Master and Commander

By Patrick O' Brian.

Continuing the naval theme, here is the very book which got me started on the Napoleonic period, and in particular the naval history of that period. I first read this book in 1998 when I was attracted to the series by the splendour of its cover art (by Geoff Hunt). People say you should never judge a book by its cover, but I'll wager as a trained illustrator myself, I can recognise a labour of love when I see one!

My intuition was correct for the series is the finest example of historical fiction I have ever read, and after 'War of the Worlds', takes pride of place as my favourite set of novels. I would recommend these books to any one who was interested in the period without a doubt and to any one else who was not interested but perhaps searching for something new and interesting ...as I was myself when I picked up the first book from the shelf in Chatham (no less and how appropriate given that towns maritime heritage).

Since then I went on to read the entire series (of twenty books) five times in a row, thus I read a POB novel for one hundred times straight which is a dubious acheievement I doubt I shall ever repeat. From this you may conceive I have a love of this story, and indeed I have read them all through once more in the mean time. Now, inspired by my recent naval gaming dabblings and my poor health (no better remedy than escapism to pass the time) I have taken up the series for a seventh time!

If you recognize the name of the book, it is perhaps because the movie moguls made a fairly decent film a few years back with the same title, starring Russel Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey and loosely based on several of the books in the series. I shall just remark that the over all casting was done, exceptionally poorly in my not so modest opinion and be done with that.

'Master and Commander' is the story of a British Royal Navy officer, his first command and his friendship with an Irish/Catalan physician who takes up his offer of a place on board ship as Surgeon. It is set in the Mediterranean, in the earlier years of the Napoleonic war.

Patrick O' Brian has an easy going style which describes everything in a sparse manner. he doesn't bother with long tedious explanations but simply refers to things as they are, leaving the reader with a very direct ambience of the period. In other words, it feels real, even though it so obviously isn't. There is also humour and a charming way with words that inspires familiarity and even friendship with the characters.