Rating: 
Summary: Farewell
Review: "After a last salute Jack glanced aloft--still the sweet west wind--and then looked fore and aft: a fine clear deck, hands all at their stations and all beaming with pleasure, and turning to the master he said, 'Mr Hanson, pray lay me a course for Cape Pilar and Magellan's Strait." Farewell, dear Jack, dear Stephen, and dear Patrick. Thank you so very much.
Rating: 
Summary: Blue at Half-Staff
Review: A disappointing series of vignettes with major gaps in the story line. As a retired naval officer I'm aware that there is very little reportable during a long sea voyage, but the author hasn't provided bridges between the events he does report. Maturin seems the main character in this one. Hopefully, the next book (and I presume there's one in the works as "Blue at the Mizzen" appears only at the next-to-last page of this one) will be better.
Rating: 
Summary: Half mast for Jack and Stephen and Pat
Review: A few years ago, I happened to be traveling in Kazhakstan, and met up with a fellow westerner. We struck up a friendly conversation when I noticed he was reading an Aubrey-Maturin novel. "Oh yes, I love them." he said, "But I've got only two more to go. And when I finish, I don't know what I'll do." I knew exactly what he meant; at least back then we could look ahead to the indefatigable Patrick O'Brian's ongoing output. But now we're done for. I read "Blue at the Mizzen" two weeks after the sad news of O'Brian's death. As I closed in on the ending, the lump in my throat had nothing to do with the resolution of the plot. And it wasn't really for the drying-up of this amazing flow of dialog and description. Like all great literature, the books will be there forever, to be re-read with pleasure and recommended to friends and family. No, it was for poor Jack and Stephen. Because by now I know well how long it takes to sail around the Horn and I could tell by the number of pages remaining that the tale would end-with the usual flurry of action-but that the two particular friends would still be standing out to sea, far from England. Like Capt. Cook, the great navigator the stories owe so much too, Aubrey and Maturin are triumphant and ever hopeful, but their bones can never rest at home. If you are a reader of the series, there is no question that you are going to read this book. The only worry is the details. Buy now, or wait for the paperback edition? I say, go for it. And be assured that O'Brian went out at the top of his form. "The Hundred Days" seemed hackneyed and tired, but "Blue at the Mizzen" has all the dialog, the detail and intrigue, all the warmth of the best of the series. It isn't quite the masterpiece some of the earlier books were, but that's just because the characterizations are so familiar that it can't stand on its own. I definitely wouldn't recommend a reader new to the series begin here. It starts in the Mediterranean, returns to England by way of Madeira, and then sails for South America to do some urgent meddling in Chilean politics at the behest of Sir Joseph Banks. Along the way, we get familiar notes from Jack and Stephen and a set of bit characters, deftly drawn, and that glorious sense of being contained in a little world on the great ocean. Finally, we get to Chile and find things are quite muddled. It will take all of Maturin's cunning and all of Aubrey's dash to sort the matter out, which of course they do. But then it ends. And, if you're like me, you'll sit for awhile and think of all the times you've been transported by Jack and Stephen-and all the Surprises. You can go back, but you can't go on. It's a fine thing, but a sad thing.
Rating:
Summary: A Farewell Novel From O'Brian
Review: About five years ago I was introduced to the Aubrey/Maturin novels of Patrick O'Brian. I first read The Wine Dark Sea, and then I returned to the beginning of the series and promptly read all of the books in the series. In recent years, I have eagerly awaited the release of new books in the series. And, Blue at the Mizzen was worth the wait. The Aubrey and Maturin characters have evolved as individuals, as they have aged and had other experiences in life. Unlike most of the earlier books in the series, Blue at the Mizzen features Dr. Maturin to a greater degree than the brooding Capt. Aubrey whose concern over his future makes him more remote to both Maturin and to the reader. After O'Brian killed off Dr. Maturin's wife in The Hundred Days, Dr. Maturin surprisingly develops a romantic interest in a fellow naturalist, Christine Wood. Their romantic episode is odd, but given Maturin's character, that is not really surprising. As usual, a lot happens in this book, but as in the other books, O'Brian often unleashes the action in a understated or offhanded way. Events happen with little or no warning or with minimal discussion. The intelligence activities involving the Republic of Chile are not as clearly described, for example, as Maturin's South American intelligence activities in The Wine Dark Sea. As with other books in the series, the action sometimes is secondary to the activities on the ship, the relationships of the main and minor characters, and Maturin's focus on the birds and beasts that they encounter. Even so, Blue on the Mizzen was an enjoyable book that held my interest. How does it compare with the other books in the series? Good question. Personally, I liked it better than The Yellow Admiral, which spent too much time on shore. Unlike other reader reviewers, however, I equally enjoyed both The Hundred Days and Blue at the Mizzen. The early books are wonderful, but even these later books are very good. For someone who has read any of the Aubrey/Maturin novels, I would not suggest that you start with Blue at the Mizzen. Instead, the O'Brian novice should start with the earliest books in the series. For someone who has read the other Aubrey/Maturin novels, Blue at the Mizzen should be a "must read" book. It is the last one in the series due to O'Brian's recent death. If O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin formula is aging by book #20 in the series, it is still a fine formula that still works in #20. Blue at the Mizzen is a worthy end to the series.
Rating:
Summary: A Fitting Final Capter
Review: Although Blue at the Mizzen is readable on its own, it is perhaps an injustice to it to do so. The book, as with any one of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels, is merely chapter 20 in what is trully an epic. Each volume/chapter is integral; there is not a single weak link in the tale. It was thus with great sadness that I read of Mr. O'Brian's recent death; Blue at the Mizzen is the final chapter. Things could be worse. Mr O'Brian, intentionally or no, has brought the resolution of many long-standing issues to his characters, though these resolutions also promise new beginings which the reader will now have to make up on his (her) own. Blue at the Mizzen is the type of novel Mr O'Brian's vast readership have come to expect: tragedy ballanced keenly with triumph, exploration of world and soul, the peculiar gains we find in loss, and the losses we face in victory. Blue at the Mizzen is a must read for anyone who has read the epic till this point. Others will still find it enjoyable, but are strongly suggested to start with volume/chapter one: Master and Commander.
Rating:
Summary: Well, O'Brian's done it again.
Review: Amazon's 5 star rating system doesn't do justice to O'Brian's works. The best of them can easily earn 8.745 stars, and the poorest better than 6. "Blue at the Mizzen" is a solid reflective work, yet with flaws. The plot is inconsistent, and full of holes. Vast assumptions are made. Without having read the previous Aubrey/Maturin books, it would be a difficult read. Yet, a less than excellent O'Brian is still head and shoulders above anything else in this genre. On Amazon's 5 star system, I would give it a 6.73. Let's hope that O'Brian has a magnum opus to conclude the series.
Rating:
Summary: RED SKY
Review: Another great sea story. Goodby my friends. May you allways have the weather gauge.
Rating:
Summary: A solid addition to the best historical novel series ever!
Review: Appreciation of novels -- like music, movies, and just about every thing else -- is ultimately a subjective experience. I have loved the Jack Aubrey-Stephen Maturin novels for many years, reading (and re-reading) each new entry in the series with interest. "Blue at the Mizzen" may possibly be the last novel in the series, if what Patrick O'Brian said a few years ago is true. I hope that is not the case but if it is, then "Blue at the Mizzen" would serve well enough as the end. I won't spoil the plot for anyone, but I will say that it advances the stories of the two central characters to new levels. I don't claim that "Blue at the Mizzen" is the finest book in the series, but I found it solidly satisfying, with a good number of the typical small scenes of delight which characterize the O'Brian novels. If there is little music in this book compared to previous novels in the series, there is compensation to be found in the revival of Stephen Maturin's spirits after the sorrowful events of "The Hundred Days." A new character of considerable charm and appeal makes an appearance amidst the expected familiar faces. I don't know whether I would recommend "Blue at the Mizzen" to someone not familiar with the Aubrey-Maturin books (those people I tell to start at the beginning with "Master and Commander"), but I do think that any fan of the series -- even those disappointed with the gloomy atmosphere "The Hundred Days" -- will enjoy this new book.
Rating:
Summary: Splendidly written, rich detail and characters.
Review: Aubrey and Maturin at sea once again in the beloved ship, Surprise. Aubrey seeks his Admiral's Flag and Maturin, endless new species, a Chilean political embroglio, and, a new wife. As always, a fascinating and addictive read; this is a true credit to the series.
Rating:
Summary: JACK AUBREY RIDES THE WAVES AGAIN
Review: Aubrey and Maturin, Maturin and Aubrey - their lives and fortunes are as convoluted as the plot twists of the latest of Patrick O'Brien's chronicles. Picking up where The 100 Days left off, the pair cross the ocean, engage in middle-aged derring-do, and save the day for the twentieth time, with a spot of unexpected romance thrown in. As always the historical references are accurate; the minor failures of plot in this latest episode are easily overlooked. After all, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are men like no others in modern fiction; they fight, love, drink, indulge in excesses, mourn, spy, and get away with the loot better than anyone. They're a pair of upright Harry Flashmans, ready to rescue the damsel, make off with the gold, and free the oppressed colonials from their decadent rulers. Hornblower never had it this good.
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