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.