Master and Commander (Vol. Book 1) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels)

Patrick O'Brian

Aug 1990 · Aubrey/Maturin Novels Book 1 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

The classic first novel of the epic Aubrey/Maturin series, widely considered “the best historical novels ever written” (Richard Snow, New York Times).

Ardent, gregarious British naval officer Jack Aubrey is elated to be given his first appointment as commander: the fourteen-gun ship HMS Sophie. Meanwhile—after a heated first encounter that nearly comes to a duel—Aubrey and a brilliant but down-on-his-luck physician, Stephen Maturin, strike up an unlikely rapport. On a whim, Aubrey invites Maturin to join his crew as the Sophie’s surgeon. And so begins the legendary friendship that anchors this beloved saga set against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.

Through every ensuing adventure on which Aubrey and Maturin embark, from the witty parley of their lovers and enemies to the roar of broadsides as great ships close in battle around them, O’Brian “provides endlessly varying shocks and surprises—comic, grim, farcical and tragic.… [A] whole, solidly living world for the imagination to inhabit” (A. S. Byatt).

Ratings and reviews

This series of novels is my all time favorite reading experience. People claim it's as if Jane Austen wrote novels about sea adventurers, but I find O'Brian's characters more well rounded and more aware of all levels of society and social interaction than hers. The humor is nearly constant, and the descriptions and historical detail made me feel like I'd actually sailed around the world twice and traveled all over Britain during a tumultuous period. I can't recommend the entire series enough.

The Aubrey/Maturin series is as close to perfection as I'll ever witness in print form. The book shines on every level, emotional, action, intrigue, it is the whole package. I would, however, recommend listening to the audio book narrated by Patrick Tull to get the full experience. Once you start listening, you will regret every book you finish because it means you're that much closer to the end of the series. Patrick O'Brian is a master craftsman and one of the best story tellers to put pen to paper.

Once it gets hold of you, you won't want to put it down, and you'll never forgive O'Brian for dying before Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin. The movie is a mishmash of the series, but don't let it put you off. As for the nautical terminology, by the time you finish, you'll feel like an old salt yourself.

About the author

One of our greatest contemporary novelists, Patrick O’Brian is the author of the twenty volumes of the best-selling Aubrey/Maturin series, as well as many other books, including Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, The Unknown Shore, and biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso.