Master and Commander

Rating:
Summary: The best historical adventure series I've read
Review: I'm still looking for a book or series of historical adventures that offers even half the entertainment value of this series. O'brien is a contemporary writer who seems to have lived in the 18th century, and he makes his knowledge entertainingly accessable to the reader. The sailing and combat scenes move fast and are gripping. The Aubrey-Maturin relationship is one of the most convincing friendships in literature. The male-female subplots can be boring. If you don't like Master and Commander you probably wouldn't like any other book in the series. Master and Commander is slow starting -- give it 50 pages and see....

Rating:
Summary: Hardy Boys for middle age men.
Review: The larger than life Aubrey and the "subfusc" Maturin are the ultimate odd couple.Aubrey's heroic, personal, physical courage is matched by Maturin's particular intellectual and moral courage. I have read all 17 books in the series (a couple of times) and was left hanging with the last. If Mr. O'brien cannot produce another, let's hope that someone can write a worthy apocraphyl. The humor and drama of these books is not at all indicated by his short stories and more factual novels. His collection included in "The Rendezvous" is worth reading however. Another worthy book by O'brien is "The Unknown Shore". It presents, in different and more youthful characters, the prototypes of the heroes. I would also recommend the companion book, "A Sea of Words". It will clarify the techincal jargon. After I finish writing this and make sure that my wife is asleep, I will reopen the "Surgeon's Mate" and, with pistol in belt and sword in hand, board an American frigate and earn the respect of the heroic Aubrey and intellectual Maturin.

Rating:
Summary: Sheer literary and philosophical joy
Review: Like a hot bath, one must overcome the initial shock, but O'Brian's world is one well worth entering. This series made a very difficult year of my life bearable and taught me a great deal. I would race home to get back to reading and be hearbroken as I finished each book (and especially after the last). I now look forward to reading all of them over again.

Rating:
Summary: Good Story, but can be very technical to read
Review: Well written, but I often got lost in the technicalities e.g you often need to refer top the ship layout diagram in the front cover

Rating:
Summary: A key to reading the Aubrey-Maturin books
Review: I absolutely love these books. I had great difficulty reading "Master and Commander". I just could not find the rhythm of the words and was about to give up on the series when I found a Recorded Books edition of "M&C". Patrick Tulls' reading is wonderful and provided the key I needed to unlock this treasure trove. My local library does not have the complete collection on tape, but the do have all the books. I have just started reading "The Far Side of the World" and the tapes have made it much easier to get into the book.

Rating:
Summary: Patrick O'Brian-historic fiction's Faulkner
Review: Patrick O'Brian is the Faulkner of historic fiction. The writing is dense and almost defeated me early on. Perserve, don't put the book down. It will grow on you and you with it. By the time you read two books of the O'Brian series you will be fast friends with Aubrey and Maturin and enemies with Napoleon Bonaparte.

Rating:
Summary: Even Good Enough for Writers and Studied Readers
Review: I have devoured all O'Brian's works and am wandering the Amazon site aimlessly, hoping to one day discover a new release from the author. O'Brian's tales are a delight for the craftmanship: the way he has built the friendship between Aubrey and Maturin, the tales woven within tales, and the masterful intertwining of the consequences of events from one installment with the plot six books later. I compare O'Brian in scope and ability to Tolstoy. Comparisons to other authors of sea tales or stories from the Napoleanic Wars are irrelevant. This author deserves comparison for his superb writing. The suspense and intrigue, excitement and historical education are all just side benefits

Rating:
Summary: A very short comment
Review: Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander is the opening shot in an extraordinary series. Much like The Hobbit, one must take time to enter into this world. All I can say to prospective buyers is this: you will find yourself frantically searching for the next book in the series once you fall into this book, a fever that will not subside until you reluctantly finish the final page in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Recommend "A Sea of Words" by Dean King as a resource.
Review: These fabulous stories can be a bit difficult for those of us who have not served on a ship of the line in the 19th century. I, much like Dr. Maturin from the books, am drawn by the beauty and drama of the sea and the action faced by a British man o' war but am ignorant of many of the terms and language. Patrick O'Brian is a master at immersing his reader in the daily life of all the characters the reader encounters in his books. I have found "A Sea of Words" by Dean King to be a wonderful resource companion to O'Brian's novels. Full of descriptions of naval terms, historical maps, drawings and events of the time it is descriped by the publisher as "A lexicon and companion for Patrick O'Brian's seafaring tales" this book is at my side as I enjoy the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin.

Rating:
Summary: Superbly woven tale of high-seas adventure!
Review: Initially, I experienced some problems understanding the complexities of language of the period in which the book is set. As I progressed, this became less and less of a problem, and found myself thoroughly engrossed in an exciting novel. I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with an adventurous mind, looking for a departure from today's fiction.