AWoolford Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Has anyone read any books from Patrick O'Brian's (Aubrey-Maturin) series? Any input about the books, I watched Master and Commander last night and it peaked my interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robotw Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 PO'B's Aubrey/Maturin series is universally loved so mark off the next 21-volumes-worth of months on your calendar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancbradley Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Exactly as robotw said. I have the whole set, and have read them all, now on my third read-through. The writing is really excellent, the atmosphere and background are so deep and well-researched, and the characters (especially the male characters, O'Brian's one weakness being the limited exploration he gives to female characters) are very richly portrayed, you will enjoy reading and re-reading if you catch the bug. Compared to the film (which is excellent, but a compound of lots of the book stories) the books are much more richly descriptive, in some cases based more on land than at sea, and show a much wider range of the nature of the characters, especially Maturin (who pretty clearly has a strong whiff of O'Brian self-portrait about him). And, crucially, the humour comes out more strongly in the books - tinder-dry, understated 19th century humour, but funny for all that. If you find the Austen-esque langage and dialogue a bit hard going a first, it's worth persevering - it might take a chapter or three to 'get your eye in'. And the O'Brian fanbase (especially in the US, bizarrely) is so well established that there are companion books and websites to help you out if the jargon defeats you at first. Enjoy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anika Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 21 volumes?! Wow! I love stories like this, but so far have not read any of these. Doubt if I'll be able to get through ALL of them, though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 ^^ Are the audiobooks abridged versions? I've read the first two books so far (I posted some comments here and here). I struggled with the first one to begin with but it's safe to say I'm a fan, now, as I enjoyed the second so much. HMS Surprise is next up on my TBR pile - should be starting it tomorrow - and I already have The Mauritius Command and Desolation Island on the shelf ready to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 ^^ Yeah, I really enjoyed it (commented on it here). Quite dark in places compared to the first two. I have The Mauritius Command and Desolation Island on the shelf ready to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Getting more and more interested in these- can't see myself getting to them this year though. TBR has 80 odd books to be read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I started Master and Commander....when the torture scene came....I put it down. I guess I'm just not a fan of sea going stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Getting more and more interested in these- can't see myself getting to them this year though. I doubt I'll get through them this year, myself. The ones I've read so far have been so good I want to spread the rest out and savour them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Hi Nabokovian, might I suggest you move to 'HMS Surprise'? It would be a terrible shame to miss out on the whole series because of one scene, on the whole these are not bloodthirsty books, not by modern standards anyway! Cheers. I'll take a look Will, in fact we should/might get to the 2nd hand bookstore today, so will see if they have it. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Short Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 I really enjoyed the entire series. O'Brian was a magical writer, but there's always a matter of taste. I'd suggest watching the Master and Commander film and, if you like that, you'd love the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 BBC Radio 4 show Bookclub discusses Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04tcxm4 Worth a listen. Also, belatedly, I found out that Benedict Cumberbatch has been reading the seventh novel in the Aubrey/Maturin series, The Surgeon's Mate, for Radio 4 Extra. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04t98s0/episodes/guide Unfortunately, the episodes are disappearing quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) I read the first four books of this series a few years ago, but for some reason, never moved on. I have no idea why, as I thought the ones I read were brilliant. Anyway, I've just finished Master and Commander, and have posted a review here on my book blog thread. Hope it's of interest to other enthusiasts or possible newbies. Incidentally, referring back to pontalba's posting earlier, there is no torture scene in Master and Commander, although I vaguely remember one in the early books. Perhaps in Post Captain? I'll soon find out if it is here, as that is the next one. Edited January 17, 2015 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Thought I'd gather links to my reviews of the books together in one post. I'll update this post with more as I go along. There are minor spoilers in these reviews, usually relating to the previous book in the series, so please be aware. Master & Commander Post Captain HMS Surprise The Mauritius Command Desolation Island The Fortune of War The Surgeon's Mate The Ionian Mission Treason's Harbour The Far Side of the World The Reverse of the Medal The Letter of Marque The Thirteen Gun Salute The Nutmeg of Consolation Clarissa Oakes The Wine Dark Sea The Commodore The Yellow Admiral The Hundred Days Blue at the Mizzen Edited November 23, 2015 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timebug Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 I am also a fan of the series,and have (so far) read them all twice. I saw the film 'Master and Commander' first and then came across the books a short while afterwards. I managed to get the full set, and dived right in and worked through them.Superb stuff, like 'Hornblower' but with added layers of grit and realism! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 with added layers of grit and realism! And toasted cheese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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