Book description
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.
This is the thirteenth book in the series.
For all Jack Aubrey's life he has triumphed, often sensationally, over
the dangers of the sea and the violence of the enemy. But his rashness,
his guilelessness, his indiscretion have time and time again enabled his
rivals to prevent him reaping his just rewards. The nadir was reached in
The Reverse of the Medal when, the victim of a skilful frame-up, he was
convicted of fraud and struck off the Navy list just as he was coming
within sight of flag rank. The subsequent exposure of the conspiracy,
coupled with his brilliant success in command of a privateer, had
brought him to a position where Their Lordships were more or less bound
to reinstate him.
This, as the present book opens, they have done, and he and his old
friend Dr Maturin are sailing on a secret mission with a hand-picked
crew, most of them shipmates from the adventures and lucrative voyages
of earlier years. '…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
'I never enjoyed a novel about the sea more. It is not only that the
author describes the handling of a ship of 1800 with an accuracy that is
as comprehensible as it is detailed, a remarkable feat in itself. Mr
O'Brian's three chief characters are drawn with no less depth of
sympathy than the vessels he describes, a rare achievement save in the
greatest writers of this genre. It deserves the widest readership.'
Irish Times 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.
