Master and Commander

 Master and Commander is the first book of the 21-book Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian, Jack Aubrey having just been promoted to command of his first ship, the Sophie, and Stephen Maturin, a physician at loose ends regarding his practice, who was hired by Jack as the Sophie’s surgeon. The first book in the series was written in 1969, and it was made into a movie in 2003 staring Russell Crowe. O’Brian died in 2000, and the 21^st book was published in 2004. These are naval adventures, and while I’ve now only read the first, I know someone who was quickly hooked on these main characters and he has read them all.

 This first historical novel is a gripping naval adventure that starts in the Mediterranean Sea, and then moves further away from that part of the world. The book gives a day-by-day detailed descriptions of what life was like on board such a ship, especially what it was like to be in the midst of a sea battle when ships are exchanging cannon fire. The main part of the book described the daring behavior by Captain Jack as he challenged a mighty Spanish galleon with his own under-gunned and under-powered HMS Sophie. Just how does a four-man crew operate a cannon? Read the book and you’ll learn the art and danger of it.

 

I listened to this book in audio format at the same time I was reading Pitcairn’s Island. Both stories take place in the beginning of the 19^th, and they essentially complimented each other in terms of the descriptions of the life of those people who were willing to go on serious adventures at that time of our history. Given some free time, I’d love to dive into O’Brien’s second book, Post Captain.