Blue at the Mizzen: 20 (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) - Hardcover

O`brian, Patrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393048446 ISBN 13: 9780393048445

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999

Synopsis

Napoleon has been defeated at Waterloo, and the ensuing peace brings with it both the desertion of nearly half of Captain Aubrey's crew and the sudden dimming of Aubrey's career prospects in a peacetime navy. When the Surprise is nearly sunk on her way to South America where Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are to help Chile assert her independence from Spain the delay occasioned by repairs reaps a harvest of strange consequences. The South American expedition is a desperate affair; and in the end Jack's bold initiative to strike at the vastly superior Spanish fleet precipitates a spectacular naval action that will determine both Chile's fate and his own."

About this title

Review:

Why do the sea-faring adventure novels of Patrick O'Brian enjoy such a phenomenally devoted readership? Actually, O'Brian enthusiasts can take their pick from a variety of qualities of excellence: The sheer command of writing technique; the adroit characterisation of his heroes, every bit as rich and well-rounded as anything in serious fiction; and, of course, the bracingly-realised atmosphere of the sea on which the author sets his tales of derring-do. The latest volume, Blue at the Mizzen, represents an even greater refinement of O'Brian's art.

His long-time protagonist Jack Aubrey is about to achieve his ambition. Unusually, his finances are in good order and his professional life is ship-shape. But as he reaches the upper echelons of the Captain's list, his prospects of gaining that final promotion are in the balance. In the powder-keg revolutionary atmosphere of South America, his shipmate Stephen Maturin is coming to terms with the loss of his wife by throwing himself into the intelligence work he so enjoys. Both men become involved in a series of labyrinthine intrigues, splendidly punctuated by the action that O'Brian delivers so well. And the writing is as non-pareil as ever:

"Then came the repeated broadsides: this was not the dumb show of usual practice at divisions, but the shattering din of battle, the flashing stabs of fire, the shriek of each gun's very dangerous recoil, the heady scent of powder-smoke along the decks."

Blue at the Mizzen is a treat for lovers of O'Brian and a perfect introduction for those who have not yet read him. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

Filled with exuberance and humor, and a writer's palpable delight at exercising his finest muscles. . . . At sea with a master.

O'Brian has presented his readers with a shining jewel...an intricate, multifaceted work.

I haven't read novels [in the past ten years] except for all of the Patrick O'Brian series. It was, unfortunately, like tripping on heroin. I started on those books and couldn't stop.--E. O. Wilson

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0393048446
• ISBN 13: 9780393048445
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272