Rating: 
Summary: Good reasons to like it, but it's not for everyone
Review: There are good solid reasons why many readers rave about "Master and Commander." The battle scenes are exciting, a couple of the characters are intriguing, the historical background is interesting, and the voyage around the Mediterranean is sort of fun. That said, the novel isn't for everyone. I found myself too bogged down by the quirky period dialogue and arcane nautical terms to derive much enjoyment out of this book. To boot, the plot seems pretty thin (although things thicken up a bit towards the end). I think it would be best to judge "Master and Commander" after reading several books in the series. But after reading the first, I don't feel compelled to plow through any more.
Rating: 
Summary: Uncompromising authenticity
Review: This series' greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. It is uncompromising in language and detail regarding its setting. This makes the book enthralling for those who wish to be transported to another time and place but very challenging for those unfamiliar with nautical language. Nor is it only those who cannot distinguish between tacking and wearing who will be challenged because the authenticity extends not only to the language of the sea but also to the language of the sea as it was 200 years ago. And it is authentic as to language and custom of the enormous bureaucracy that was the 19th century Royal Navy. And one of the main characters is a doctor so you better be familar with the language and customs of the medicine of 200 years ago. And the two main characters share a love for the music of 200 years ago so if you are to understand you better know an aire from a cadenza. The doctor is a naturalist by avocation (referred to as a "philospher") and it would help if one were familar with Linneaus' work in botany and the other natural sciences as they were understood 200 years ago. And then there are the social conventions and political disputes of early 19th century England which inform the characters' actions. Finally, no attempt has been made to transform the opinions of the characters into opinions acceptable to our politically correct society. For example, homosexuality (referred to as "pederastry") is included in a realistic and unapproving way. If there is any compromise for the 20th (or 21st) century reader, it consists of only two elements. First, the doctor begins as a lubber and thus something of a foil which allows O'Brien to have a midshipman instruct him (and us) on certain matters nautical. Second, I suspect that spelling is more standardized here than it was 200 years ago. Nevertheless the beauty of the language of yesteryear rings clear across the centuries. (As I write this we are being subjected to televised political debates that are occasionally good for a chuckle but the language of which provides stark and unfavorable comparison to the King's English as it was spoken when the 17th century turned into the 18th.)
In summary, this is a challenging book that allows you to adventure in a foreign place and time with all of its warts and blemishes but that requires either an extraordinary amount of knowledge of the era or frequent reference to authority if you are to bask in its luxury. (I bought A Sea of Words by Dean King, a book specifically designed as a reference for O'Brien readers, to help me through some of the rough spots.) If you like to be spoon fed, this is not the book for you and you should immediately watch Pirates of the Caribbean. If you like to learn something as well as adventure, even with the burden of resorting to references, this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't expect Forester's Hornblower...
Review: As one who ripped through all eleven of Forester's magnificent Hornblower books - and greatly enjoyed the film _Master and Commander _ - I was squarely in O'Brian's gun-sites. I should have been completely captivated by this book. It describes the formative journey of "Lucky Jack" Aubrey, Captain of the frigate HMS Sophie, and Dr. Stephen Maturin, ship surgeon and naturalist, as they do their part in various Napoleonic naval engagements. The plotting is very well done. The action is unpredictable and the deck-splintering naval actions are pulse-pounding. What is vexing is the formidable language the O'Brian has chosen. Probably historically accurate (too historically accurate?), be prepared to slog through dialogue such as Maturin's complaint about Aubrey's skirt-chasing: "I do indeed, sir, and am much obliged to you for your candour in telling me this; it confirms what was in my mind, and I shall do all I can to make him conscious of the delicacy of his position. Though upon my word... there are times when it seems to me that nothing short of a radical ablation of the membrum virile would answer, in this case..." Thus, please do not expect Forester's masterful use of language or a direct, Hornblower-esque story. Nevertheless, if you can handle the period language - and daunting naval terminology - _Master and Commander_ is for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but slow...
Review: For the most part, I enjoyed this book. As I approached the end, however, the story became tedious. After the last battle with a Spanish frigate, the plot seemed to fall apart and I was mostly relieved when the book ended. On the other hand, O'Brian's prose was excellent, his characters well developed, and his plot exciting. I would recommend this book to someone looking for an adventure, as this is a great epic at sea. Even though Master and Commander got slow, I still plan to read the next nineteen in the series ;)
Rating:
Summary: Bring a dictionary...
Review: I disliked this so much, I had to review it. The use of period vocabulary and nautical terms had me running for a dictionary or the web more times than I considered reasonable. Had to give up before the "sophie" even set sail.
Rating:
Summary: I just couldn't keep reading
Review: I've never read a book where the author tried so hard to keep all the dialog and terms true to period. I rarely understood what was going on; it was English, but from times past (the King James Bible is easier reading). That, plus all the nautical jargon that is never explained, kept me from any enjoyment the book may have had to offer. I gave up after a third of the book.
Rating:
Summary: An Unlike Book from an Unlikely Source
Review: I have recently read all 20 books of the Aubrey/Maturin series...
and I think all 20 books are worth reading. From my limited understanding, it appears that O'Brian is a historian and naturalist, in addition to being a writer. Therefore, the action that happens in the books - especially the battles - are based on battles & events that really happened. Additionally, O'Brian dispenses great knowledge about medicine, naturalism, culture, politics, sociology, sailor's lives, whaling, etc. without seeming to do so. I think I learned more about the early 1800's from this book than from any other source. As for the writing itself, I think O'Brian played with various styles throughout the series. The first book, "Master & Commander" is a bit heavy on the technical, nautical detail. His 2nd & 3rd books often reminded me of a Jane Austin novel as he swung the other way - towards romance & affairs on-shore. However, by the 4th book, O'Brian seemed to find a readable, enjoyable balance between historical detail and character development. But even throughout the rest of the series, he seems to play with different elements of story-telling. The one trait I found almost unique to O'Brian is that he would develop is characters in the most unexpected manner. He would pull characters out of the nameless faces on a ship & suddenly develop them for no particular reason. On the flip side, you learn things in books 18 & 19 about characters you've been following since book 1. And, additionally, towards the end of the series he completely abandons characters you have been following for books on end. I don't necessarily like or dislike this trait of his, but I found it a rather unusual & amusing obstacle to deal with. Overall, however, I am definitely a fan of O'Brian and of the recent movie. If you are able to invest time in his work, I think you will be overjoyed by the returns.
Rating:
Summary: Act 1 in a wonderful, long-drawn-out epic
Review: Like the first ranging shot from a long nine-pounder, "Master and Commander" sets the tone for the vast, sprawling epic that is the Aubrey-Maturin novels- hinting at, but not fully betraying, the fullness of theme, emotion and understanding involved in such a long series. The characters are a large part of this- O'Brian makes it easy for the readers to understand how a bluff, forthright man such as Jack Aubrey could find a friend, and a foil, in the secretive, learned Stephen Maturin, and how together they could embark on great naval adventures. From the very first pages, in which Aubrey and Maturin nearly fatally misunderstand one another, through the early cruises of the Sophie, to the climax where Jack's impetuosity and daring overcome great odds to win a famous victory over a Spanish frigate, "Master and Commander" is full of nuances and coarseness, derring-do and subtlety, history and fiction in a mixture as compulsively readable as it is entangled. New readers of O'Brian, fans of the film version of "Master and Commander" may- but more likely will not- be disappointed in the book. The film, a pastiche of several of the novels, crams incident after incident into two and a half hours. By contrast, over the course of the twenty-novel series, Jack and Stephen's fortunes have a rhythmic rise and fall reminiscent of the long swells they often encounter at sea. Part of what keeps the fans of the novels coming back- even re-reading the series time after time- is the knowledge that just over the next wave, past the horizon, is something else worth seeing, knowing, having- and that thanks to Patrick O'Brian, they will find it every time.
Rating:
Summary: Like dessert before the meal
Review: I'll limit myself to two points, other reviewers having done handsomely. __First versus later:__
This opener novel in the series is more packed with action than a full three of the later novels. In a sense, it's like riding a nervous horse. Full of excitement, but a bit giddy, a bit dizzying. In later novels, O'Brian becomes more assured, so that by the time of the amazing 'The Surgeon's Mate,' there's more room for sweeping politics, history and above all comedy. The point is, O'Brian is an amazingly funny writer. With astounding erudition, natural as well as philosophic knowledge, broad comedy is the last thing you'd expect. 'Master and Commander' doesn't quite do justice to O'Brian's wit, and of course, neither does the film. But be of good cheer: the comic heights of Jagiello wooing a Parisian shopkeeper are only a short way off. Finally and foremost, Stephen Maturin doesn't have as much to do in this first novel. Two or three books later, he's developed into maybe the greatest intelligence agent in literature. __The nautical detail:__
Significant detail is everything in fiction. While on the one hand, a love of immersive detail leads O'Brian to spare us no nautical terms, it also leads to wonderful acquaintance with the world of the early nineteenth century. In later books we marvel at such things as the importing of fully dressed dolls from Paris to keep Londoners aware of fashion, the existence of a 'keeper of the cranes' in the court of an Ottoman official and the early days of ballooning. If need be, let the nautical terms go. There's infinite richness to get to. And there is always the companion lexicon.
Rating: 
Summary: No match for Alexander Kent or the Hornblower series
Review: I attempted reading several of his books. I found them boring and the language stilted. Many authors use the vocabulary of a time and place without making the characters come alive. It is all just a jumble of words strung together over many pages. I sensed no excitement or adventure in his books. To my mind such authors do not really understand what it was like to sail or fight a ship or what motivated people and how they related to one another. On the other hand, Alexander Kent, a British writer, published a series about Richard Bolitho and now writes about his nephew, Adam Bolitho. Mostly during the time of Napoleon. They are enthralling. There is a minimum of jargon. You learn much about sailing ships and the conditions of those who served in them as well as about the society of the day. They are first of all sea adventure tales. They are both exciting and absorbing. There is some romance but these are mostly about men and their lives at sea together. This author also writes World War II sea adventure tales under the name Douglas Reeman. Pick your time period. I highly recommend both of them. I retired from the public library field after more than thirty years. I recognize the popularity of Mr. O'Brian. Tastes in reading differ. I just found it impossible to read his books. Especially after reading the Hornblower and Bolitho novels.
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