Rating: 
Summary: If you like Aubrey and Maturin, read this book!
Review: Here are Patrick O'Brian's prototypes for Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. Younger, less well developed, and not quite the same, but this pair, this Jack and Toby, are recognisably the forerunners of the more famous friend whose adventures span twenty books.As a long-time fan of the Aubreyad, i can guarantee that any reader familiar with the later books will enjoy this one just as much. We see many of the same scenes, the same phrases, the same habits, the same minor characters as we see later, and it is a pleasure to realise that these are the first times that Patrick O'Brian used the same evocative words that he would re-use time and again in later books. It is like meeting old friends afresh, and when I read these two books after putting down the twentieth and last in the Aubrey/Maturin series, it was as if I'd found another, a twenty-first. The book opens with a homage to Jane Austen, as many of O'Brian's books do, and there is a considerable setting-up of the relationship on land before they join Commodore Anson's squadron. Tobias gets himself into a right pickle and Jack gets him out of it in the nick of time in a scene which is at once dramatic and comical. At sea Tobias learns the ropes and makes the most of his opportunities for natural history, as Stephen Maturin does later. Jack is the young sea-dog, every bit the young Jack Aubrey, except he does not share Aubrey's grosser appetites. After Cape Horn, well I'd be giving away too much of the plot if I mentioned what went on, but suffice to say that this is some of Patrick O'Brian's most powerful writing, and at one stage I felt tired and worn out just reading it. I almost had to check my hands to see if they were not rubbed raw from the oars. But our heroes return home at last, and the story concludes with words which are pure O'Brian. There is no doubt in my mind, no doubt at all. If you liked the Aubrey/Maturin series, you will like The Unknown Shore. And while you're at it, try the earlier Golden Ocean as well - they make a fine pair of prequels to the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding anticipation
Review: How did I ever leave this book sitting on a shelf since 1995? This book is a great place to start reading Patrick O'Brian's sea novels. This story of a minor ship in Anson's expedition to "trouble the Spanish" in the Pacific (see O'Brian's GOLDEN OCEAN, following the other ships of the squadron, for the broader, parallel picture of that remarkable voyage) not only precedes the commencement of O'Brian's famous Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series (set during the Napoleonic wars 60 years later), but develops two characters that have uncanny similarities to the later heartiness of Jack and the erudite innocence of Stephen. The relationship here between Jack Byron, helpful friend and midshipman, and Tobias, the surgeon's mate, anticipates in so many ways the characteristics of the famous Aubrey/Maturin duo. Not only was O'Brian full of youthful enthusiasm when he wrote this story, but he often explains his customary obscure references to the ancient ways of the sailor, making hilarious use of the lubberly landsman, Tobias-hilarious, that is, in a restrained British way and perhaps only recognizable once you've learned enough to catch the meaning of the ever-present nautical slang. Unique to this book, O'Brian inserts from time to time his own editorial comments on the action, again helping to explain antique situations to the modern reader. My only knock on this story is that it eventually drags during the endlessly grinding struggle for survival along the wild and desolate unknown shore, and then wraps up too quickly. The same struggles against surf and hunger are repeated at least three times, although most artfully written without repeating the same phrases. I highly recommend you read this story soon after beginning to read O'Brian's sea novels, for it is really a glimpse into what the earlier careers of Aubrey and Maturin could have been before we first meet them already well-advanced in MASTER AND COMMANDER. As always in the Norton editon, Geoff Hunt's cover art is precise, detailed, and relevant to the story. The joyousness of the writing and antics in this story remind me of Capt. Marryat's less believable book, MR. MIDSHIPMAN EASY.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding anticipation
Review: How did I ever leave this book sitting on a shelf since 1995? This book is a great place to start reading Patrick O'Brian's sea novels. This story of a minor ship in Anson's expedition to "trouble the Spanish" in the Pacific (see O'Brian's GOLDEN OCEAN, following the other ships of the squadron, for the broader, parallel picture of that remarkable voyage) not only precedes the commencement of O'Brian's famous Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series (set during the Napoleonic wars 60 years later), but develops two characters that have uncanny similarities to the later heartiness of Jack and the erudite innocence of Stephen. The relationship here between Jack Byron, helpful friend and midshipman, and Tobias, the surgeon's mate, anticipates in so many ways the characteristics of the famous Aubrey/Maturin duo. Not only was O'Brian full of youthful enthusiasm when he wrote this story, but he often explains his customary obscure references to the ancient ways of the sailor, making hilarious use of the lubberly landsman, Tobias-hilarious, that is, in a restrained British way and perhaps only recognizable once you've learned enough to catch the meaning of the ever-present nautical slang. Unique to this book, O'Brian inserts from time to time his own editorial comments on the action, again helping to explain antique situations to the modern reader. My only knock on this story is that it eventually drags during the endlessly grinding struggle for survival along the wild and desolate unknown shore, and then wraps up too quickly. The same struggles against surf and hunger are repeated at least three times, although most artfully written without repeating the same phrases. I highly recommend you read this story soon after beginning to read O'Brian's sea novels, for it is really a glimpse into what the earlier careers of Aubrey and Maturin could have been before we first meet them already well-advanced in MASTER AND COMMANDER. As always in the Norton editon, Geoff Hunt's cover art is precise, detailed, and relevant to the story. The joyousness of the writing and antics in this story remind me of Capt. Marryat's less believable book, MR. MIDSHIPMAN EASY.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite
Review: I am a longtime reader of O'Brian's work and sought this out after I had exhausted the Aubrey-Maturin series for the second time. This story is often said to be a progenitor of the series, but I beg to differ. The main characters bear some resemblance to the two heroes, but are wholly unlike when closely examined.
This is a rich, detailed story at first, far funnier than many other of his novels. Midway through, though, he loses his thread (he often talks about sailors ashore being fools, and this may be a case in point) and never fully regains it. The story wanders through detailed descriptions of suffering and death with a deus ex machina end seemingly borne of the mutual exhaustion of both author and reader.
Tales of survival are well and good... inspiring, even, at times... but after a point it becimes an endurance test for even the most stalwart reader. In his later works, O'Brian learned that it was the characters and not the events that kept the reader enthralled. Sadly, this work wore on me: again and again the dismal tales of survival against all odds stacked up like cordwood until I was no longer interested.
The language is lovely, but the clean, superb O'Brian style fades away in the late-middle. This is not unusual in novels; few carry their bold beginnings to the end. With O'Brian, though, I had hoped for more, even in his early work.
There is some comfort that even such a master faltered at first, and that his later command of story, character and voice was learned (authors such as Saul Bellow are disturbing in their untiring published perfection, and I am cheered that one of my all-time favorites is capable of sometimes boring me.)
I would say that this is a journeyman piece: beautifully researched, well-begun but ultimately not up to the standard that set you reading it in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: Evokes the ¿Whaleship Essex- epic.
Review: I heartily agree with the other reviewer's praise of this wonderful book. I wish only to add that the final part is strikingly similar to - In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. That account of an epic adventure suffered from what I'd call 'reportage'. I recall as I read that exciting book I found myself longing for the enthralling descriptive power of Patrick O'Brian marvelous prose. So imagine my joy in discovering this book! O'Brian's masterful capacity to evoke the verisimilitude of these sailors plight wonderfully enhanced my memory the Essex book. I was so pleased!
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting story, predecessor to Aubrey-Maturin saga
Review: If you have just begun to read nautical fiction or have come to it by way of one of Patrick O'Brian's later Aubrey-Maturin books, this book is well worth reading.
I have been reading nautical fiction for a couple of years, and have just finished my first Aubrey-Maturin book (the fourth - THE MAURITIUS COMMAND). I came to it via Jane Austen's Persuasion when I was wondering about Captain Wentworth's life at sea. I then read through most of the Horatio Hornblower books (set at the same time, as the Aubreyiad, as it is known to fans) and even watched two great films about life at sea during the Georgian era - DAMN THE DEFIANT and the Horatio Hornblower film starring Gregory Peck.
I have to say that it helps if you have watched one of these films (or the later version of Horatio Hornblower starring Ioan Gruffyd), or if you have seen one of the British Navy's ships or a reconstruction at hand. If not, try one of the many good books explaining the construction and layout of a man-of-war or life in the British navy. [I have reviewed at least one such book]. Prior to my re-read of Persuasion and my curiosity about all things naval, I was an utter novice. I am still almost as confused as Toby, one of the two protagonists of THE UNKNOWN SHORE about many things naval.
How does this book do for someone who is not incredibly familiar with nautical fiction but has read a bit (like me), who comes to it perhaps from another genre of fiction, or who has picked this kind of book up for the first time? The first two chapters are a delightful evocation of life in Georgian England (although it is not clear that this is 1740), with Midshipman the Honourable John "Jack" Byron forming part of a cousin's large household. When Jack leaves to try and join Anson's round-the-world expedition, he takes along with him the eccentric, alarmingly naive, socially inept, and well-read Tobias Barrows. After a series of adventures in London, Toby is commissioned as a surgeon's mate (or assistant). Jack hopes that he and Toby will be posted on the same ship, since someone has to look out for Toby (and rescue him from himself). Both are posted to the WAGER, the least-regarded ship in the expedition since it is not a proper man-of-war. The first part of the expedition is fairly routine, with Toby learning the ways of life aboard and three captains taking command, with the last being the worst.
The expedition soon runs into trouble around Cape Horn. The WAGER is separated from the rest of the convoy and shipwrecked on a desolate island. The captain's harsh discipline imposed on the surviving cruise leads to desertions and then mutiny; Jack and Toby remain behind with the captain and a few others. The second half of the book is grim but realistic reading. Eventually, only a few people survive illness (mostly scurvy and lack of food), the stormy seas, capture by Indians, and more comfortable imprisonment by the Spanish in Chile to find their way home by a circuitous route.
I will not tell you who makes it back, but the Jack Byron of this book is the grandfather of the poet Lord Byron (the 6th Baron) so he makes it through.
The book is good reading, although not fast reading (unless you prefer to skip all the details about life abroad, the ornithological observations of Toby etc). Jack Byron is a precursor of the far more bluff (and more politically inept Jack Aubrey) but he comes from a better family; his father was a lord, his brother is a lord, and his grandfather Lord Berkeley is politically influential and with naval connections. [His sister Isabella will go on to marry a wealthy earl herself]. Tobias Barrow, who is apparently entirely fictional, is in some ways an early version of Stephen Maturin (although far more naive and inept). The description of Toby is almost spot-on for Maturin, down to the dreadful equestrian skils and their shared profession - surgery.
One thing that I had mixed feelings about was the level of authorial intrusion. In this book, O'Brian inserts his comments here and there, sometimes at length. I grew to notice it less through the book as the situation becomes grimmer, but at times it jarred in the early stages.
If you are wondering about how much background you need, the navy as a career and the importance of "interest" is well-explained by Jack to the naive and clueless Toby. Some knowledge about the period (the start of the War of the Austrian Succession; the changes in politics with the start of Hanoverian rule) would be helpful. What I missed most was a starting date for the novel, and for a long time I laboured under the impression that this story took place in the late 1750s. (OK, I *am* clueless about the dates of Anson's expedition, although I know that his successful capture of a Spanish galleon made him very rich).
Rating:
Summary: Typical Patrick O'Brian: Outstanding
Review: In O'Brian's first novel of the sea, The Golden Ocean, which is factual in its essential details, Commodore Anson set out in 1740 to circumnavigate the globe. Of his small fleet, only Anson's flagship survives to return to England loaded with gold and silver taken from a Spanish galleon. (Spain has every right to take great pride in its role of financing the Royal Navy for the good part of a century.) One of the ships that began that fateful but historic voyage, the Wager, is driven by a fierce storm onto the rocky coast of Chile and wrecked. The Unknown Shore is the story of the travails of those who survived the disaster only to experience new tragedies, some of their own making, ashore. Only a few of those who made it ashore survive. Guided and otherwise given aid by natives, those few reach safety in Valparaiso, Chile. As in all of O'Brian's remarkably well-written stories, his narrative of The Unknown Shore is rich, delightful, flawless. His attention to detai! ! l is splendid, and splendidly set down. The central characters in this book are a midshipman named Jack Byron and a surgeon's mate named Tobias Barrow. Barrow is totally inept with any of the demands of survival in the rough, but Byron provides him with the inspiration to persevere. A fine story of depravation and wild adventure, told with O'Brian's top-notch craftsmanship. Jack Byron and Tobias Barrow are credible stand-ins for Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, yet to come in O'Brian's much more famous Aubrey/Maturin sagas, fans of which will be delighted with this precursor to that 18-book series.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Patrick O'Brian: Outstanding
Review: In O'Brian's first novel of the sea, The Golden Ocean, which is factual in its essential details, Commodore Anson set out in 1740 to circumnavigate the globe. Of his small fleet, only Anson's flagship survives to return to England loaded with gold and silver taken from a Spanish galleon. (Spain has every right to take great pride in its role of financing the Royal Navy for the good part of a century.) One of the ships that began that fateful but historic voyage, the Wager, is driven by a fierce storm onto the rocky coast of Chile and wrecked. The Unknown Shore is the story of the travails of those who survived the disaster only to experience new tragedies, some of their own making, ashore. Only a few of those who made it ashore survive. Guided and otherwise given aid by natives, those few reach safety in Valparaiso, Chile. As in all of O'Brian's remarkably well-written stories, his narrative of The Unknown Shore is rich, delightful, flawless. His attention to detai! ! l is splendid, and splendidly set down. The central characters in this book are a midshipman named Jack Byron and a surgeon's mate named Tobias Barrow. Barrow is totally inept with any of the demands of survival in the rough, but Byron provides him with the inspiration to persevere. A fine story of depravation and wild adventure, told with O'Brian's top-notch craftsmanship. Jack Byron and Tobias Barrow are credible stand-ins for Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, yet to come in O'Brian's much more famous Aubrey/Maturin sagas, fans of which will be delighted with this precursor to that 18-book series.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars ... plus.
Review: Jack and Toby: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in ye merrie olde England. Great! When you've finished this, go on to the follow-up Aubrey/Maturin series, without a doubt the best written seafaring tales in all of literature. Mr. O'Brian died in January at age 85, leaving behind a legacy unmatched by few contemporary writers in the English language.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars ... plus.
Review: Jack and Toby: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in ye merrie olde England. Great! When you've finished this, go on to the follow-up Aubrey/Maturin series, without a doubt the best written seafaring tales in all of literature. Mr. O'Brian died in January at age 85, leaving behind a legacy unmatched by few contemporary writers in the English language.
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