Rating: 
Summary: A dazzling work of literary, historical and dramatic merit
Review: O'Brian's talent ranges over several facets of early eighteenth century society with astonishing competence (e.g. music, social manners, natural philosophy and theology), while reserving a greater part, still, for a natural description of the technicalities of sailing and the Royal Navy. In this book, and the following books, O'Brian consistently demonstrates his genius for creating diverse, entertaining, believable and natural characters; plots which are plausible in that they are infallibly shaped by the emotions of these characters; and more impressive than all of this put together, perhaps, a style which flows perfectly naturally, without waste, and with no unnecessary economies.
Rating:
Summary: The start of something great
Review: I'm hooked on the novels of Patrick O'Brian. They are fun, exciting, and great imaginative reads. They are not the easiest books to read, but they are swashbuckling fun.In case you don't know who Patrick O'Brian is, he is the author of the 20 books in the Jack Aubrey adventure series. Most recently his books, Master and Commander and Far Side of the World, were loosely adapted for the screen. The movie though great does not do the books justice. The first book in the Jack Aubrey series details the beginning of the strong friendship of Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. They meet at a concert where Jack elbows Stephen in the ribs, and the rest is fiction history. When Jack Aubrey is promoted to the rank of Master and Commander he is given command of a sloop, the HMS Sophie. Needing a doctor for his new command, he invites his new friend, Stephen to come along on the cruise. The ship is a small, slow, undergunned Man O' War with a out of practice crew and a new commander. Soon though, through the will of Jack, the ship becomes a lean fighting vessel taking numerous prizes while on patrol, briging fame and fortune to the up and comming commander. The book shows in great detail the rigors of life at sea. From dangerous storms, engangement with the enemy, to the boredom of life in between engagements. Jack, though a brilliant seaman, tends not to play the political game very well, and proves it by having a not so private trist with the wife of the Commodore. This action leads him and his ship to not get the recognition they deserves and ultimately leads to the actions in the final battle which I will leave for you to find out when you read this exciting book. I highly suggest you try these books. They are fun, well written, and exciting books that detail life at sea during the start of the 19th century.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun in the action parts
Review: I have never read one of the series with Patrick O'Brian. I usually love sea tails. I got the audio version of this. This was an enjoyable telling of life at sea and the action and adventure of the Napoleonic Wars. I enjoyed leering all the nautical terms. I especially liked the tour the Doctor got explaining all the different sails. The commander seems more like a solider of fortune than a British servicing officer of the line. He had many quirks like the dealing with women and the problems with his wig. I'll have to admit the funniest part of this book was the story of the seaman who buggered the goat when I got to that part I was laughing out loud. The sea battles in the story seemed pretty graphic and the injuries real. The characters were interesting. The one thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. I thought it was pretty disappointing and unexpected and the book ended pretty quickly as well. I think next time I will have to get the book and not the audio version because I don't think I savored it enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Master of the Seas
Review: I most definitely think that these books are not projected toward my age level. Granted, I've always read at least a few notches above my reading level (Which is, as of now, a sophomore in high school), but this is one of the first books that I have really felt out of my depth in. I was provoked into buying the first book in the Aubrey/Maturin series because the movie by the same name had caught my interest. I was intrigued by all the goings-on of a British man-of-war, and the characters had already captured my heart. Upon hearing that the movie was actually based off of a 20-book series, I immediately ran to my closest bookstore and wrenched a copy of "Master and Commander" from the bookshelf. As soon as I opened to the display of a ship and its sails, I knew I was in for a trip. This book, for me, was a huge eye-opener. It let me peer into the past, looking over the shoulders of the exciting characters Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. I had always been interest in reading historical fiction, but this book caught me by surprise. Save for the diagram of the ship's masts and sails, there was no explanation of the nautical terms sprinkled throughout the book. I found myself skimming some sections, trying to find some words that I understood. Eventually, about 2/3 of the way through, I began piecing all of the terms together, looking a few of them up online. It was a tough obstacle, but I managed to clear it. Bottom line is this: I have now read through the first three books, and so far, "Master and Commander" has been the hardest for me to read. And now that I understand more of the terms O'Brian used, I am falling more and more in love with these books. If you are a fan of the sea, ships, historical fiction, and/or excellent writing, I suggest this book with all of my heart. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: Lucky Jack finds a friend and gets a sloop
Review: I was compelled to read MASTER AND COMMANDER after seeing the excellent 2003 film of the same title starring Russell Crowe. The movie is loosely based - I stress loosely - on the book. Author Patrick O'Brian quickly gets down to business. Within the first twenty-five pages, Lieutenant Jack Aubrey, RN, is assigned captaincy of the His Majesty's sloop "Sophie", and he discovers a new friend in Dr. Stephen Maturin, a physician sans patients marooned in Minorca, whom Jack persuades to come aboard his vessel as its new medical officer. (At this point, it must be stressed that Stephen is a "physician", not a "surgeon", the latter profession held in low esteem as being not much better than that of a meat-cutter.) It's 1800, and England is embroiled in one of its interminable wars with France and Spain. In the book as in the film, there are three themes. Ranked in importance, there is first the friendship between Aubrey and Maturin. Then, the depiction of Aubrey as a man and commander. And finally, the naval strategy, battles, and life aboard a wooden fighting ship. Jack's an interesting character; in the book MASTER AND COMMANDER, he's still a diamond in the rough. He's brave, fair to his men, professionally ambitious, a competent sailor, lucky, and desirous of wealth. (Remember, in these times, the poorly paid crew and officers of a military man o' war could derive much, if not most, of their remuneration from the capture of "prize ships", i.e. vessels flying an enemy's flag subsequently sold, with their cargoes, for profit by the Admiralty.) Most of all, Aubrey wants to advance up the pay-grade ladder into the admiral ranks. However, he tends to be insubordinate and, in MASTER AND COMMANDER at least, he's having an affair with his immediate superior's wife - the latter a potentially career-scuttling move. For me, this volume isn't of the can't-put-down type. The naval combat action is first rate, during which time the story moves along at the clip of a fast frigate. Between battles, however, the pace may fall off to that of a slow barge, especially when Jack and Stephen are ashore. And, at all times, the nautical terms can make for rough sailing for landlubbers, as in the following when Maturin is given an explanation of "lee shore": "... and (Mowett) explained the nature of leeway, the loss of windward distance in wearing, the impossibility of tacking in a very great wind, the inevitability of leeward drift in the case of being embayed, with a full gale blowing dead on short, and the impervious horror of this situation." Huh? I shall acquire and read the next book in the series, POST CAPTAIN, but reserve the right to drop anchor and abandon ship anywhere in the 20-book series should the voyage become becalmed in the doldrums.
Rating:
Summary: passion and action...
Review: I read the book and I like it a lot because, I like intrigue and action books. The writer writes the book in a way that takes you into the novel and you feel that you're one of the characters in the novel , you get action and you get intrigue. The theme of the book is conflict and war. My favourite part is when he's fighting the French's and during the cease of fire, he found a solution on how to bet the French's by imitating insect's behaviour. I recommend this novel to people who like action and intrigue and for person that like to feel that they can relate with the main character... Joe brother's come to Basel it is the best place in the world we're waiting for you...
Rating:
Summary: Well worth a little work
Review: I saw the movie and decided to try the books. Very little of this book (only two items) is in the movie. This means you get an episodic book without the strong plot of the movie. However, it remains rewarding reading. The writing is excellent; the characters are complex, and the detail (I presume) is correctly rendered. I'm no nautical history buff, but the parts of the ship that I didn't understand didn't get in the way of the story. The character of Jack Aubrey is drawn very well. In spite of being a hero, he's shown as a man with self-doubt and sometimes (especially on land) not knowing how to behave. The same level of detail goes for Stephen Maturin, the ship's doctor and Aubrey's friend, who has a closer grasp on the ways of the world yet is hardly a sailor. O'Brian puts you on a British frigate in the early 1800s. I felt that it was a very convincing picture that he painted. Although Master and Commander is not the book you expect (especially if your introduction was the movie), it kept my attention enough for me to try more of O'Brian's work.
Rating:
Summary: Rough Seas
Review: I found this book interesting but difficult to read. The narrative is choppy, jumping from place to place, and Mr. O'Brian ends scenes abruptly. It takes quite awhile to get a feel for the characters. The nautical terms made some passages almost unreadable for me. Over all I enjoyed it but would not recommend it for the casual reader.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the begining reader
Review: Reader after reader will pick this book up only to throw it down, head swimming. It is obscure, obtuse, arcane, and absolutely wonderful! Throughout the Aubrey/Maturin books, O'Brian places his fictional characters into factual battles, trying to not pepper the actual history with fictional outcome. With the lead protagonist based loosely on Lord Cochrane, an infamous character in his own right. The result is a studded prose style, closer to the actual prose of the time, rather than writing with a pseudo~arcane style as viewed through the late 20th century prism of many writers. If you can finally fall into the book's rhythm, you'll have to deal with the lexicon of the 18th century sailor which itself seems a daunting task. Most of the sea terms are not needed to follow the story so don't get hung up, or let the obscurity "cross your hawse".
Literature is read to for one to grow, and in that sense this book is literature. Very few writers send me running to the dictionary... O'Brian can do it with a three-letter word (fug).
If you want a rollicking good and easy read go with Hornblower (yes the C.S. in my name is an homage to Cecil Scott Forester), but if your up to the challenge of growing as a reader and being immersed in the culture of the day, then do what it takes to get through this book. Once you find O'Brian's cadence (or WHICH cadence of the many he seems to use) the books get much easier. The plot and sub-text become clearer, and in the end this is an intense 20 volume "buddy" novel with much of the plot being the interactions of two diametrically opposed friends. PostScript: It took me two times to get through it too!
Rating: 
Summary: A difficult read and not related to nautical terms
Review: I had recently read every Horatio Hornblower book and was quite excited to tackle all the Master and Commander books. However, I found Master and Commander to be far less accessible and enjoyable to read. First, I am up on all my nautical terms. Second, I have an advanced degree and am more than used to reading complicated subject matter. Though I appreciate the more gritty realistic edge to Master, I think it falls far short of Hornblower based purely and solely on writing alone. In Master and Commander the dialog is just plain weird, NOT in terms of the terminology, but in the constant shifting of topics of discussion between the characters. In a similar way scenes also shift without warning and it all adds up to a very confusing and less than satisfying read. If you really want a sea tale and to be taken away to live in the world of the Royal British Navy, go read Hornblower and/or see the DVDs for both Hornblower and Master and Commander!
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