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Summary: The beginning of a great chronicle
Review: I first read Master and Commander shortly after it was published in the early seventies. I found it to be extremely interesting and have since read all twenty volumes of the Aubrey/Maturin chronicle. These books are not really novels, but studies of the lives and progress of two men during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While the main emphasis is on the British Royal Navy during the period of the Napoleonic Wars, the continuing story also gives an in-depth look at the society and culture of the period. The series is not for everyone, but rather for those of us who love a rousing yarn of the sea. I thought I was pretty well up on sea-faring terms but I found that O'Brian came up with a number I had never heard of. So, if you don't like detailed ship terminology, the series is probably not for you.
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Summary: Best set of historical novels I've ever read
Review: Would recommend this set of books to anyone. This first novel takes about 100 pages to get into - the amount of sea jargon to absorb might be daunting - but if you get this far then you are home free.The books have everything: excellent character development, thoughtful prose, interesting settings geographically and historically, very gripping plots. I like best that the author assumes that his reader is capable of getting it without hitting the reader over the head. These books are true treasures.
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Summary: Well-written, exciting and suspenseful
Review: I have read a lot of novels in a lot of different genres (mostly classics, mysteries and thrillers) but this is one of the most entertaining novels I have ever read. The characters are interesting and three-dimensional, the action is exciting and realistic and, as if that wasn't enough, the book is very humorous at times. I don't profess to be an expert on what life was like in the Royal Navy two hundred years ago, but it all sure seems very realistic. It is true that this is not the most profound of books (I wouldn't put him in the same catagory as Dostoevesky, Balzac or Falkner) but it sure was entertaining. I will admit that it does start a little slow, but if you stick with it you will be richly rewarded. Also, if you don't understand sailing terminology, it is helpful to learn some of it. I found a great web site that defines just about any sailing term you want to know. Anyway, I loved this book and I am going to read more of this series.
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Summary: Don't buy this book if you enjoy your current life!
Review: I stumbled upon O' Brian's books, read six of them and to the demise of my social skills am currently living at the beginning of the 19th Century with no return to modern life in sight. Thanks Patrick for your inspired creations.
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Summary: Kicks Hornblowers Rear End
Review: This is an awesome series (20 Volumes). I read them all and came back here to tell anyone who reads this to jump right in. Obrian is a fabulous writer. I am moving on to Cornwall (Sharps series - also a Napoleanic Era book - but on land)
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Summary: I have just read of Patrick O'Brian's recent death...
Review: I'm sorry to hear that Patrick O'Brian has just died, at the age of 85. Such a marvelous story teller, and so knowledgeable about ships and the sea. My physician recommended Master and Commander to me, and I'm delighted that I purchased and read it. I am an ocean sailor, and I recognize a writer on the subject of ships who knows whereof he speaks. Patrick O'Brian knew his subject, and he knew history, and he spins a great yarn. I shall read all of his books. So far, I've read only three of them. If you want to know history, read carefully researched historical novels. It is not only the painless way, it is highly enjoyable. So, thank you Dr. Rollings, for the tip.
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Summary: Top notch naval action....
Review: I was searching for books about pirates and came across Patrick O'Brian. And I must say, I was blown out of the water. Excellent reading. Looking forward to the next 20 books.
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Summary: not really a novel, a scholarly report, more like
Review: Mr o'brian is a formidable scholar, but he is no novelist. I read 120 pages of this and gave up. No dramatic tension, no plot, no character development. For sailing fanatics only.
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Summary: A Chore to Read
Review: Contrary to many of the reviews listed here (which influenced me to buy this book), I found it very tedious and difficult to read. It is so engrossed in the old English and ship terms that it's only value for me was as an academic exercise. Entertainment value: 1 out of 5, Technical Sailing terms: 5 out of 5, Readability: 1 out of 5. Recommendation: Select something more enjoyable to read.
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Summary: Absorbing and Educational
Review: Master and Commander is a good book. Good enough that I plan to pick up another of the O'Brien series in the future.
The author tells a good story. Aubrey and Maturin (the main characters) are well developed. They are also complex enough that they are believable as real people, a triumph for any novelist. Plus, the historical detail and setting will entice any reader who likes period pieces. Not being a sailor, I found the author's explanations of naval terms and tools educational. I learned from the book. The information is presented in enough detail to enlighten and explain the story but not so much as to bore or bog down the action. Again, the mark of a good author. Recommended.
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