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The Wine-Dark Sea Review

The Wine-Dark Sea Review

The Wine-Dark Sea

Published: 1993

Author: Patrick O'Brian

Book 16 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels

Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Contemporary, Family Life, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Navel, Saga, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel, War


Check the summary of this book here:

The Wine-Dark Sea Summary


The Review:

One of the greatest in the series thus far. In “The Wine-Dark Sea” Patrick O'Brian was definitely loving the adventure: volcanic activity, lethal ice floes, Andean snowstorms, and thunderstorms: it's a spectacular read, and both Jack and Stephen are having a difficult time this time. Nothing goes exactly as planned.

It's all about folks who travel down to the sea on ships, but with guns and cutlasses instead of sails. But even if you're not a sailor, you'll like these novels because they build fascinating characters that complexly grow as the stories progress in a plot full of peril, intrigue, love, despair, honor-dishonor, failure, and Phoenix-like success.

A long narrative of a journey across the Peruvian Andes that detracts from the nautical in nautical fiction. Another narrative of becoming stuck in the ice during fog near Cape Horn. Another rudder loss in the southern latitudes, and another sea battle that almost happened. Actually, there were two sea battles: one that was in the beginning and one that was virtually non-existent at the conclusion.

This book may feel primarily like filler stuff if you are not a fan and don’t know what is actually happening because chances are you never read the previous books in the series. As I usually say, the writing is outstanding, and it demonstrates the amazing amount of research required to convey the subject in such depth.

The richness of the writing and storytelling never gets in the way of reading in these novels, which is one of my favorite aspects of them. They're both page-turners and artwork. To be honest, some of Maturin's spy activities seem a little hazy and dry to me, but he's always a fascinating guy. Onshore passages, as they are here, are usually the least engrossing. I recall more about the birds and creatures than I do about the Peruvian spy plan.

When we read about the sea, the series comes to life the most. Even the most technical language-filled paragraphs have a rhythm and a pulse flowing through them. It's the most realistic depiction of a historical period and locations I've ever read.

This is an unbelievable depiction of a sailing ship in a treacherous sea. Apart from the sailing, the entire series gives a fantastic glimpse into the flora and animals of the regions visited, as well as the manner of life in early-nineteenth-century England. Far superior to Jane Austen in terms of social elements.

To appreciate book sixteen of this sea-going, Napoleonic War series, one must be a fan of Patrick O'Brian. You already know what I'm talking about if you're on Book sixteen The Wine-Dark Sea. It's fantastic, exciting, hilarious, and a page-turner. You will never read a novel written as well as Patrick O'Brian's. If you haven't read any of the Aubrey/Maturin novels before, "Master and Commander" is a good place to start. Sit back and savor these fantastic tales for months, if not years.

If you don't understand how the ship works, with its rigging, sails, and masts, don't become irritated. Most of the time, the reader does not have to. Just marvel at how well Mr. Patrick O'Brian comprehended everything. Perhaps by Book two, you will have a better understanding of it all.


Final Thoughts:

As in all of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels, the storytelling is superb. Anyone who liked "Master and Commander" would appreciate this book. A comprehensive ongoing saga that will pique your interest from the first page! I am about to write the seventeenth book' review from this series, and I am feeling sad once more to see this fantastic narrative come to an end with the passing of author Patrick O'Brian, the first time I was sad when I finished the series and now I am sad because I am near the end of the series and its reviews.

There is a sequel to the series called The Unfinished Adventures of Jack Aubrey, which is a collection of notes and other tidbits about the next installment, but we will never know the exact nature of the saga's conclusion.


Synopsis:

“The sixteenth volume in the Aubrey/Maturin series, and Patrick O'Brian's first bestseller in the United States.

At the outset of this adventure filled with disaster and delight, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin pursue an American privateer through the Great South Sea. The strange color of the ocean reminds Stephen of Homer's famous description and portends an underwater volcanic eruption that will create a new island overnight and leave an indelible impression on the reader's imagination.

Their ship, the Surprise, is now also a privateer, the better to escape diplomatic complications from Stephen's mission, which is to ignite the revolutionary tinder of South America. Jack will survive a desperate open boat journey and come face to face with his illegitimate black son; Stephen caught up in the aftermath of his failed coup, will flee for his life into the high, frozen wastes of the Andes; and Patrick O'Brian's brilliantly detailed narrative will reunite them at last in a breathtaking chase through stormy seas and icebergs south of Cape Horn, where the hunters suddenly become the hunted.”


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

Action, Admiral Harte, Age Of Sail, Anyone Who Loves, Aubrey And Maturin, Aubrey-Maturin Series, Billy Boyd, Botany Bay, Blockade Duty, British Navy, Captain Aubrey, Captain Jack, Character Development, Clarissa Oakes, Desolation Island, Diplomatic Mission, Diving Bell, Drama, Diana Villiers, Early 19th Century, Entire Series, Far Side Of The World, Fortune Of War, French Agents, Gun Salute, High Seas, Historical Fiction, HMS Surprise, Horrible Old, Indian Ocean, Ionian Mission, Jack And Stephen, Jack Aubrey, Jane Austen, Letter Of Marque, Lucky Jack, Master And Commander, Maturin Series, Mauritius Command, Napoleonic Era, Napoleonic Wars, Nautical Terms, Nutmeg Of Consolation, Old Leopard, Patrick Brian, Patrick O’Brian, Patrick Obrian, Patrick O Brian, Patrickoobrian, Paul Bettany, Penal Colony, Peter Weir, Post Captain, Pulo Prabang, Red Sea, Reverse Of The Medal, Royal Navy, Russell Crowe, Sea Dark, Sea Wine, Simon Vance, South Seas, Stephen Maturin, Stock Market, Surgeon Mate, Takes Place, Thirteen-Gun Salute, Treasons Harbor, United States, USS Constitution, Well Written, Wine-Dark, Years Ago


Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

Buy The Kindle Version Here:


Free With Free Audible Trial:


The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Hardcover):


Master and Commander (2003) (PG+):


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The Truelove Review

The Truelove Review

The Truelove

Published: 1992

Author: Patrick O'Brian

Book 15 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels

Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Contemporary, Family Life, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Navel, Saga, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel, War


Check the summary of this book here:

The Truelove Summary


The Review:

Patrick O'Brian’s “The Truelove” also called “Clarissa Oakes” is the fifteenth book in the Aubrey/Maturin series about unlikely friends Capt. Aubrey and Dr. Maturin during the Napoleonic period maintains the series' history. It demonstrates the author's extensive awareness of the world of the time, both at sea and on land. It is likewise ingeniously structured, with an auxiliary person, Clarissa, providing the missing piece of an espionage jigsaw that has preoccupied Dr. Maturin for the past six novels.

Aubrey is considerably more action-oriented, whereas Maturin is more focused on psycho/social observations. The focus of most of the internal dialogue shifts to letters sent by Aubrey and Maturin to their respective spouses. This style appeals to me more than the author's usual method of expressing what is going on in the minds of the characters. The author has done this previously, but this time it is done really effectively. Maturin mostly keeps a diary, and his letters to his wife are outrageously brief.

I know there were some readers who were disappointed with this book, but I believe that it was overdone. While Clarissa herself is not a particularly true to life or even notably likable character, the idea that a beautiful, accomplished, and clearly upper crust female stowaway who is, for some inexplicable reason, completely oblivious to the opposite sex could wreak havoc on a 19th Century warship's company, both among the commanders and on the lower deck, rings enormously true. Similarly, because the storyline parallels a trip across the Pacific with a gunboat diplomacy campaign on an island sliding into civil war in the second half, there is an unavoidable unity of plot that not all of Patrick O'Brian’s works have.

If you enjoy the Aubrey-Maturin series, you will undoubtedly give this novel a perfect score; however, if you are looking for a standalone novel, it will not receive a high rating for the obvious reason that it is not a standalone novel and you must read the previous books in the series to fully comprehend what is going on. 

In this ongoing narrative of the H.M.S. Surprise circumnavigating the world, there was a gap in the naval action, but I welcomed it for the character growth and adventures in the South Seas. This novel had a female stowaway, which gave Patrick O'Brian's lively writing a whole new meaning.

I believe that this book is a solid addition to the previous volumes in the series, as well worth the attention of any fan of Age of Sail combat, with Mr. Patrick O'Brian’s customary precise planning, characterization, and well-developed streak of humor. While I don't think Clarissa is a believable character in and of herself, I think her effect on the ship's company is completely believable and predictable.

Spoiler Alert! if you don’t want to know something important about this novel then do not read this paragraph after this full stop. Aubrey's decision not to return to Sydney and turn Clarissa to the authorities when she's discovered on board, wasting time and also condemning her to the whims and fancies of officialdom, who treated H.M.S. Surprise quite badly in the previous novel.


Final Thoughts:

In the Aubrey/Maturin canon, the Truelove finds its appropriate position. While I wouldn't put it among the finest in the canon, it holds its own against any other novel of the genre.

'Clarissa Oakes' is 'The Truelove' under a different name. It's a fantastic novel about nineteenth-century naval discipline and the impact of having a woman on board a ship under Letters of Marque. The story also incorporates South Sea Islands culture and British empire-building policy in an interesting and thought-provoking way, but Patrick O'Brian's style transports the reader from the Australian penal colonies across the Pacific, with dips into the ocean's sea life, the realities of wind and calm, and the education of a pair of orphaned children. The interesting relationships with spouses, children, and estate obligations carried out on a ship hundreds of miles away are preserved. Intrigue is provided through spy plans and agents, as well as music, medicine, and the interactions of various characters among officers and troops. Call it Clarissa Oakes or The Truelove in both cases it is highly recommended.


Synopsis:

“The fifteenth installment in Patrick O'Brian's widely claimed series of Aubrey/Maturin novels is in equal parts mystery, adventure, and psychological drama.

A British whaler has been captured by an ambitious chief in the Sandwich Islands at French instigation, and Captain Aubrey, R. N., Is dispatched with the Surprise to restore order. But stowed away in the cable tier is an escaped female convict. To the officers, Clarissa Harvill is an object of awkward courtliness and dangerous jealousies. Aubrey himself is won over and indeed strongly attracted to this woman who will not speak of her past. But only Aubrey's friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin, can fathom Clarissa's secrets: her crime, her personality, and a clue identifying a highly placed English spy in the pay of Napoleon's intelligence service.

In a thrilling finale, Patrick O'Brian delivers all the excitement his many readers expect: Aubrey and the crew of the Surprise impose a brutal pax Britannica upon the islanders in a pitched battle against a band of headhunting cannibals.”


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

Action, Admiral Harte, Age Of Sail, Anyone Who Loves, Aubrey And Maturin, Aubrey-Maturin Series, Billy Boyd, Botany Bay, Blockade Duty, British Navy, Captain Aubrey, Captain Jack, Character Development, Clarissa Oakes, Desolation Island, Diplomatic Mission, Diving Bell, Drama, Diana Villiers, Early 19th Century, Entire Series, Far Side Of The World, Fortune Of War, French Agents, Gun Salute, High Seas, Historical Fiction, HMS Surprise, Horrible Old, Indian Ocean, Ionian Mission, Jack And Stephen, Jack Aubrey, Jane Austen, Letter Of Marque, Lucky Jack, Master And Commander, Maturin Series, Mauritius Command, Napoleonic Era, Napoleonic Wars, Nautical Terms, Nutmeg Of Consolation, Old Leopard, Patrick Brian, Patrick O’Brian, Patrick Obrian, Patrick O Brian, Patrickoobrian, Paul Bettany, Penal Colony, Peter Weir, Post Captain, Pulo Prabang, Red Sea, Reverse Of The Medal, Royal Navy, Russell Crowe, Simon Vance, South Seas, Stephen Maturin, Stock Market, Surgeon Mate, Takes Place, Thirteen-Gun Salute, Treasons Harbor, United States, USS Constitution, Well Written, Years Ago


Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

Buy The Kindle Version Here:

Free With Free Audible Trial:

The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Hardcover):

Master and Commander (2003) (PG+):

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The Nutmeg of Consolation Review

The Nutmeg of Consolation Review

The Nutmeg of Consolation

Published: 1991

Author: Patrick O'Brian

Book 14 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels

Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Contemporary, Family Life, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Navel, Saga, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel, War


Check the summary of this book here:

The Nutmeg of Consolation Summary


The Review:

In “The Nutmeg of Consolation” Patrick O'Brian continues Aubrey's journey into the southern hemisphere, which began with "The Thirteen Gun Salute," while the H.M.S. Surprise sails through Indonesia before arriving in Sydney. While reading the Aubrey/Maturin series in order is recommended, several of the volumes may be read out of order. However, doing so, in this case, would leave you stranded.

Patrick O'Brian's balance of seafaring fiction and his magnificent and vibrant portrayal of life at sea and in battle, as well as his awareness of military and political history, mixed with his particular regard for natural history through Maturin, amazes, mystifies, and encapsulates both a sense of wonder and awareness. This book, like the rest of the series, is deserving of all the high ratings and points and comes with a strong recommendation.

This book gives us a wonderful picture of Australian life, politics, and the hardships of transportation at the time. This is the book for you if you want to learn more about Australia through the perspective of an early fictional naturalist. There is some action at sea, but it follows the pattern of the other novels in that not much occurs, with a few thrilling moments that don't lead to much action, and the book ends up being unsatisfying as a maritime adventure.

The reason for this is that the majority of the story takes place on land, but the writing and narrative are both excellent. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this series is about the sea, but that doesn't mean the characters never go to shore or don't have lives on land, so enjoy the story and follow the heroes on land as well. Patrick O'Brian's mastery of knowledge and perceptions of the time and place is unmatched, as usual.

I'm not a full supporter of summaries or spoilers, but with this series, I think it's alright to provide some hints to those who are already following along. I'm trying to stay away from spoilers so that readers may appreciate Patrick O'Brian's writing and the overall structure of the story. His descriptions of the continent's wildlife, as well as the social context, are so thorough that any reader might imagine strolling beside Maturin on his tour; it's an entirely magnificent mental trip.

There are spoilers in the following paragraph, so please skip if you don't want to read.
This novel picks up just where “The Thirteen Gun Salute” left off, with the crew of the Diane building their own skiff while waiting for rescue. The crew is quickly apprehended, and after some adventure, they are put right and find themselves back in port, as is common in the South China Sea. The political climate that Maturin had left (the French politically outmaneuvered) takes a more nautical turn as Aubrey, now refitted, makes an attempt to sink the French ship before it approaches the Straits of Magellan, and the ship and crew finally arrive in Australia, which was still a penal colony at the time.

This book, as well as the entire series, is fantastic. Patrick O'Brian was a genius, but not in the arrogant, self-centered literary sense. The series provides an up-close and personal interaction with the language, people, battles, naval traditions, intelligence, and gunnery of the period, which individuals like me learn far more from than history books. But Patrick O'Brian is interested in a wide range of subjects, including medicine, biology, botany, fashion, gastronomy, music, literature, and so on. He must have been a dedicated scholar, yet he conveys all of this to readers in a very down-to-earth manner, treating the common sailor with the same reverence as an admiral.

I admit that reading the first book in the series was like reading in a foreign language to me. It took me a long to grasp many old phrases but since the writing was so compelling, I kept reading and soon found myself thinking in the Old English language presented by Patrick O'Brian in the series.


Final Thoughts:

The overall tone of this work is one of optimism and brightness. Things go wrong, but then wonderful things come in droves. It appealed to me. Our heroes had a rocky start, a good middle, and a tough time at Botany Bay, but they eventually do the right thing, leading to a fantastic conclusion.


Synopsis:

“"[The series shows] a joy in language that jumps from every page...You're in for a wonderful voyage."—Cutler Durkee, People

Shipwrecked on a remote island in the Dutch East Indies, Captain Aubrey, surgeon and secret intelligence agent Stephen Maturin, and the crew of the Diane fashion a schooner from the wreck. A vicious attack by Malay pirates is repulsed, but the makeshift vessel burns and they are truly marooned. Their escape from this predicament is one that only the whimsy and ingenuity of Patrick O'Brian—or Stephen Maturin—could devise.

In command now of a new ship, the Nutmeg, Aubrey pursues his interrupted mission. The dreadful penal colony in New South Wales, harrowingly described, is the backdrop to a diplomatic crisis provoked by Maturin's Irish temper, and to a near-fatal encounter with the wildlife of the Australian outback.”


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

Action, Admiral Harte, Age Of Sail, Anyone Who Loves, Aubrey And Maturin, Aubrey-Maturin Series, Billy Boyd, Botany Bay, Blockade Duty, British Navy, Captain Aubrey, Captain Jack, Character Development, Desolation Island, Diplomatic Mission, Diving Bell, Drama, Diana Villiers, Early 19th Century, Entire Series, Far Side Of The World, Fortune Of War, French Agents, Gun Salute, High Seas, Historical Fiction, HMS Surprise, Horrible Old, Indian Ocean, Ionian Mission, Jack And Stephen, Jack Aubrey, Jane Austen, Letter Of Marque, Lucky Jack, Master And Commander, Maturin Series, Mauritius Command, Napoleonic Era, Napoleonic Wars, Nautical Terms, Nutmeg Of Consolation, Old Leopard, Patrick Brian, Patrick O’Brian, Patrick Obrian, Patrick O Brian, Patrickoobrian, Paul Bettany, Penal Colony, Peter Weir, Post Captain, Pulo Prabang, Red Sea, Reverse Of The Medal, Royal Navy, Russell Crowe, Simon Vance, Stephen Maturin, Stock Market, Surgeon Mate, Takes Place, Thirteen-Gun Salute, Treasons Harbor, United States, USS Constitution, Well Written, Years Ago


Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

Buy The Kindle Version Here:


Free With Free Audible Trial:


The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Hardcover):


Master and Commander (2003) (PG+):


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Any kind of support, even a simple 'like, thumbs up or a small comment' is enough and helps me grow, create and freely do more stuff and work on projects for the benefit of many.
Help me grow into a global force: https://www.patreon.com/namsu
Support with crypto coins/tokens: https://cointr.ee/namsu
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