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Title: The Mauritius Command (O'Brian, Patrick, Aubrey/Maturin Novels (New York, N.Y.), 4.) by Patrick O'Brian, Tim Pigott-Smith ISBN: 0-375-40875-4 Publisher: Random House Audio Pub. Date: 01 September, 1999 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 3 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.78 (18 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Superb nautical tale.
Comment: The Mauritius Command is a first rate piece of historical fiction. Patrick O'Brian deftly weaves this swashbuckling nautical tale into the historical account of the British retaking the Mauritius Islands. Lucky Jack Aubrey, with a little help from Stephen Maturin, becomes a Commodore and leads his squadron of ships into battle with the French.
A new father, Jack Aubrey leaves behind his wife to venture out to the Indian Ocean. His wife, Sophie, lost her dowry and story begins with Jack hurting for money. So the opportunity to have command and be back on full pay is most welcome. Commodore Aubrey's command is complicated by the personalities of his subordinate commanders. Maturin comes out of the closet and works his espionage in the open.
With victory just within his grasp, Admiral Bertie arrives to take command and the credit away from Jack. Despite that setback, Lucky Jack stills finishes on top.
I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: Aubrey hoists his pennant...
Comment: "The Mauritius Command" opens a few years after the end of "HMS Surprise". Jack has discovered married life to be very different than he imagined, & longs to be back at sea. The arrival of Stephen Maturin (& mushrooms) stirs the household to a frenzy.
This humorous beginning shows Patrick O'Brian's masterful abilities. In a few deft strokes, the past years are filled in with no heavy exposition or flashbacks, & the events to come are put into motion. Aubrey faces many new challenges in the course of "The Mauritius Command", having to learn to sooth battling egos, command while refraining from fighting, & create a fighting machine from almost nothing. His faithful follower Tom Pullings plays an expanded role in this tale as the captain of a transport & deus ex machina, while Stephen Maturin's political abilities overshadow his medical duties.
This is one of the most exciting Aubrey/Maturin novels, a real "Boys Own Life" type tale, full of gunplay, cat & mouse feints & hearty comradeship. The most exciting aspect of it is that it all really happened (of course with different protagonists!). Learn about a forgotten campaign of the Napoleonic wars & enjoy yourself in the process! Read "The Mauritius Command"!
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating addition to a fabulous series
Comment: The opening of THE MAURITIUS COMMAND finds "Lucky" Jack Aubrey married, poor, and bored. He is without a command, on half pay, and doing no more than tinkering with his telescopes. Happily, his particular friend Stephen Maturin comes bearing glad tidings: an assignment leading an expedition to capture the French-held islands of Mauritius and La Reunion just east of Madagascar.
Unlike the previous novels, where Jack commands a vessel usually unattached from joint maneuvers, he here commands several ships. Unfortunately, the Commodore (as Jack is temporarily called) has a problem: the captains of the three primary ships are troublesome. Lord Clonfert nurses a long held jealously of Jack's fame and success, and has a tendency for self-promotion and showmanship. Pym is solid, but in the end lacks judgment in battle. Corbett is the polar opposite of Jack in regard to discipline. While Jack believes in discipline, he staunchly believes that brutality and frequent punishment is both cruel and counterproductive, leading to an unhappy ship. Corbett, on the other hand, is a savage disciplinarian, and keeps his crew on the edge of mutiny.
All of the novels in the series have their unique appeal, and this one delights in its chronicling the course of a single campaign, a campaign that O'Brian notes is based quite closely on real events. The novel is also superb in its setting in a locale of which most readers will be utterly unfamiliar. It is also fun because more than in the previous novels, Stephen Maturin plays a more prominent role as an intelligence officer, and his work on the islands in fermenting rebellion against the French is as crucial as Jack's role in leading the military expedition.
I would caution anyone tempted to read O'Brian to start with the very first novel and work from the first to the last. I deeply love these books, but they do not stand alone.
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Title: The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian ISBN: 0393308138 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 August, 1991 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Post Captain (Aubrey-Maturin (Paperback)) by Patrick O'Brian ISBN: 0393307069 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian ISBN: 0393308200 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 January, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Ionian Mission (Aubrey-Maturin (Paperback)) by Patrick O'Brian ISBN: 0393308219 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 1991 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Treason's Harbour (Aubrey-Maturin (Paperback)) by Patrick O'Brian ISBN: 0393308634 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 April, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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