Master and Commander

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Summary: Sheer literary and philosophical joy
Review: Like a hot bath, one must overcome the initial shock, but O'Brian's world is one well worth entering. This series made a very difficult year of my life bearable and taught me a great deal. I would race home to get back to reading and be hearbroken as I finished each book (and especially after the last). I now look forward to reading all of them over again.

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Summary: Good Story, but can be very technical to read
Review: Well written, but I often got lost in the technicalities e.g you often need to refer top the ship layout diagram in the front cover

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Summary: A key to reading the Aubrey-Maturin books
Review: I absolutely love these books. I had great difficulty reading "Master and Commander". I just could not find the rhythm of the words and was about to give up on the series when I found a Recorded Books edition of "M&C". Patrick Tulls' reading is wonderful and provided the key I needed to unlock this treasure trove. My local library does not have the complete collection on tape, but the do have all the books. I have just started reading "The Far Side of the World" and the tapes have made it much easier to get into the book.

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Summary: Patrick O'Brian-historic fiction's Faulkner
Review: Patrick O'Brian is the Faulkner of historic fiction. The writing is dense and almost defeated me early on. Perserve, don't put the book down. It will grow on you and you with it. By the time you read two books of the O'Brian series you will be fast friends with Aubrey and Maturin and enemies with Napoleon Bonaparte.

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Summary: Even Good Enough for Writers and Studied Readers
Review: I have devoured all O'Brian's works and am wandering the Amazon site aimlessly, hoping to one day discover a new release from the author. O'Brian's tales are a delight for the craftmanship: the way he has built the friendship between Aubrey and Maturin, the tales woven within tales, and the masterful intertwining of the consequences of events from one installment with the plot six books later. I compare O'Brian in scope and ability to Tolstoy. Comparisons to other authors of sea tales or stories from the Napoleanic Wars are irrelevant. This author deserves comparison for his superb writing. The suspense and intrigue, excitement and historical education are all just side benefits

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Summary: A very short comment
Review: Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander is the opening shot in an extraordinary series. Much like The Hobbit, one must take time to enter into this world. All I can say to prospective buyers is this: you will find yourself frantically searching for the next book in the series once you fall into this book, a fever that will not subside until you reluctantly finish the final page in the series.

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Summary: Recommend "A Sea of Words" by Dean King as a resource.
Review: These fabulous stories can be a bit difficult for those of us who have not served on a ship of the line in the 19th century. I, much like Dr. Maturin from the books, am drawn by the beauty and drama of the sea and the action faced by a British man o' war but am ignorant of many of the terms and language. Patrick O'Brian is a master at immersing his reader in the daily life of all the characters the reader encounters in his books. I have found "A Sea of Words" by Dean King to be a wonderful resource companion to O'Brian's novels. Full of descriptions of naval terms, historical maps, drawings and events of the time it is descriped by the publisher as "A lexicon and companion for Patrick O'Brian's seafaring tales" this book is at my side as I enjoy the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin.

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Summary: Superbly woven tale of high-seas adventure!
Review: Initially, I experienced some problems understanding the complexities of language of the period in which the book is set. As I progressed, this became less and less of a problem, and found myself thoroughly engrossed in an exciting novel. I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with an adventurous mind, looking for a departure from today's fiction.

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Summary: Here is a list of the series for your convenience.
Review: 1.Master and Commander 2.Post Captain 3.HMS Surprise 4.The Mauritius Command 5.Desolation Island 6.The Fortune of War 7.The Surgeon's Mate 8.The Ionian Mission 9.Treason's Harbor 10.The Far Side of the World 11.The Reverse of the Medal 12.The Letter of Marque 13.The Thirteen Gun Salute 14.The Nutmeg of Consolation 15.The Truelove 16.The Wine-Dark Sea 17.The Commodore 18.The Yellow Admiral

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Summary: Literary time machine to 19th Century Britain!
Review: As an aficianado of Austen and sailing, I was led to this series by three friends who are absolute O'Brian devotees. To my utmost delight, in Master and Commander O'Brian weaves a tapestry that brilliantly evokes in both setting and language the feel of early nineteenth century Britain. Even if one is not naturally given to reading tales of the high seas, the Aubrey/Maturin books are outstanding merely as literary ventures, sheer escapism to bear the reader utterly to another time. Even the most placid of individuals can find himself cheering a full broadsides from Aubrey's ship in some naval battle or other; even the most serious of readers will twitter over the wit and humour that follow the two protagonists. If reading fiction can be termed "mind candy," then surely Master and Commander and its successors are Godiva hazlenut truffles