Post Captain
Published: 1972
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Book 2 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's Post Captain is a powerful novel with strong memorable characters and a great feeling of heroic adventure. A reader may need to get used to Patrick O'Brian's writing style, in which he jumps from one dialogue and scene to the next without the normal cues like a page break or the beginning of a new chapter.
The text, written in a conversational manner from the early 1800s, may need some acclimating to get into a comfortable reading pace.
The novel features a lot of technical jargon about nineteenth-century sailing methods, phrases, and sail configurations that aren't commonly used nowadays, and as I said in my review of Master And Commander, you may easily take these words for Star Wars or Star Trek techno babble.
These characteristics aren't always negative because reading these fantastic novels may teach a reader about language and history.
Despite this, Mr. Patrick O'Brian's maritime conflicts are written with such intensity, desperation, peril, and courage that you may find yourself holding your breath as you read.
This second volume in the series has a different tone than the first, but it's still a fascinating historical tale set during the Napoleonic Wars, with action so realistic that you can smell the smoke and hear the cannons thunder. This is a series for anyone who likes early-eighteenth-century naval history.
Patrick O'Brian has written a fantastic novel that includes not only action, but also political viewpoints of the time, natural history as it was known at the time, philosophy, and intriguing details of the daily lives of both commanders and regular seamen.
Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are complicated characters that exhibit the highest nobility and, at times, the lowest of conduct, transforming them into larger-than-life heroes with clay feet that we can all relate to.
There's also a fantastic ensemble of supporting characters, many of whom will feature in his subsequent works. Overall, Patrick O'Brian is unquestionably one of the greatest historical authors of his time.
Let's discuss the book's language and its terminology once more. If you're the type of reader who wants to know everything, a dictionary or a search engine close by will come in handy when reading these stories. They are, in my opinion, a necessity. Not to mention the attention to detail when reading; miss a word or two and you're back at the start of the paragraph. However, as a plot, it was captivating and a throwback to the days at sea when England commanded the waters with her wooden fortifications.
Here I would like to share something about the main heroes; Maturin is like the classic onion in that the more layers you peel away, the more you understand about him. Jack is an ancient salt with seawater running through his veins. Plus in this book, one of them is evolving.
Some readers may be dissatisfied with this book since it focuses a bit on the land and courting the ladies. On the other hand, I thought it was a wonderful framework for the series. Man cannot subsist just by sailing, and the concerns of the shore are an important element of even seamen's existence. It was a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.
Final Thoughts:
This book is part of one of those series that will keep you up all night. You will be plunged into a different era, with situations and happenings that are unfamiliar and unusual to you. You'll have a hero to think about and consider his life and reactions to circumstances. Honor, courage, and integrity in the face of huge barriers posed by nature, other men and women, finances, authority, organizations, events, and a man against himself are the moral qualities that define a true hero and you are going to find him in this series.
The conversation is fantastic, and parts of the narration have a vintage feel to them. It all adds to the overall atmosphere. The conflicts at sea are very exciting. Even if you've never sailed at sea before, you'll be lured into these thrilling experiences. After being enthralled by this narrative, all readers will undoubtedly want to read the third. A lot of nice dialogs, I know I've said it before, but this is one of the things that makes the narrative so good. The speech is exactly as one could expect individuals of that era to speak. I had the impression that I was there. Walking around the old port towns and paying visits to the well-to-do. Some of these sections of the narrative reminded me of Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin. The descriptions of personnel at sea and the workings of such great ships are fascinating.
I really suggest Post Captain for its characters, plot, and experiences, and if you've already read the first book in the series, Master And Commander, then I doesn’t think I need to persuade or encourage you to read this one since you already know you should.
Synopsis:
““If Jane Austen had written rousing sea yarns, she would have produced something very close to the prose of Patrick O'Brian.” —Time
It’s 1802. The Treaty of Amiens has brought an end to the hostilities between Great Britain and France. Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend, naval surgeon Stephen Maturin, are enjoying the respite in the English countryside, besotted with two beautiful cousins, Sophie Williams and Diana Villiers—until Aubrey loses his fortune and they flee to France to escape his creditors. While in France, Napoleon smashes the Peace of Amiens and war begins anew. Aubrey and Maturin, now finding themselves behind enemy lines, make their way back to England. Maturin is sent to Spain on an intelligence-gathering mission and the now-solvent Aubrey assumes command of a strange warship, pursuing his quarry straight into the mouth of a French-held harbor. Amidst the rollicking adventures at sea and mishaps on land, Aubrey and Maturin’s friendship is tested by their romantic entanglements with the cousins in this brilliant second installment of the epic series.”
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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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