Book Review
Master & Commander

By Patrick O’Brian
Reviewed by Mike Finkbiner
from the February 2004 Newsletter

The recent movie Master & Commander - The Far Side of the World has brought renewed interest in the novels of Patrick O’Brian on which it is based.

The series consists of 20 volumes, starting with Master & Commander in which a young Jack Aubrey, just promoted to Commander, meets the surgeon Stephen Maturin, who will become his friend and companion and ends with Blue at the Mizzen after Napoleon's final defeat in 1815. The movie is roughly based on The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series.

O’Brian never intended to write a series. Master & Commander was intended to stand alone, but the publisher asked for a sequel, and as their popularity grew, more and more books were written.

In many ways this is just one long novel, exploring the world at the beginning of the Nineteenth century. It is more than a tale of combat at sea. Jack and Stephen are not just one-dimensional heroes. They are both serious amateur musicians; Stephen is a medical doctor and naturalist - who often complains that the navy allows him to see the world, but seldom gives him time to stop and study it! Jack is fascinated by the mathematics of celestial navigation, and builds his own telescope.

The books have depth. The characters live and love, grow and change, suffer loss and relish triumph. Through O’Brian's writing we learn about sailing a ship, doctoring sailors, driving a coach and four, rigging the stock market, fighting a duel, dissecting a bird, fomenting a revolution and trapping a spy. Without straining, he makes art, music, food and science part of the story, adding richness to the background without lecturing.

There is so much to be found in these books that many people have been drawn to create works exploring other facets, including a cookbook and collections of music. Here’s a partial list:

Harbors and High Seas by Dean King: a synopsis of each Aubrey/Maturin book, with maps of the voyage

A Sea of Words by Dean King: a reference to almost all the terms in the Aubrey/Maturin series

Patrick O’Brian’s Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World, Richard O’Neill, Editor: a large-format introduction to Napoleonic naval warfare

Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels of Patrick O’Brian by Anthony Gary Brown: over 4,500 entries in 342 pages explain the identities and meanings behind the names of all the characters (human and otherwise) in the stories

Jack Aubrey Commands: An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O’Brian by Brian Lavery: a solid introduction to the Royal Navy of Jack Aubrey's era, with numerous quotes from contemporary sources

Lobscouse and Spotted Dog by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman, Lisa Grossman Thomas: a marvelous cookbook, created with humor and talent, for those who want to try some of the food of the period. Almost as much fun to read as a novel!

Musical Evenings with the Captain, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, ESS.A.Y Recordings: Two CDs of music that is either mentioned in the books, or similar to it.

Mike Finkbiner is a confirmed bookaholic who loves tall ships, SF, history and mysteries. Every February he thinks longingly of windjammer cruises in the Carribean, but most of his travel involves a VW camper.

© Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

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