The Surgeon's Mate (Aubrey/Maturin)

This was advertised as a used book, but the condition was fine! If I have one complaint it would be the shipping costs. I ordered three books at once and all were delivered in the same USPS envelope. In spite of that, I was charged three different shipping charges.

In "The Surgeon's Mate", Patrick O'Brian concludes the interior trilogy that is contained within his larger series- the previous two being "Desolation Island" and "Fortune of War". In these books Stephen Maturin comes into his own as the main protagonist driving the suspense and tension- in addition to the overt action on the high seas and the covert action of 19th Century espionage, Stephen struggles with an addiction to an opiate and a woman whose collective effect nearly destroys him. "The Surgeon's Mate" continues this trend and takes it to new levels, and concludes them rather than leaving us hanging. `Lucky' Jack Aubrey is of course present, and often present at the heart of the action, and in this volume exposes the weaker side of his character in the form of an affair he has in Halifax- after so long away, he caves only a few months from home.

From the harbor of Halifax, Stephen, Jack and Diana travel back to England and are pursued relentlessly by American privateers- so relentlessly that Stephen realizes they are sent to hunt and capture him as result of his recent exploits in causing havoc among the French intelligence service in America. From this tense chase, the companions are given a much needed respite in England. The are there long enough for Jack's mistake with Amanda Smith in Halifax to haunt him- for Diana and Stephen to drift apart, and for Stephen to accept his invitation to speak at the Institute in Paris on his beloved topic of Natural Philosophy. When in Paris he brings Diana and sets her up with his contacts, as she can no longer stand English society (mostly due to her own promiscuity), and terrified at the prospect that she is unmarried and may be with child. Jack and Stephen reunite and escape from their various troubles by accepting a mission to neutralize (peacefully if possible) a garrisoned fortress in the Baltic known as the Grisholm; a fortress manned by Catalan soldiers misled by Napoleon's propaganda and led by none other than Stephen's Godfather. This sets up Maturin to again take the lead and showcase the espionage that O'Brian writes so well.

Along the way to the conclusion O'Brian writes some of his best descriptions of the Channel, and the sights to be seen there. The dialogue is crisp and sparkles- the addition of the Swedish `hero' named Jagiello adds a lot of humor- the scenes of Stephen, Jack and Jagiello bumbling and scheming in prison is classic. The final chapters take the reader on a gale-force journey from cannon fire in the Baltic to the terrors of a lee-shore and eventually the infamous Temple Prison in Paris. . . .

Patrick O'Brian's scope of imagination is staggering. We are now into the seventh book in his series, and Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey and surgeon/naturalist/spy Stephen Maturin continue to find themselves in realistic-yet-dire circumstances of a personal, military, and intelligence nature. Through it all, these two characters never seem like invincible juggernauts, but instead very human, very capable men living by the best their wits and luck can offer.

At the outset of the novel, Aubrey and Maturin need to flee the New World for the old, but find themselves hard-pressed to do so. Thanks to Dr. Maturin's single-handed destruction of French spy networks in Boston (including a wee bit of murder), a wealthy intelligence figure hires ships to track down the fleeing Maturin. The result is a thrilling chase off Nova Scotia and the nearby waters - while I prefer Aubrey's sinking of the Dutch 74 the Waakzamheid in "Desolation Island," this chase is one of the most thrilling in the series so far.

And the joys of this novel don't stop there. O'Brian once again finds various ways to inject humor into his novel. Dr. Maturin hits a personal and professional high (as a naturalist) when he gets the chance to address a body of learned scientists in Paris . . . only to bungle the presentation horribly. Aubrey allows himself to be seduced by a wanton woman while celebrating his escape from the jail in Boston, and is confronted with news of the natural biological result of such a transgression. Maturin and Aubrey are accompanied on many of their adventures in "SM" by the Swedish captain Jagiello, a supremely attractive young man, and Aubrey finds himself at a loss as to why the women fall all over themselves for this young buck when they could have a sailor "with the handsomest set of whiskers in the fleet." There are joys in this novel that you just don't find in most swashbuckling thrillers.

But at its heart, "SM" is an adventure yarn, and O'Brian does not disappoint. In a story that sweeps from the New World to Paris to Denmark to the infamous Temple Prison back in France, Aubrey and Maturin find themselves thrown from one pan into another fire. And God bless them for it!

When I purchased a few more of the Aubrey-Maturin series, the clerks behind the counter tried to recall upon which cable network the series was being televised. Their memories did not serve them well, because they had the Aubrey-Maturin series mixed up with the A & E channel's Horatio Hornblower series. The mistake was understandable,though, because O'Brian's series clearly shows the author's awareness that he is plowing a field that a series of naval novels has already furrowed. Yet, the Aubrey/Maturin novels do not seem like "knock-offs" of the Horatio Hornblowers; instead, they are quite interesting in their own right. Aubrey, the sea captain, and Maturin, his ship's surgeon and an intelligence agent, are both interesting, larger than life, and yet human, characters. The technique of telling real-life sea battles and portraying real historical personages as minor characters is as old as naval historical fiction, but O'Brian does it so well it never seems forced or pedantic. The recurring themes of the novel--the consummate sea captain who is all asea on land, the consummate intelligence agent who is anything but intelligent in matters of the heart, do not seem too clicheed,though the author and the reader use them as touchstones, decorative fill-in between the exciting naval stuff. The Surgeon's Mate manages to make both its naval scenes and its "other story" quite interesting, which is not always as true as the other O'Brian books, in which the naval battles are so fascinating, one longs to be done with the romantic and personal troubles of the protagonists and move on to another sea engagement. The social commentary--people of the very early 19th C. were human like us, but the social structure was quite different--is, as always in this series, effective because it is not a centerpiece. We see over and over in these books how cultured and yet how barbaric the practice of this time could be.
This is a really good read. This is a really good series. If you haven't given Maturin and Aubrey a go, you should!

Before reading each of the last couple of books in this series I think to myself that surely this book cannot be as good as the ones before it and each time, after reading it, I know that I was wrong. This book is as good as any of the previous books in this phenomenal series and I throughly enjoyed every page. This book has it all; action and suspense on land and sea, great character development and wonderfully sharp wit. I don't like to give away too much about the plot in my reviews, but in short, Stephen gets into more trouble for his espionage activities, his relationship with Diana develops further, and Jack's personal life gets more complicated and difficult. I thought that Diana comes across as a slightly more likeable character in this book than in previous books. Although this is basically a serious story, it is also very funny; probably the most humorous book in the series so far. O'brian introduces a great new character, Jagiello, a strikingly handsome, accident-prone cavalry officer that attracts pretty much every women he meets. Many of the really funny scenes involve Jagiello. In conclusion, I know that this series will probably decline in quality at some point, but not yet. As a side note, there have been many negative things written lately about O'brian's personal life. Even if most of what I have read is true and O'brian really wasn't such a nice guy, it shouldn't detract from his reputation as a writer. Whether he was good, bad or somewhere in between as a person doesn't change the fact that his books are brilliant.

This volume is the third in a mini-trilogy within the larger Aubrey-Maturin series, and it's rather more given to personal and political rather than purely naval affairs. Again, it opens where the previous volume closed, with the victory of Shannon over the Chesapeake and the arrival of both at Halifax. While they're being feted by local society for the victory, Jack, in a peke over his lack of mail from home, gets carried away in an indiscretion with a local fortune-hunter, which haunts him for the rest of the book. Diana Villiers, meanwhile, has a parallel problem as a result of her liaison with Johnson in the previous volume. The three finally leave Canada for England on the packet carrying the great news, but are hotly pursued by a couple of American privateers apparently in Johnson's employ; he wants both his papers and his woman back. When they reach England, Steven's own intelligence coup leads to his being sent on a mission to the Baltic, where he must convince a Catalan contingent to desert the Napoleonic cause, and this whole episode is one of the most interesting I've read yet. In the latter stages of the mission, however, Jack and Steven find themselves in the clutches of the French, and then in prison in Paris, and Steven's talents are called for again. This one is more a spy adventure than a sea story, but it's very enjoyable for all that. (It took me an embarrassingly long time to catch on to the title, though.)

In "The Surgeon's Mate", as the title suggests, Stephen Maturin is the main protagonist. Although of course Jack Aubrey is always present to help Maturin accomplish his goals, most of the action revolves around intelligence activities.
The book opens right where the previous "The Fortune of War" ended. Maturin & Aubrey sail into Halifax Canada as conquering warriors & are much acclaimed by the locals (with some humorous entanglements for Aubrey). Soon, tho, we are back at sea, being pursued by privateers paid to kill Maturin. From this point on there is almost constant action, for Maturin has new intelligence assignments as well as unfinished business with the French. Meanwhile, his personal life continues rocky due to Diana Villiers presence. Of course, all will end happily as Patrick O'Brian lets you know by his choice of titles.
It is hard to critically discuss "The Surgeon's Mate" as a stand-alone novel, since so much of it is a continuation of plots begun in "The Fortune of War". It is complex, exciting, & definitely not the best choice as your introduction to the Aubrey/Maturin series. At the very least, read "The Fortune of War" before embarking upon this particular voyage. You will enjoy all the more for having done so!

Another great book in the fabulous series ! This time, Doctor Maturin comes to the forefront and delivers an exceptional performance of duty in a "special Ops" mission that requires
stealth and cunning. He does not disappoint. Just when the pair are seemingly out of peril, everything goes wrong and they are again behind bars in a dismal prison with few options. The book does not disappoint from this point on, as old friends come to the forefront and save the day. I always know that there is going to be a happy ending as book 8 is waiting for me to read. Mention was made in the story of the possibility of sending the captives to the "notorious" prison in Bitche. I had the opportunity to visit the fortress (I did not know that it was also a prison ?) and thought the following link might prove interesting: [...]

Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe.
Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania.
Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatly. In some ways, it was a ruthless meritocracy whose structure and success anticipates the great expansion of government power and capacity seen in the rest of the 19th century.
O'Brian is also the great writer about male friendship. There are important female characters in these books but since most of the action takes place at sea, male characters predominate. The friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the central armature of the books and is a brilliant creation. The position of women in these books is ambiguous. There are sympathetic characters, notably Aubrey's long suffering wife. Other women figures, notably Maturin's wife, leave a less positive impression. On board ship, women tend to have a disruptive, even malign influence.
How did O'Brian manage to sustain his achievement over 20 books? Beyond his technical abilities as a writer and the instrinsic interest of the subject, O'Brien made a series of very intelligent choices. He has not one but two major protagonists. The contrasting but equally interesting figures of Aubrey and Maturin allowed O'Brien to a particularly rich opportunity to expose different facets of character development and to vary plots carefully. This is quite difficult and I'm not aware of any other writer who has been able to accomplish such sustained development of two major protagonists for such a prolonged period. O'Brian's use of his historical setting is very creative. The scenes and events in the books literally span the whole globe as Aubrey and Maturin encounter numerous cultures and societies. The naval setting allowed him also to introduce numerous new and interesting characters. O'Brian was able to make his stories attractive to many audiences. Several of these stories can be enjoyed as psychological novels, as adventure stories, as suspense novels, and even one as a legal thriller. O'Brian was also a very funny writer, successful at both broad, low humor, and sophisticated wit. Finally, O'Brian made efforts to link some of the books together. While a number are complete in themselves, others form components of extended, multi-book narratives. Desolation Island, Fortune of War, and The Surgeon's Mate are one such grouping. Treason's Harbor, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal are another. The Letter of Marque and the ensuing 4 books, centered around a circumnavigation, are another.
Though the average quality of the books is remarkably high, some are better than others. I suspect that different readers will have different favorites. I personally prefer some of the books with greater psychological elements. The first book, Master and Commander, is one of my favorites. The last 2 or 3, while good, are not as strong as earlier books. I suspect O'Brian's stream of invention was beginning to diminish. All can be read profitably as stand alone works though there is definitely something to be gained by reading in consecutive order.

Jolly Captain Jack Aubrey and his sidekick the bespectacled bohemian Doctor Maturin Return for this 7th book in the renowned Aubrey/Maturin series. In this segment, Maturin and fem fatale Diana Viller's romance heats up, Jack's money troubles become more pronounced, and Doc Maturin's career as a spy threatens to become the death of him.

What can I say about this great series? The character of Jack Aubrey is just SO endearing and Doctor Maturin is so priceless as the inscrutable doctor, that this series simply cannot be missed! Even the presence of Diana Villers (a character I've simply loathed for quite some time), seems less irritating.

I'm listening to the unabridged Narrated version by Patrick Tull, and this series is wonderful. Cannot be missed. Particularly love the parts where Jack/Maturin and The Swedish Envoy are in prison. Too funny! Wonderful series. I highly recommend it.

The focus is on Stephen Maturin in this seventh installment of the Aubrey-Maturin series, which, though it isn't the best or most exciting of the first seven books, is still a ripping good read. Returning to England following their escapades in North America, Aubrey and Maturin try to settle into life at home -- Jack with his family and Stephen with his scientific pursuits -- but their pasts catch up with them, compelling them to join forces for a spur-of-the-moment mission to the Baltic. Will they succeed? Will they overcome the old problems that dog them? And just who is the surgeon's mate? Read this tale of spying, diplomacy, and (of course!) naval combat to find out.

I expected not to enjoy this as adventures on the high seas are not really my cup of tea. However this is excellently written, earthy and realistic, bringing alive the people and the time. My only criticism, and purely personal due to my lack of knowledge, is that there is a fair bit of incomprehensible sailing cant. however, since this is part of the scene and to explain it would break the narrative flow, i do not mark down on that. As something outside my usual range this was excellent and I will probaly catch up with Jack Aubrey again.

This book particularly abounds with suspense and drama.

We have an extended chase, a ship wreck, capture by the French resulting in a close brush with old enemies and Diana behaving as true and nobly as she always has been capable of, even though she's often fallen short and behaved badly, instead.

If you didn't love O'Brian before, this one will certainly endear him to you now.

I assume that people interested in audio versions of O'Brian's novels have already read the books. So, listening to them is a supplementary pleasure that can follow a great read. My rating here has nothing to do with the literary quality of the work in question. The whole Aubrey-Maturin series is superb. But if you want to listen to them I recommend that you stay away from the recordings of Simon Vance. He is unable to sufficiently differentiate the characters, with their diverse accents from around the world. For example, Maturin grew up in Ireland, and should therefore have a bit of an Irish accent. Vance can't do it, and offers stuffy readings that make Jack sound like a bombastic jerk, and Stephen like a mincing prig. And in his hands, Diana comes off as a silly simpering ninny. The skills of an actor, not just a reader, are required here. I most highly recommend Patrick Tull, who recorded the entire series with consistent success and enthusiasm, as well as John Lee, who unfortunately only recorded the first 6 volumes of the series.

I ordered this book explicitly by ISBN to ensure the correct edition, verified the cover matched the covers on all the rest of my Aubrey/Maturin books, and waited with glee. the store pulled a bait & switch on me, shipping the wrong edition (they actually did this with one additional book on my 4-book order).

The book was great though. Highly recommended.

If you want a particular edition, though, get it somewhere else.

Excellent adventure with everything you expect from O'Brian plus a few "Surprises". Even if you aren't already a fan of the main characters you will find this entertaining. But I recommend reading the series in order if you can.

In the continue Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin saga, this book focuses a bit more on Maturin. We see a little more of his human side, his insecurities, inners struggles and foibles. He is a man like the rest of the world after all. Diana is shown in a more flattering light, too. Great literature!