Aubrey–Maturin series (Books)

[Distorted Humor]

Ok, I posted this in Miscellaneous, but it really needed to go in here. Anyone else a fan of the series? I picked up the first book and found myself totally engrossed and now well in on the 2nd novel, complete surprise as historical novels are not my cup of tea...

 

[Captain Dago]

It's a great series. O'Brien managed to keep up the quality with only a few lapses. Fair warning, "Lucky Jack" is far more successful at sea than he ever is on land.

 

[Lonemagpie]

My wife's read all of them.

I read the first one and was impressed with the historical detail, but got very pissed off with it when, after all the buildup to the climactic battle, O'Brien skips straight from "there's the enemy, let's go" to "well, that was lucky, we won" without actually having any battle in between! At all...

Sort of the literary equivalent of the battle over the hill in Spielberg's WOTW, only a hundred times worse of a cheat and let down.

I keep meaning to try the second one onwards, but, frankly, Alexander kent has a better grasp of how to actually tell a story...

Loved the movie, though.

 

[J.T.B.]

I read the first one and was impressed with the historical detail, but got very pissed off with it when, after all the buildup to the climactic battle, O'Brien skips straight from "there's the enemy, let's go" to "well, that was lucky, we won" without actually having any battle in between! At all...

Whaaa...? The battle between little Sophie and Cacafuego lasts only a few pages, but it is vivid and energetic, pared down to frenzied, telling details and nothing extraneous. One of the most memorable battles I've ever read, in fact, land, sea or air.

I started reading the series about 20 years ago, quickly caught up on the published books and then eagerly awaited the new releases. I have re-read a few since but haven't tackled the whole series again. Of the major "age of sail" writers O'Brian seems the most steeped in c.1800 contemporary literature and his voice is the strongest that way. His humor is subtle and dry, but ever-present. A good chunk of his books have little going on plot-wise, but the characters are so natural and familiar and the settings so authentic and believable that you don't notice. A great series.

--Justin

 

[Lonemagpie]

I read the first one and was impressed with the historical detail, but got very pissed off with it when, after all the buildup to the climactic battle, O'Brien skips straight from "there's the enemy, let's go" to "well, that was lucky, we won" without actually having any battle in between! At all...

Whaaa...? The battle between little Sophie and Cacafuego lasts only a few pages, but it is vivid and energetic, pared down to frenzied, telling details and nothing extraneous. One of the most memorable battles I've ever read, in fact, land, sea or air.

No, after that, right at the end, the fleet just leaves harbour for a major engagement fleet-on-fleet (or at least squadron on squadron) and it just skips the battle entirely

 

[J.T.B.]

No, after that, right at the end, the fleet just leaves harbour for a major engagement fleet-on-fleet (or at least squadron on squadron) and it just skips the battle entirely

Oh, OK. Well, even if Sophie hadn't been captured a little sloop would have no business getting into something like that. Jack getting details of the battle second-hand is, for me, effective and believable.

--Justin

 

[Distorted Humor]

you have to read the 2nd book just for what happens in the first five chapters...

 

[Goliath]

I keep meaning to try the second one onwards, but, frankly, Alexander kent has a better grasp of how to actually tell a story...

Alexander Kent spins a good yarn, and does write good battle scenes. Enemy in Sight! is probably the most exciting sailing-warfare book I've ever read.

He's also better than Dudley Pope, who isn't bad. Pope just seemed pallid and insubstantial once I started reading Kent and O'Brian.

But after a while, I found that there just wasn't enough variety in Kent's books to keep me reading. That, and O'Brian's books just had so many other factors in their favour.

And, seriously--"Dick Bolitho"? What kind of name for a hero is that?

 

[Lonemagpie]

I keep meaning to try the second one onwards, but, frankly, Alexander kent has a better grasp of how to actually tell a story...

Alexander Kent spins a good yarn, and does write good battle scenes. Enemy in Sight! is probably the most exciting sailing-warfare book I've ever read.

He's also better than Dudley Pope, who isn't bad. Pope just seemed pallid and insubstantial once I started reading Kent and O'Brian.

But after a while, I found that there just wasn't enough variety in Kent's books to keep me reading. That, and O'Brian's books just had so many other factors in their favour.

And, seriously--"Dick Bolitho"? What kind of name for a hero is that?

True.

To be honest, I always wished the pair would cowrite something, which would be, by definition, the ultimate naval history war story possible...

 

[Australis]

I'm like the Magpie, read the first one but absolutely could not get into the second. I've been meaning to try again.

 

[Skywalker]

I haven't read them yet, but they're on my "to do" list. Has anyone read the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell? Takes place around the same era, but focuses on the land war instead of the naval war. They're some of my favorite books.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I really liked the movie and then I started to read the books, but I stopped at the second because the local store didn't carry all of them and instead made you order them, which I found pretty annoying. In general, a store should have all of a series.

 

[Australis]

^ Try your library.

If you're into Sharpe and Aubrey-Maturin, there's one series that in my opinion towers above them: the Flashman Papers by George MacDonald Fraser.

Incredible sense of history, coupled to some damn funny stuff. I absolutely cannot reccomend thise highly enough. They illuminate history in ways you can't guess at. For you Americans, he's a slaver, slave runner, 49er, stood with John Brown at Harper's Ferry, and arrives at Little Big Horn in a dinner suit. Sadly we never got his Civil War service before Fraser died. In it, he was a Major in the Union Army, 1862, and a Colonel in the Army of the Confederacy, 1863 ("damn Lincoln for a genial blackmailer"). My favourites are the First Sikh War and the Indian Mutiny.

You will be doing yourself a huge service to read them. And they only get better as they go along. Get back to me, let you know what you think.

 

[Lonemagpie]

I haven't read them yet, but they're on my "to do" list. Has anyone read the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell? Takes place around the same era, but focuses on the land war instead of the naval war. They're some of my favorite books.

Yeah, Sharpe is great!

 

[Caliburn24]

Aubrey is probably my second favorite of what I call in my head the "HMS" writers. Pope and Kent are both good, but not as good as Aubrey. Forester's Hornerblower takes the first place prize however.

Fraser's Flashman stuff and Cornwall's Sharpe's books are great too, and Flashman especially might be my favorite series of historical fiction books. It is such a shame that Flashman is largely forgotten these days. I would love to see some studio make a decent Flashman movie, such a fun character.

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

I hope you'll not mind my horn-tooting, and suggestion that you give Uncommon Valour a try. It has been favorably compared to Mr. O'Brien's work, although I have to say that I really cannot see it.

 

[Goliath]

Hey, if you don't toot your horn, who will?

 

[Australis]

A little self promotion never hurts.

Caliburn, there was serious talk of a Flashman series done by the people who did Sharpe, and GMF wrote a script, but what's happened to it I don't know.

 

[Distorted Humor]

Just finished "Post-Captain" Good stuff, even if he vears into almost Jane Austin territory in the courting bits. But great Dr. Maturin bits, and three out of the four naval battles are top notch, pulse pounding stuff. And the entire debtor issues was great for the history buffs...

 

[J.T.B.]

Just finished "Post-Captain" Good stuff, even if he vears into almost Jane Austin territory in the courting bits. But great Dr. Maturin bits, and three out of the four naval battles are top notch, pulse pounding stuff. And the entire debtor issues was great for the history buffs...

Isn't that the one with the immortal exchange (from memory) "I should love to see your excrement." "And so you shall, dear sir, so you shall!" There are a few moments like that in the O'Brian series that put me into laughing fits.

It was also funny how Jack had no problem with borderline disregard of duty when he wanted to take his ship and visit his girlfriend. A lot more domestic/social stuff than naval, but a good read.

--Justin