Rating: 
Summary: Dear readers -- do yourself, and your soul, a favor....
Review: The late Patrick O'Brian had absolutely no peer when it came to sea stories. He knew his subject inside and out. For example, here's a passage that demonstrates his knowledge of the square-rig and sailing: "'Man the fore clew-garnets.' "His mind was wholly concerned with making up these lost miles, for not only had the Spartan gained this flying start, but the Surprise's former gain was now so much handicap. The first high gusts reached the frigate's royals and skysails: she swung round: she gathered steerage-way, and as the sun went down, turning her nascent wake blood-red, he began to make sail. Hitherto she had been beating up, with an array of sharply-braced square sails and staysails reaching almost to the sky; now she was to have the breeze on her quarter, or very near, and he set studdingsails aloft and alow, with a ringtail to the driver, bonnets, of course, and save-alls under the studdingsails and even the driver boom, brought the foretack to the cathead with a passaree, cast off the maintack and hauled the weather-clew of the maincourse to the yard." (page 97-98) O'Brian was not simply making up those archaic terms. He was describing actual procedures and using real ship's nomenclature of the day. For the non-sailor, to whom the terminology might as well be in Greek, his main point is plain. There was a chase on. He was clearly using every trick in the book. For the knowledgeable sailor, it is sheer delight to read. In this story, replete with London politics, intrigue and espionage, the heroic Captain Jack Aubrey innocently runs afoul of the law thrrough an ill-advised investment scheme, and is disgraced and humiliated by being punished on the pillory. The ensuing adventure gives O'Brian's brilliant characterization and often beautiful prose full play. That Patrick O'Brian was prolific in no way detracts from the quality of his work. Each story is a masterpiece. He demonstrates a marvelous insight into human emotions, and engages you with his characters, showing their weaknesses and strengths; in short, making them come to life. I have never read any author who so skillfully caught me and addicted me to his stories. He was a true master. Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
Rating:
Summary: A suspenseful yarn by the master of square-riggers
Review:
The late Patrick O'Brian had absolutely no peer when it came to sea stories. He knew his subject inside and out. For example, here's a passage that demonstrates his knowledge of the square-rig and sailing: "'Man the fore clew-garnets.' "His mind was wholly concerned with making up these lost miles, for not only had the Spartan gained this flying start, but the Surprise's former gain was now so much handicap. The first high gusts reached the frigate's royals and skysails: she swung round: she gathered steerage-way, and as the sun went down, turning her nascent wake blood-red, he began to make sail. Hitherto she had been beating up, with an array of sharply-braced square sails and staysails reaching almost to the sky; now she was to have the breeze on her quarter, or very near, and he set studdingsails aloft and alow, with a ringtail to the driver, bonnets, of course, and save-alls under the studdingsails and even the driver boom, brought the foretack to the cathead with a passaree, cast off the maintack and hauled the weather-clew of the maincourse to the yard." (page 97-98) O'Brian was not simply making up those archaic terms. He was describing actual procedures and using real ship's nomenclature of the day. For the non-sailor, to whom the terminology might as well be in Greek, his main point is plain. There was a chase on. He was clearly using every trick in the book. For the knowledgeable sailor, it is sheer delight to read. In this story, replete with London politics, intrigue and espionage, the heroic Captain Jack Aubrey innocently runs afoul of the law thrrough an ill-advised investment scheme, and is disgraced and humiliated by being punished on the pillory. The ensuing adventure gives O'Brian's brilliant characterization and often beautiful prose full play. That Patrick O'Brian was prolific in no way detracts from the quality of his work. Each story is a masterpiece. He demonstrates a marvelous insight into human emotions, and engages you with his characters, showing their weaknesses and strengths; in short, making them come to life. I have never read any author who so skillfully caught me and addicted me to his stories. He was a true master. Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
Rating:
Summary: One of the very finest contributions to this great series
Review: Above all else, Patrick O'Brian is a patient writer. It is absolutely astonishing how slowly and carefully he is willing to develop his stories, amazing now when we have all of his books before us, and even more amazing when they were written, when he took years to bring plot details to fruition. Those who have not read this books would be absolutely stunned to discover their true nature. Before I had read these books, I had assumed they were nautical slugfests, thick with the smoke of battle and the stench of gunpowder. Yet in this, one of the best books in the series, there is next to no fighting, at least of the naval kind.
The book is broken roughly into two parts. The first contains the final leg of what is anticipated to be the final voyage of H.M.S. Surprise before she is to be either broken up or sold by the British navy. Though still one of the finest sailing ships in the navy, she is underpowered compared to other ships of the line, and her timbers will not allow the fitting of heavier guns. She spends the last part of her career as a British ship chasing an American privateer, only just failing to capture her. The second half of the novel takes place upon the return of Jack and Stephen to England. Jack hopes to buy the Surprise, and after receiving a stock tip by a mysterious individual who offers him a ride to London upon his arrival in England, he firmly believes that he is about to come into a very great deal of money, and being the generous soul that he is, he quickly shares the stock tip with all of his friends. But he soon discovers that the tip was actually a ploy by the political enemies of his Radical father, and he finds himself hauled before the law for stock market fraud.
Meanwhile, Stephen is, with one exception, hardly faring better. He returns to London to discover that his wife Diana has left him and that his lodgings have burned down to the ground. Furthermore, the secret service that he loves and serves is being undermined by nefarious undertakings, and perhaps even by treason that extends as high as the cabinet. And despite his most ardent exertions, he is unable to prevent Jack from being found guilty before the law and sentenced to a stiff fine and being pilloried, though the latter provides the occasion for one of the most remarkable scenes in the entire series, as Jack's fellow seamen and officers congregate en masse at the scene of his shame, preventing others from pelting him or even getting a good look at him, while cheering him.
The novel ends with Jack being removed from the active list of serving commanders, suffering the horrendous shame of being booted from the navy he so dearly loves. All would be despair except for one result of the lone big of good fortune that Stephen experienced: his exceedingly wealthy Spanish patron died and left the bulk of his enormous estate to Stephen. With his newfound riches, Stepehen buys the Surprise and outfits her with a Letter of Marque, installing his friend Jack as commander. With a secret mission assigned him by the foreign office, he will now attempt his particular friend Jack to rebuild his life and his fortune.
Like the other Aubrey-Maturin novels, this one is made exceptional by O'Brian's significant virtues as a writer. His patience as the developer of narrative I have already alluded to. He also stands out as both a very solid historian and an absolutely first rate teacher. I have never been much in the way of a student of the Royal Navy, but I find as a result of having read these novels (as well as a few other books that they inspired me to read) I have a surprising understanding of the intricacies of naval warfare of the period. O'Brian is a master of the subtlties, and he is never content with his reader gaining a rough grasp of the nature of naval warfare. He is continually wanting to expand and deepen his readers' understanding. But even more than all this, he is a superb writer from a purely literary point of view. Indeed, what made me finally decided to read O'Brian was the glowing testimony of major literary figures such as Iris Murdoch, Jean Rhys, and Eudora Welty (notice that I've just named three women, which utterly debunks any notion that he is a "guy's" writer). In fact, I can't imagine many potential readers who can find a great deal in O'Brian to savor. He will capture those who love fine literature as easily as those who want a good adventure yarn, and those who love historical fiction as easily as those who love military history. O'Brian truly is one of the most unique writers produced in the past half century.
As fine as this novel is, it simply must be read as part of the series as a whole. Though some might be tempted to dip in at some point other than the very beginning, the temptation must be resisted. Nor will anyone starting with the first novel either want to skip any of the individual novels, nor cease reading at any point. The reader's only regret at the end will be that O'Brian only lived to write twenty novels (with a portion of a twenty-first) in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Dear readers -- do yourself, and your soul, a favor....
Review: After years of encouragement from my father, I finally began to read the Aubrey/Maturin series last winter. As I finished each book, he would say "wait until you get to Reverse of the Medal." Now that I have just turned its last page, which came all too quickly, I know what he meant. "The Reverse of the Medal" is heartbreakingly heroic and one of the best stories I have ever read.
Several reviews here give praise to the ending. I will go further and say it rivals the best 50 pages to be found in any masterpiece you could put forth. When Aubrey is led to the pillory, to be publicly humiliated, his spiritual rescue by his fellow Naval officers and his devoted crew is tense and extremely moving. I could hardly believe I was reading a modern writer. Great books and movies are defined by certain moments that fulfill a yearning for the triumph of Spirit or Truth or Love. The emotional cheer at the pillory and Stephen's subsequent meetings with Duhamel, the French agent, are two of these perfect artistic moments that say to anyone ready and open for the experience, yes, this is what life is about and what friendship for your fellow Man should be. This is what great literature, great art, does. It changes you. So do yourself a favor: ignore the multitude of self-help books. Pass by the latest celebrity biography or expose. Dismiss the soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture-or-mini-series pulp. If you read one thing during the rest of your lifetime, let it be these novels by O'Brian. It will alter your molecules, your view of life itself.
Rating:
Summary: One of O'Brian's best --
Review: And perhaps the best. The climactic scene is so beautiful it will bring tears to your eyes. You will never forget this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating look at Nelson's era
Review: Aubrey and Maturin sail again in this epic sries from Patrick O'Brian. "The Reverse of the Medal" is timeless historical fiction of the highest quality. I've read three great novels this summer, "The Triumph and the Glory", "The Hundred Days" another by O'Brian, and this earlier work. Take the time to read them as well, you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Onshore, but the Best of the Aubrey-Maturin series so far
Review: I find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series a challenge to read, albeit an excellent, well-connected long novel. I could not put down the eleventh in the series, The Reverse of the Medal, once I began it. Although most of this book occurs on land, where Captain Jack Aubrey is naive and awkward, O'Brian exploits this: the force of the plot is as strong as the earliest, more typically naval stories in the saga. The climax brought tears to my eyes, and the last chapter's denouement evoked a cheer for Maturin and his dear friend. I went right to the Web to order the next two novels.
Rating:
Summary: It almost caused a wreck!
Review: I'm an Aubrey/Maturin devotee who has read all in series up to this point. I must say that this book rivals Master and Commander, which was my favorite up till now. I enjoyed this novel as a book on tape, read peerlessly by Patrick Tull. Of course, at moments of greatest interest, I would arrive at my destination and have to fabricate reasons to stay in my car just a few minutes longer! However, I question whether the law should allow drivers to enjoy books while driving, as I frequently found myself gripping the wheel with passion and barely conscious of the cars around me! Seriously, though, this is one of the greatest reads I have experienced, and I am a lifelong compulsive reader. O'Brian is a genius and his death is a tragic loss to the reading world.
Rating:
Summary: It almost caused a wreck!
Review: I'm an Aubrey/Maturin devotee who has read all in series up to this point. I must say that this book rivals Master and Commander, which was my favorite up till now. I enjoyed this novel as a book on tape, read peerlessly by Patrick Tull. Of course, at moments of greatest interest, I would arrive at my destination and have to fabricate reasons to stay in my car just a few minutes longer! However, I question whether the law should allow drivers to enjoy books while driving, as I frequently found myself gripping the wheel with passion and barely conscious of the cars around me! Seriously, though, this is one of the greatest reads I have experienced, and I am a lifelong compulsive reader. O'Brian is a genius and his death is a tragic loss to the reading world.
Rating: 
Summary: Maturin's up, Aubrey's down
Review: Jack Aubrey falls upon hard times, beginning with the apparent failure of his luck when a long, long chase across the Atlantic from the West Indies after a privateer ends with the quarry slipping into port just ahead of him. The old SURPRISE is for the knackers -- she's been living on borrowed time for the past two volumes -- and Jack seems headed that way, too, after falling into a cunning trap that ends with him being roasted in a political show-trial for trying to manipulate the stock market. Stephen Maturin's fortunes, on the other hand, seem to be rising. He has found himself unexpectedly wealthy and he comes into information that answers the disturbing questions arising in his recent intelligence operations. As always, O'Brian shows himself a master of the details of early 19th century British society, language, and general style, . . . but his plotting is unfortunately becoming almost pro forma. A pretty good story, but far from his best.
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