Patrick O'Brian's "Aubrey/Maturin" Series

When a New York Times book reviewer called O'Brian's first few novels in this series "the best historical novels ever written", he started a craze that became feverish. While other series, such as Alexander Kent's "Bolitho", Dudley Pope's "Ramage", or Forester's "Hornblower", are favored by many, no one can deny the overwhelming popularity of the Aubrey/Maturin series. It spawned a whole new industry, with the publication of calendars, two CDs featuring the music of the period that the two main characters would have played onboard, a book of recipes from the times "Lobscouse and Spotted Dog", companion reference books such as "Sea of Words" and "Harbors and High Seas", as well as a movie due to be released in 2003. O'Brian's novels are not ones to be rushed through, but to be savored. Details of life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson' navy are faultlessly rendered: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men of the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the roar of broadsides as the great ships close in battle. You'll often find yourself re-reading particularly delicious sections for their colorful style, humor or expression.

All titles listed are for the paperback edition, but the series is also available in hardcover -- contact us if you would prefer the latter.