Master and Commander
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4.4 • 105 Ratings
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
Set sail for the read of your life …
Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. Now, for the first time, they are available in electronic book format, so a whole new generation of readers can be swept away on the adventure of a lifetime.
Master and Commander is the first of Patrick O’Brian’s now famous Aubrey/Maturin novels, regarded by many as the greatest series of historical novels ever written. It establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and an intelligence agent. It contains all the action and excitement which could possibly be hoped for in a historical novel, but it also displays the qualities which have put O’Brian far ahead of any of his competitors: his depiction of the detail of life aboard a Nelsonic man-of-war, of weapons, food, conversation and ambience, of the landscape and of the sea. O’Brian’s portrayal of each of these is faultless and the sense of period throughout is acute. His power of characterisation is above all masterly.
This brilliant historical novel marked the début of a writer who grew into one of our greatest novelists ever, the author of what Alan Judd, writing in the Sunday Times, has described as ‘the most significant extended story since Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time’.
Reviews
‘…full of the energy that comes from a writer having struck a vein… Patrick O’Brian is unquestionably the Homer of the Napoleonic wars.’
James Hamilton- Paterson
‘You are in for the treat of your lives. Thank God for Patrick O’Brian: his genius illuminates the literature of the English language, and lightens the lives of those who read him.’
Kevin Myers, Irish Times
‘In a highly competitive field it goes straight to the top. A real first-rater.’
Mary Renault
About the author
Patrick O’Brian, until his death in 2000, was one of our greatest contemporary novelists. He is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey–Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He is the author of many other books including Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetime’s contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin. He lived for many years in South West France and he died in Dublin in January 2000.
Customer Reviews
Absorbing
I found the story to be hard going at first, the brilliance of O'Brian's period naval knowledge and accuracy being somewhat of a barrier. A good dictionary is a must for translating the jargon, and constant reference disrupts the developing story.
However, as with Stephen Maturin, the reader soon learns the ropes, and the true depth of the author's grasp of the times immerses you into a new world. The story leaps and bounds - Jack Aubrey is not an easy character to like, until he proves himself to be a man you would want to be friends with, and a captain who you quite happily wish to be alongside in a battle.
A really great story, and I'm glad I finally discovered this series.
One of the few series of books I keep re-reading
A masterly 20 volume story of the lives of a navel captain and surgeon. Dramatic elements combined with real life in the 18th century. Such details and storylines are very rare.
I ignore all the nautical details on the sailing of ships and still find the books absorbing and exciting.
After the first one the character list gets wider and includes Diana - one of my favourite literary characters ever. I hope you enjoy it.
Very hard to read
I found this very hard to read. The endless use of nautical/historical terms was overwhelming.. I was quarter way through and very little had happened in terms of plot. Really wanted to like it, but gave up in the end.