Master and Commander
Published: 1969
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Book 1 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels
Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Family Life, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Navel, Saga, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel, War
Check the summary of this book here:
The Review:
Patrick O'Brian writes on the life and living in his novel Master and Commander. That is the simplest explanation I can provide for how he writes his novels. It's a mistake to think of him as history or sea-story enthusiast. He writes about friendships and hatred, optimism and fear, and all of the causes and ways we suffer and exult in small and large events. If you haven't read any of his works, you should simply understand what he's all about and why he's such a brilliant author.
There are storyline aspects that are both unexpected and foretold in advance. Parts of the novel are lighthearted and uplifting, but others are somewhat gloomy. The pace is both sluggish and quick, and it all depends on where you are in the plot at any particular point. You're practically in slow motion at times, but it's not the book that's sluggish; it's your brain that's producing all the action and movement by changing words into reality.
This is the first book in Patrick O'Brian's great series about Jack Aubrey's life and career, as well as his friend and companion Stephen Maturin, a physician and spy who accompanies him on his very first command, the Sophie.
It's a little sluggish at first since there are so many people to introduce, as well as some history to give them context and a lot of historical material required for the reader to grasp the period and area in which the book takes place.
Once the setting is established and the action begins, it's a fast-paced runaway that you won't want to put down, so put up with the introduction and get to the excitement.
Its naval history brought to life by an author whose commitment to detail and authenticity is unrivaled and matched only by a few. Combine that with his ability to immerse you in the plot to the point that you have difficulty returning to reality when you put the book down, and you can't go wrong with Patrick O’Brian.
This is, without a doubt, one of the best historical fiction series ever created in the twentieth century. It owes a tribute to the authors of previous Royal Navy-themed novels, but it easily outshines them all. The trick, according to Patrick O’Brian, was focusing on his characters' lives, hobbies, and surroundings rather than subjecting them to mechanical story mechanisms. Port Mahon, April 1, 1800, alone sets the tone for one of the greatest literary friendships of all time.
I had no idea I was fond of navel or spaceship stories, which may sound boring to others, but I was introduced to them by Star Trek and without realizing it, I began reading novels that were not even science fiction. This reminds me of how many people gripe about Patrick O’Brian's nautical vocabulary and other phrases. I found it helpful to think of it as akin to Star Trek or Star Wars techno-babble, however, most of the terminology in the series are actual and can be found on the internet if needed.
It's so well written that you understand the sense of what's going on without knowing what a cross jack yard, quoin, or orlop is. None of this was an issue in Moby Dick, and it isn't an issue here either. Indeed, the language has a poetic quality to it that develops as you read, until you're swaying on the swell within the shipping prediction. I soon became invested in the protagonists and was enthralled by the depiction of both the naval and larger realms. Patrick O’Brian knows everything there is to know about his time period and topic area.
The writing is usually straightforward and sparse; although there are some beautiful poetic sparks, for example, describing the lay of the water, the set of the wind, or the quality of light. Captain Aubrey's friendship with Maturin the physician is brilliantly shown, in terms of mutual affection, consideration, and respect for differences, tensions, and concerns, and the profound understanding each acquires for the better angels in the other's character.
Final Thoughts:
True, I enjoy watching and reading things happen, but it isn't really narrative. In fact, while I was reading this, I realized that the book's characters are the most significant.
I tend not to discuss storylines or provide spoilers, but I felt compelled to add a few things because I want to review all of the novels in this series shortly.
The plot, inasmuch as it exists, is quite straightforward. When Britain is at war with Spain and France in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Jack Aubrey is granted command of a ship - He befriends Stephen Maturin, a surgeon, and encourages him to join them. Despite capturing a Spanish ship far larger than his own and other daring exploits, Jack's romance with his superior's wife prevents him from embarking on further ambitious endeavors with larger ships.
Synopsis:
“The classic first novel of the epic Aubrey/Maturin series, widely considered “the best historical novels ever written” (Richard Snow, New York Times).
Ardent, gregarious British naval officer Jack Aubrey is elated to be given his first appointment as commander: the fourteen-gun ship HMS Sophie. Meanwhile—after a heated first encounter that nearly comes to a duel—Aubrey and a brilliant but down-on-his-luck physician, Stephen Maturin, strike up an unlikely rapport. On a whim, Aubrey invites Maturin to join his crew as the Sophie’s surgeon. And so begins the legendary friendship that anchors this beloved saga set against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.
Through every ensuing adventure on which Aubrey and Maturin embark, from the witty parley of their lovers and enemies to the roar of broadsides as great ships close in battle around them, Patrick O’Brian “provides endlessly varying shocks and surprises—comic, grim, farcical and tragic.… [A] whole, solidly living world for the imagination to inhabit” (A. S. Byatt).”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:
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Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 95/100 Yes.
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The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Hardcover):
Master and Commander (2003) (PG+):
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