Rating: 
Summary: I hope the rest of the series is better...
Review: I was amazed by Master and Commander and resolved to read the entire series. But then I got to Post Captain, and it was like having a bad dream of an Aubrey-Maturin book. Crossing the whole country on foot disguised as a performing bear? Was I supposed to take this seriously?
Rating: 
Summary: Splendid Sophomore Outing For Aubrey And Maturin
Review: I was sucked into the Aubrey/Maturin series after reading "Post Captain", discovering the virtues of O'Brian's prose and his fictional rendering of the Napoleonic wars nearly a year and a half before it became popular here in the United States. This is truly the novel where the celebrated Aubrey/Maturin friendship takes off, whereby Maturin shows that he is Sherlock Holmes to Aubrey's Doctor Watson (Or perhaps, for a more contemporary analogy, Spock as opposed to Captain Kirk.). Maturin comes across as an elegant, erudite spy, working on behalf of Sir Joseph Banks, the chief of British naval intelligence. Meanwhile Aubrey finds himself in a debtor's prison in France and escapes just as Western Europe plunges into war again. Eventually he will find himself rewarded with a promotion to Post Captain and a new ship command. Once more O'Brian's elegant, descriptive prose shows a unique side of British life not shown in prior naval fiction series; indeed, it is truly his homage to Jane Austen's fiction.
Rating:
Summary: The Essence of the Aubrey/Maturin Series
Review: I'm very sparing about 5 Star Reviews, but this book is worth every single one of them.
Quite simply, this book captures the essence of the entire series, going beyond the first book in so many ways, and setting the tone and themes that the rest of the series explores in further depth.As other reviewers have noted, the character of Stephen Maturin is made the equal of Jack Aubrey in this book, but you are also introduced to: - Jack's ongoing troubles with Money
- The Grapes Inn in the Savoy
- Jack's relationships with Sophie and Diana
- Stephen's relationships with the two ladies as well
- Mrs. Williams and her petty prejudices and closed mind
- Internal scheming at the admiralty for ships & stations
- Spying abroad on the French and Spanish
- Duelling, honor and friendship
- Daring escapes, near misses, close calls
- The nature of Sailing, Gunnery and Seamanship
- The natures of Indiamen, Privateers, and Warships
- Humor, both subtle and broad
- Reflections on the nature of soul, heart and mind
- The requirments, priveleges and duties of command
- Love sought, found, lost and rekindled Folks, it's truly a wonderful book, and wonderfully dense, able to bear many a re-reading. Read it quickly for an adventure story. Read it slowly for literature. Read it at moderate pace for the humor. There are so many shifts in tone, so many little vignettes, so many sparkling moments of dialogue that you just ~have~ to own it to appreciate it. I recommend you buy this and READ it. If you have trouble getting through Master & Commander, don't worry. Put it down if you wish, and pick this one up immediately - I assure you, it's a great book.
Rating:
Summary: A great author and a great series.
Review: If you like historical fiction set in the Napoleonic period, with sailing ships, then this is the book for you. In line with the CS Forester's Hormblower Series.
Rating:
Summary: Second in the Aubrey-Maturin series of Napoleonic War tales
Review: If you want to get the flavor of O'Brian's tales of the sea adventures of England's Capt. Aubrey and his close
friend Dr, Steven Maturin this is the best book in the series to stsrt from. Returning from a long campaign as a Commander Jack & Steven spend a long spell in England. O'Brian introduces us to their future wives and his sights
and sounds of English country life will transport you back to
early 19th century England. A rousing tale that ends with
Jack becoming a Post Captain. No one captures the language of the times like O'Brian and you will want to read all of the
16 volumes that make up this series. The Aubrey-Maturin stories are the best in this genre.
Rating:
Summary: Still the best book in the Aubrey-Maturin series
Review: If you want to read the best Napoleonic War at sea series,
start with O'Brian's 2nd book. As charming as it is moving.
Here is early 19th century England with all it's mores and
written in a venacular rare among authors. But this is
O'Brian at his best.
Rating:
Summary: Ahoy, Mate!
Review: Jack Aubrey, and his sidekick doctor Maturin return for the sequel (book 2), in the delightful Aubrey and Maturin series. In this episode, Aubrey is on the run from debt collection agents and Doctor Maturin receives an interesting commission of his own from the government. Also, jealousy rears its ugly head, as the two comrades fight for the attentions of Sophia, (a cruel hearted vixen who has entranced both Maturin and Aubrey). I really enjoyed this second novel in this exciting nautical series. The book was extremely well narrated, and I found myself staying up late, just to listen to more of it!! I particularly like Jack Aubrey's character he seems so guileless. I like Maturin, but at times he can be rather cold and self-indulgent. I eagerly await listening to more of this exciting series.
Rating:
Summary: Abaft the beam
Review: Master and Commander is a very good book, no question. But it is here -- the second book of the Aubrey/Maturin series -- that the epic adventures really catch hold of a fair wind -- one that runs for another 18 books.
Jack Aubrey is fresh off his sucess in the Med. The Peace of Amiens has grounded him for a while, but he is loving life -- spending his time in a country estate splurging the promised money for the prizes he took in the war. But the peace is not to last and very soon he and Maturin will be swept up in a resumed war against the tyrant Napoleon, but this time with just as much to worry about on land as at sea.
Post Captain is an entertaining adventure in its own right. Jack's adventures aboard the Polychrest make for riveting adventure. But what is great about this book is how it broadens the story and sprawls out. Almost everything that follows in the series is set up here. The world is fleshed out in much more detail -- the petty politics in the Admiralty; Jack and Stephen's romantic entanglements; the beginnings of Jack's financial difficulties. Their characters come into sharper focus so that by the end of the novel, the careful reader can almost think with them and know how they will react to their situations. These two men will become two of your favorite literary characters despite -- perhaps because of -- their all too human foibles. The only two characters I can think of that work so well together are Sam and Frodo.
For those of you who -- like me -- enjoyed the first novel but wondered if something was missing, you will devour this volume. I tentatively bought the first two volumes. After this one, I went out and gathered up the entire series in hardback (expensive but worth it).
Rating:
Summary: Book 2 - Relive England in 1804 - Epic Sea Adventure
Review: My favorite book in the series. Almost half the book takes place ashore as Aubrey and Maturin sit out the Peace of Amiens. Here O'Brian introduces Sophie Williams and Sophie's firey, beautiful, unpredictable cousin Diane Villiers. O'Brian has a field day in this book, everything from roamnce to intrigue are touched upon. For a deep understanding of British life at the beginning of the 19th century, you will rarely find its equal in contempory litrature. A great read that will prepare you for the later works in this series.Many have compared O'Brian to Jane Austen. This book will show you how well O'Brian has captured the language and style of a great author that lived in the early 19th century.
Rating: 
Summary: STILL GREAT
Review: NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS FIRST BUT I THINK IT IS STILL CLASSIFIABLE AS GREAT.
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