...and now I'm in the society of Patrick O'Brian readers.

The story had me hooked from the opening scene. Not only was I fascinated by these two characters (Aubrey and Maturin) but O'Brian's deft sentence construction impressed me deeply. There are so many wonderful moments amid a jungle of exotic nautical terminology that though I lost track of the geography on the HMS Sophie more than once, I was still enraptured by the novel.

I will definitely be continuing the series and I recommend this book to anyone looking for solid prose and an interesting world to inhabit for awhile.