Rating: 
Summary: Extremely satisfying installment of the Aubrey-Maturin saga
Review: The third of the Aubrey-Maturin books primarily focuses on a long voyage Aubrey and Maturin undertake to deliver a British envoy to India, but along the way they undergo trials and tribulations far darker than anything that happened in the first two books. Maturin alone undergoes extensive physical torture, has his heart broken yet again, fights a duel that he wins but in which he is seriously wounded, and meets a young girl in India who he wants to help but discovers her murdered by those who want to steal the bracelets he bought for her. Jack, on the other hand, is merely imprisoned for debt and then has his engagement with Sophie tested. Comparatively speaking, he gets off rather lightly.There is not a great deal of plot in the book, very much like the first two books. O'Brian isn't so much not very good with plot as unconcerned. In this regard his books are far more true-to-life that tell a well-contained story. O'Brian is more concerned with successive events that may have some connection with one another, though if one pushed hard enough one might contend the novel is concerned with the question of whether Jack and Stephen will get married. But if that were the "story" the novel was trying to tell, too many extraneous are involved. But for O'Brian the main point of the books are those extraneous details. He is far more interested in the texture and the historical veracity of the period than he is in "plot." What I really enjoy about these books is the way he is constantly making Jack and Stephen more interesting characters. They are far from perfect. By contemporary standards, Jack is a throwback, having a host of biases and opinions about human beings that we would consider most unenlightened. Stephen, on the other hand, is a product of the 18th century Enlightenment, not merely interested in the scientific issues of the day, but clearly holding many of the leftist political positions of the time. Yet, Stephen is a mass of beautiful contradictions, being liberal and enlightened in most ways, yet working for the British government as a spy. It is this complexity in Stephen's character that makes him by far the more interesting character of the two. Jack, on the other hand, only really comes to life when there is a battle. As far as battles go, O'Brian clearly has embraced the theory that less is more. There is a rousing rescue near the beginning of the novel, but apart from that the only battle scene in the novel comes near the end, where Jack is challenged to product a merchant fleet from a packet of powerful French ships that vastly overpower them. It is probably my favorite battle scene of any of the books so far. Like the first two books, I heartily recommend this novel to anyone who wants to enjoy some terrific historical novels. O'Brian tries hard to be an objective observer, trying hard not to impose 20th century values on all the attitudes, though Maturin has many of the same sympathies and attitudes that we do (though not adverse to a duel). One will learn a great deal of history, be highly entertained, and come to know a couple of flawed but enormously interesting characters.
Rating:
Summary: And something more...
Review: The third volume in an improving series sees Capt. Jack Aubrey commanding his happiest ship, the ex-French Surprise, and surgeon-naturalist-spy Stephen Maturin tragic in love. Like all the early O'Brian novels this is a great story, richly told with many layers of interest to appreciate, and the more so the more you learn of the arcane lingo drenching the text in 1805 authenticity (see Dean King's A SEA OF WORDS, for help). A theme explored in this story is the dangerously motivating force represented by the taking of enemy ships--due to the controversial but immense prize moneys to be distributed among the victorious sailors involved. We see Aubrey doing his best to gain such wealth and renown while tasked to destroy the French fleet in the Indian Ocean, Napoleon then at his most audacious in the first global war. Some readers smitten with Aubrey-Maturin or the Age of Fighting Sail may be gratified to know that 1/24 scale, 110", working, wind-powered, sailing models of this very H.M.S. Surprise can be purchased. Frightfully expensive...ah well...but the photos and additional history on the web helped me to better understand the ship.
Rating:
Summary: Master in command of his craft
Review: This book is the third and, for me, the most satisfying of the series. O'Brian's description of the HMS Surprise fighting for her life against a gale-force "blow" had me hyperventilating. The parts about life in Bombay circa 1805 should be enough to convince any doubters that Mr. O'Brian is more than just a great writer of sea stories (although he is that, too). The ending is sweet justice on a grand scale. I'll never understand how these books escaped my attention for so many years.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific writing, terrific characters, terrific seamanship!
Review: This is the third novel in the Jack Aubrey-Stephen Maturin series, and the story just keeps rolling right along. It's difficult to maintain the pace and the reader's interest for more than the first couple of volumes in any sort of fiction series, but O'brian certainly has the knack. This time, the newly-posted but still heavily indebted Captain Aubrey is detailed to ferry a diplomat to the court of an Indian prince . . . having been the unknowing beneficary of Maturin's leverage at the Admiralty. He's impatient at being out of the principal theater of the war with France, but happy to have any ship at all -- especially the frigate SURPRISE, in which he had served as a midshipman. Besides helping his friend, Dr. Maturin has his own reasons for visiting India -- Diana Villiers has gone there in the company of a wealthy merchant from the City and the East India Company. For O'Brian spends as much time on the details and development of his characters' personal interrelationships as he does on naval maneuvering and battles. And the descriptions of rounding the Cape of Good Hope are mesmerizing!
Rating:
Summary: Captain Kirk of the British Navy
Review: Wonderful novel written by Patrick O'brian. A must for anyone who enjoys great stories. A must all the way!
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