Rating: 
Summary: Best so far
Review: Reading this series in order, this is the latest I have come to, and the best thus far. While I have enjoyed all of the books (I found them often slow to start, but invariably engaging), this one, with its variety of locales and somehow less dense telling, stands out. By all means, read the whole series, but this is one to look forward to.
Rating:
Summary: Strange and Wonderful
Review: Rich characters, refreshing originality, a good story, and plenty of surprises. Not much to criticize except to say the story is unorthodox and the ending is peculiar...both of which add to the satisfaction if you like the unexpected. I was looking for something different and absorbing and was rewarded with O'Brian's work. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Strange and Wonderful
Review: Rich characters, refreshing originality, a good story, and plenty of surprises. Not much to criticize except to say the story is unorthodox and the ending is peculiar...both of which add to the satisfaction if you like the unexpected. I was looking for something different and absorbing and was rewarded with O'Brian's work. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Joint Review of All Aubrey-Maturin Books
Review: Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe.
Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania.
Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatly. In some ways, it was a ruthless meritocracy whose structure and success anticipates the great expansion of government power and capacity seen in the rest of the 19th century.
O'Brian is also the great writer about male friendship. There are important female characters in these books but since most of the action takes place at sea, male characters predominate. The friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the central armature of the books and is a brilliant creation. The position of women in these books is ambiguous. There are sympathetic characters, notably Aubrey's long suffering wife. Other women figures, notably Maturin's wife, leave a less positive impression. On board ship, women tend to have a disruptive, even malign influence.
How did O'Brian manage to sustain his achievement over 20 books? Beyond his technical abilities as a writer and the instrinsic interest of the subject, O'Brien made a series of very intelligent choices. He has not one but two major protagonists. The contrasting but equally interesting figures of Aubrey and Maturin allowed O'Brien to a particularly rich opportunity to expose different facets of character development and to vary plots carefully. This is quite difficult and I'm not aware of any other writer who has been able to accomplish such sustained development of two major protagonists for such a prolonged period. O'Brian's use of his historical setting is very creative. The scenes and events in the books literally span the whole globe as Aubrey and Maturin encounter numerous cultures and societies. The naval setting allowed him also to introduce numerous new and interesting characters. O'Brian was able to make his stories attractive to many audiences. Several of these stories can be enjoyed as psychological novels, as adventure stories, as suspense novels, and even one as a legal thriller. O'Brian was also a very funny writer, successful at both broad, low humor, and sophisticated wit. Finally, O'Brian made efforts to link some of the books together. While a number are complete in themselves, others form components of extended, multi-book narratives. Desolation Island, Fortune of War, and The Surgeon's Mate are one such grouping. Treason's Harbor, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal are another. The Letter of Marque and the ensuing 4 books, centered around a circumnavigation, are another.
Though the average quality of the books is remarkably high, some are better than others. I suspect that different readers will have different favorites. I personally prefer some of the books with greater psychological elements. The first book, Master and Commander, is one of my favorites. The last 2 or 3, while good, are not as strong as earlier books. I suspect O'Brian's stream of invention was beginning to diminish. All can be read profitably as stand alone works though there is definitely something to be gained by reading in consecutive order.
Rating:
Summary: Joint Review of All Aubrey-Maturin Books
Review: Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe.
Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania.
Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatly. In some ways, it was a ruthless meritocracy whose structure and success anticipates the great expansion of government power and capacity seen in the rest of the 19th century.
O'Brian is also the great writer about male friendship. There are important female characters in these books but since most of the action takes place at sea, male characters predominate. The friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the central armature of the books and is a brilliant creation. The position of women in these books is ambiguous. There are sympathetic characters, notably Aubrey's long suffering wife. Other women figures, notably Maturin's wife, leave a less positive impression. On board ship, women tend to have a disruptive, even malign influence.
How did O'Brian manage to sustain his achievement over 20 books? Beyond his technical abilities as a writer and the instrinsic interest of the subject, O'Brien made a series of very intelligent choices. He has not one but two major protagonists. The contrasting but equally interesting figures of Aubrey and Maturin allowed O'Brien to a particularly rich opportunity to expose different facets of character development and to vary plots carefully. This is quite difficult and I'm not aware of any other writer who has been able to accomplish such sustained development of two major protagonists for such a prolonged period. O'Brian's use of his historical setting is very creative. The scenes and events in the books literally span the whole globe as Aubrey and Maturin encounter numerous cultures and societies. The naval setting allowed him also to introduce numerous new and interesting characters. O'Brian was able to make his stories attractive to many audiences. Several of these stories can be enjoyed as psychological novels, as adventure stories, as suspense novels, and even one as a legal thriller. O'Brian was also a very funny writer, successful at both broad, low humor, and sophisticated wit. Finally, O'Brian made efforts to link some of the books together. While a number are complete in themselves, others form components of extended, multi-book narratives. Desolation Island, Fortune of War, and The Surgeon's Mate are one such grouping. Treason's Harbor, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal are another. The Letter of Marque and the ensuing 4 books, centered around a circumnavigation, are another.
Though the average quality of the books is remarkably high, some are better than others. I suspect that different readers will have different favorites. I personally prefer some of the books with greater psychological elements. The first book, Master and Commander, is one of my favorites. The last 2 or 3, while good, are not as strong as earlier books. I suspect O'Brian's stream of invention was beginning to diminish. All can be read profitably as stand alone works though there is definitely something to be gained by reading in consecutive order.
Rating: 
Summary: Hollywood should be happy
Review: The chance to make a movie better than the book. Maybe if you invested your time in reading all the books in this series you might feel an emotional attachment to these characters but from reading this one book I didn't. It wasn't hard to read as in challenging, it was hard to read because it didn't hold your attention. I could be slightly biased after reading the "Lymond Chronicles" if you want challenging, here's the series for you. Exciting and breathtaking and not enough words to describe the series. The "Lymond Chronicles" is the best of the best. Warning, the first book is the hardest to get through but so worth it at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Great, though not like the movie, and with a learnign curve
Review: The Far Side of The World, by Patrick O'Brian, is a wonderfully written and rich and telling account of the British Nayy during the early 19th century.The book is part of the Aubrey/Maturin series of novels following the exploits of Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his good friend Dr. Stephen Maturin. This book tells the story of Jack Aubrey, and his ship the HMS Surprise in their pursuit of American Frigate The Norfolk which is attacking British whaling ships. Wonderfully written and rich with detail, this book tells of life on a tall ship in the early 19th century. Daily routines of hard work, bad food, and brutal discipline are told in a rich and colorful language. Also wonderfully accounted are the feeling of true independence and discovery that came about from traveling on the high seas to areas where no one has ever been before. The story is highly entertaining, and kept me turning the pages, though more than any other book, this novel has a steep lurning curve. I would suggest you keep a dictionary nearby. There are many terms, both nautical and specific to the 19th century, which are routinely used in the books. Words like Foresail, Mainsail, Mizzensail, Flying Jib, Foremast Stay, and Bowsprit will be new to those who are not adroit in nautical language or in 19th century life. Overall the book is wonderfully written, and entertaining read, though it is nothing at all like the movie. Those of you who are hoping to "read the movie" will be dissapointed, but those who love colorful period accounts and stories will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great, though not like the movie, and with a learning curve
Review: The Far Side of The World, by Patrick O'Brian, is a wonderfully written, rich, and telling account of the British Nayy during the early 19th century. This is book 10 of the Aubrey/Maturin series of novels following the exploits of Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his good friend Dr. Stephen Maturin. This book tells the story of Jack Aubrey, and his ship the HMS Surprise in their pursuit of American Frigate The Norfolk which is attacking British whaling ships. Wonderfully written and rich with detail, this book tells of life on a tall ship in the early 19th century. Daily routines of hard work, bad food, and brutal discipline are told in a rich and colorful language. Also wonderfully accounted are the feeling of true independence and discovery that came about from traveling on the high seas to areas where no one has ever been before. The story is highly entertaining, and kept me turning the pages, though more than any other book, this novel has a steep lurning curve. Most of that is the fact that this IS the tenth book. Though this book is good, I would suggest you start with "Master and Commander" (Book 1), as a lot of things in this book rely on knowing backstory from the previous books. There are many terms, both nautical and specific to the 19th century, which are routinely used in the books. Words like Foresail, Mainsail, Mizzensail, Flying Jib, Foremast Stay, and Bowsprit will be new to those who are not adroit in nautical language or in 19th century life. You can easily learn through looking the words up, it is easier to start with "Master and Commander", as they explain a lot of the terms very plainly in that book. Overall the book is wonderfully written, and entertaining read, though it is nothing at all like the movie. Those of you who are hoping to "read the movie" will be dissapointed, but those who love colorful period accounts and stories will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: The book is not the movie.
Review: The recent film Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World sparked my interest in Patrick O'Brian's lengthy series of nautical adventures featuring Capt. Jack Aubrey and his close friend and ship's doctor, Stephen Maturin. While the source novel, The Far Side of the World, comes at a midpoint in O'Brian's chronology, it provides a familiar port for a movie fan to embark on the journey. (Had I read the book before seeing the movie, this might be an entirely different review; now, a comparison between the two is inevitable.)
O'Brian's novel is an intelligent, fascinating look at British naval life during the Napoleanic wars. The author quickly draws readers into the world of seamanship and His Majesty's Navy, filling the pages with rich images and jargon that bring a bygone era back to life with less flash but more substance. Book and movie are both enjoyable and absorbing; still, readers will find very little resemblance here, as the movie draws very few scenes and plot twists from O'Brian's text.
Characters, on the other hand, are better developed in these pages, and there are more of them to boot. Relationships aboard ship are more fully explored and there are even a few women -- a handful of officer's wives -- among the passengers. Subplots dealing with international intrigue, shipboard romance and murder (that were dropped entirely from the movie script) kept my interest level high. There is plenty of humor, too, providing the occasional elbow jab in the ribs and hearty chuckle.
The novel can be slow-moving at times; it seems an endless wait before HMS Surprise and her crew even leave port! But there's interest in the details even while bound to land -- Maturin's eccentric fascination for birds, for instance, and the gauntlet of formal meetings and informal callers Aubrey must deal with as he tries to hasten his ship's departure. The voyage itself, to action hounds, will seem interminable. The U.S. frigate Aubrey has been ordered to find and take or destroy doesn't even appear until more than 200 pages have passed -- and even then, it passes quickly by. The cat-and-mouse game that dominated the movie is, here, more mouse than cat.
Don't read the book looking for great sea battles, cannons blazing and cutlasses at the ready, either. There is no great sea battle at the climax, but O'Brian's denouement is satisfyingly unexpected.
I kept turning pages with unflagging eagerness as the story unfolded. The Far Side of the World is not high adventure, but it is historical fiction of the highest order.
Rating: 
Summary: Hollywood is indeed happy
Review: The reviewer from Sherman Oaks is right at least on one point. Hollywood has found HMS Surprise and Captain Aubrey! Director Peter Weir is now filming an adaptation of this novel with Russel Crowe as the captain (and his Princeton roommate Paul Bettany plays his... companion Stephen Maturin). I heard that the studio where Titanic was filmed is being used. They picked the 10th novel because it was said to have a "simpler and clearer plot". Can't say I agree, but I can see their reason. The film should come out around 2003, but why wait? Read it now and enjoy the excitement and fun of the adventures of Aubrey and Maturin! I heard that the movie will move the scene from 1812 to 1806 and the enemy is now a French frigate not an American one! I guess one should have expected such treatment from American Hollywood.... although I am still glad that they decided to film it. It just shows how good the novel is. Enjoy!
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