Patrick O'Brian
Master and Commander (1970)
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Genre: Historical/Adventure
Plot Summary:
Set during the Napoleonic Wars, recently promoted Captain Jack Aubrey of the British Royal Navy and doctor Stephen Maturin meet each other just as Aubrey is ready to take command of the Sophie. Maturin is invited aboard as ship's surgeon, and their adventures begin. The book chronicles daily life at sea and the prizes to be gained during war on the first cruise of the Sophie under Aubrey's command as he strives to increase his reputation and gain the rank of post-captain. Aubrey's pièce de résistance is the capture of the Cacafuego, a Spanish frigate of superior size and firepower.
Geographical Setting: Various ports and locations in the Mediterranean
Time Period: 1800 (Napoleonic Wars)
Series: Book 1 of the Aubrey/Maturin series
Appeal Characteristics:
This book is chock full of meticulous detail that historical fiction enthusiasts crave. If you know nothing about midshipmen, sloops, staysails, xebecs, or topgallants before picking up this book, you will know plenty about maritime matters after finishing it (if you can keep it all straight in your head). After reading Master and Commander or the entire series, interested readers can compare the timeline of actual historical events with the timeline of the series. Aside from the amazing detail there is a fascinating friendship forming between Aubrey and Maturin, and a mysterious tension between Maturin and first officer James Dillon. O'Brian's writing style is candid yet engaging despite the long chapters, though some readers may be thrown (at first) by the lack of the usual transitional phrases. The language and the characters' behavior transport you directly to the deck of the Sophie.
Read-alikes: Besides the Aubrey/Maturin series, perhaps the best known series of historical naval adventures are C.S. Forester's novels featuring Horatio Hornblower. Hornblower joins the Royal Navy in the first novel of the series, Mister Midshipman Hornblower (1950). Frederick Marryat's Mr. Midshipman Easy (1836) and Frank Mildmay or the Naval Officer (1829) feature similar detail, action, and setting and are often compared to O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series and were written based upon Marryat's personal experiences. Richard Woodman has also written a series of British naval adventures--the first novel is An Eye of the Fleet (1981). Bernard Cornwell's series of historical military novels featuring Richard Sharpe are set during the Napoleonic Wars and may appease fans of the Aubrey/Maturin series, though the majority of the series describes warfare on land instead of at sea. The series is less detailed but the storylines are immersing; try Sharpe's Tiger (1997). For a change of pace but keeping with the historical military detail, readers may venture to try Georgette Heyer's The Spanish Bride (1940), a romance set during the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars.
Red Flags: Mentions of bestiality and sodomy, drunkeness, violence, strong language
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