Desolation Island

I'd call these books my guilty pleasure but there's really nothing to feel guilty about. They are masterfully written and this one might be the most exciting so far. Not only does O'Brian approach his characters with close and careful attention, not only does he convey subtleties in relationships between people that reveal their vulnerabilities and strengths, but he can paint a picture of action and suspense that rival ANY other story. There is a chapter in this novel that is so exciting and so well written I felt breathless afterwards (Chapter 7... so many amazing things happening at the same time). What makes O'Brian one of my favorite authors is that he always brings his story around to the characters involved: to their private anguish or to the ways they need each other. These books aren't pot boilers, though they have wonderful plots. They are precisely written historical novels about characters that are interesting and unique inhabiting a world that is as exciting as it is exotic.

You may not think of yourself as the type of person to be into novels about the age of sail but once you enter O'Brian's prose and are introduced to the romance, friendship, espionage, historical challenges and litany of nautical terms, I imagine you will be as hooked as I am.

Another bracing blast of sea-foam from Patrick O'Brian. This time it's a barn-burner.

In the fifth installment, the books have settled into a routine: Aubrey and Maturin bumble around on shore for a while, incompetent in business and love, before being rescued by a sea-mission. Aubrey captains a ship with Maturin as his ships's surgeon. At sea, they're in their element and their adventures fill the bulk of the book.

As usual, O'Brian packs the book with historical and naval detail, enough to overwhelm a lubber like me. Sometimes I cracked open Google to learn the difference between a hawser and a bowser, but mostly I let it wash over me. The depth of detail transports me like few books do.

There are battles, perils, and drama. Aubrey and Maturin feel like old friends at this point -- of mine as well as each other. Their friendship, stability, and professionalism counterpoint the chaotic action that happens around them in a way that elevates the story to mythic proportions. It's gripping.

I'm looking forward to the next one.

Repeated from review of Book 1

That Patrick O'Brian chose to place his characters on the sea in the not so distant past just raised the hurdle I had to leap to get to know this wonderful author.

I had never been enamored with sea stories, didn't much care for European history, and yet was wonderfully taken with this series. The sea is a major character, but history is not greatly illuminated, almost a backdrop to the specific circumstance the characters find themselves in. Which perhaps reflects the author's view, while the wide sweep of Europe's history progresses, men are left to deal with far smaller local problems.

And it is in men that O'Brian shines. O'Brian creates characters flawed enough to be human, without becoming base. Not the best of men, but rising to better as circumstance demands.

And while the author leaves the great sweep of history largely aside, the detailed history of these men's lives, the sacrifices, the conditions of life at sea are truly fascinating.