Patrick O'Brian's recent death...
Review: I'm sorry to hear that Patrick O'Brian has just died, at the age of 85. Such a marvelous story teller, and so knowledgeable about ships and the sea.My physician recommended Master and Commander to me, and I'm delighted that I purchased and read it. I am an ocean sailor, and I recognize a writer on the subject of ships who knows whereof he speaks. Patrick O'Brian knew his subject, and he knew history, and he spins a great yarn. I shall read all of his books. So far, I've read only three of them. If you want to know history, read carefully researched historical novels. It is not only the painless way, it is highly enjoyable. So, thank you Dr. Rollings, for the tip.
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Summary: Top notch naval action....
Review: I was searching for books about pirates and came across Patrick O'Brian. And I must say, I was blown out of the water. Excellent reading. Looking forward to the next 20 books.
Rating: 
Summary: not really a novel, a scholarly report, more like
Review: Mr o'brian is a formidable scholar, but he is no novelist. I read 120 pages of this and gave up. No dramatic tension, no plot, no character development. For sailing fanatics only.
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Summary: A Chore to Read
Review: Contrary to many of the reviews listed here (which influenced me to buy this book), I found it very tedious and difficult to read. It is so engrossed in the old English and ship terms that it's only value for me was as an academic exercise. Entertainment value: 1 out of 5, Technical Sailing terms: 5 out of 5, Readability: 1 out of 5. Recommendation: Select something more enjoyable to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Absorbing and Educational
Review: Master and Commander is a good book. Good enough that I plan to pick up another of the O'Brien series in the future.
The author tells a good story. Aubrey and Maturin (the main characters) are well developed. They are also complex enough that they are believable as real people, a triumph for any novelist. Plus, the historical detail and setting will entice any reader who likes period pieces. Not being a sailor, I found the author's explanations of naval terms and tools educational. I learned from the book. The information is presented in enough detail to enlighten and explain the story but not so much as to bore or bog down the action. Again, the mark of a good author. Recommended.
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Summary: A voyage of discovery
Review: There can be no greater pleasure for a devoted bookworm such as I than to discover an author with a considerable body of work already published. Imagine my delight to discover Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. Having taken the advice of other readers in these reviews, I bought Master and Commander to begin with. So captivating was it that I bought all of the titles in the series and have been working my way through them; now I have just Blue at the Mizzen left unread. O'Brian truly takes the reader on a voyage of discovery through the naval exploits of the Napoleonic wars, through Arctic storms, shipwrecks, shattering broadsides from men of war, peaceful coral strands, taking in the political intrigue of the Admiralty and the world of espionage along the way. To any potential reader I can only say, read the books in order - they comprise one long narrative. If we all asked Mr O'Brian to give us just a couple more as a millenium gift, would we hear his reply in the hallowed words of Aubrey's manservant, Preserved Killick, 'Which I'm bringing, ain't I?' Everyone can dream.
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Summary: Captivating, best sea tales ever written
Review: Written in the tradition of the C.S. Forester Hornblower books, but surpassing them in my opinion, O'Brian's books rival the best of present-day historical fiction. I'm a big fan of current 90's style best sellers like 'The Triumph and the Glory' and 'War of the Rats', but classics are classics, and 'Master and Commander' is one. The storytelling is first-rate, the characters memorable, and the thematic appeal remains as strong as ever.
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