In Memoriam: Patrick O'Brian 1914 - 17th January 2000

The End

The whole series has been with me for so long, that I am at a loss, now that I've come to the end of the final book. I'm going to go in a completely opposite direction, reading Flashman, Cornwell or Alexander Kent will just make the situation worse. They can't possibly compete with O'Brian anyway, can they? Off I go to read On Chesil Beach to take my mind off it.

Blue at the Mizzen

Well, it's the final installment in the series, and I am savouring every finely crafted word. Luckily though, Foyles and Borders have been able to supply several of O'Brian's other novels (notably The Road to Samarcand, available at Borders at 50% off, Richard Temple and The Catalans). I will mark the anniversary of O'Brian's death, next week on the 17th of January.

A rare treat

Well, I can say without fear of contradiction that this soundtrack is definitely worth the money. The original music from the film composed by Iva Davies is intermingled with beautiful versions of the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 K216 (3rd Movement) and most especially Boccherini's La Musica Notturna Delle Strade di Madrid No 6, Op. 30. I can just imagine Jack and Stephen in the Captain's Cabin immersing themselves in a musical world entirely distinct from the day-to-day realities of brutal and uncompromising warfare. I'm sure O'Brian would have approved.

Once it's on the iPod I'll be able to listen to it, whilst I read the last three books on the train. There are some good excerpts on iTunes or amazon.co.uk.
Enjoy!

O'Brian and the Slave Trade

O'Brian's depiction of Jack and Stephen's voyage to the slave-coast of West Africa is just superb. As a novelist he can be accused (given the senior positions of many of his major characters) of a viewpoint based solely from the captain's quarterdeck.....but in the Commodore O'Brian's deep commitment to general historical truth in his novels is evident. The descriptions of the slave trade, the conditions in which slaves were transported and how they were kept awaiting transport, are horrifying. No less horrifying is the dangers that all faced from Yellow Fever, Stephen succumbs and I think the the chapters dealing with his illness are amongst the most memorable in the entire series.

I've finally become interested in the music played by Stephen and Jack in their long journeys together, and I must say....playing Boccherini alongside reading the novel definitely adds to the atmosphere. I'm going to try the soundtrack to the film of Master and Commander....details to follow.

The Commodore

At the start of The Commodore, Jack and Stephen are preparing for a voyage to Africa as part of Commodore Aubrey's newly formed squadron. But all is not well, an enemy at the heart of the establishment is trying to wreck Maturin's career and his intelligence activities. By the middle of the book, the pair have hardly spent any time at sea yet, yet O'Brian's intricate details of a preparation necessary for a sea voyage sustain the reader's interest brilliantly, particularly the developing dramas within each of the Aubrey and Maturin households. Maturin's possibly autistic daughter is being beautifully cared for by his manservant Padeen in a touching snapshot of human drama. I'm hooked......

Aubrey and Maturin's triumphant return to England

After circumnavigating the globe via New South Wales, 'Melanesia', the South Seas, Chile and Peru, Jack and Stephen make a dangerous voyage back to England at the end of the Wine-Dark Sea, avoiding catastrophe at the hands of American Privateers and icebergs. Finally reaching England at the beginning of the Commodore, Jack finds out that his appointment to that rank will finally mean his faithful Pullings will become a post captain at last. Stephen's arrival is not as happy, with personal catastrophe seemingly just around the corner. O'Brian has really hit his stride with these two novels, I am just gripped by the plotting, the extraordinarily tender character development and O'Brian's increasing confidence to challenge and astound the reader with surprise at every turn. I must slow down, I need to savour these books more......