This is the first book by this author that I have read and I can hardly wait to get my hands on the rest of his writings. For a long time I have read and re-read the
C. S. Forester "Hornblower" books and have always been disappointed that there were not more of them. With the arrival of Patrick O'Brian on my night table this disappointment has finally been allayed.
What is this book about? Well, Captain Aubrey and his ship, Surprise, are ordered to sail from Gibraltar to Cape Horn to intercept and engage an American warship that is on a mission to harass and capture British whalers. Their voyage, with its attendant discipline problems, storms, treachery and castaways ultimately takes them to the Marquesas in the Pacific where all difficulties are finally resolved.
The protagonist, Captain Aubrey, has a great deal in common with Forester's hero, Hornblower, in addition to the same situation as captain in the British royal navy of the early nineteenth century. Both are modest men though they demonstrate extraordinary feats of seamanship. While Hornblower considers himself socially inept and a romantic bumbler, Aubrey has more confidence and machismo though he suffers often from getting his foot in his mouth. Both manage to attract and marry intelligent women though their married lives are not blissfully smooth and are largely offstage. Both struggle (and occasionally succeed) at being witty. Both have an absolute attachment to their duty but their decisions regarding others are always tempered with compassion and an understanding of human frailty.
But O'Brian does not troll the same waters as Forester, he fishes it much more deeply and thoroughly and produces a much richer catch than Forester did. There is no-one in the Hornblower books like naturalist, musician and intelligence agent Stephen Maturin. His Darwinian fascination with the variety of the earth's creatures enriches the picture of that historical period and provides a fascinating counterpoint to his rather more business-like captain.
To conclude this comparison, one of the great arts of C. S. Forester in his Hornblower books was the skill with which he made complex naval operations comprehensible to landlubbers like myself who don't know a marlin spike from a taffrail. O'Brian has this same ability to describe clearly and in detail complicated sailing maneuvers and strategies in such a way that they are easy to visualize and understand. His prose is denser and more complex than Forester's but the additional attention it takes is well-rewarded by the added depth and richness of the characters and situations he describes.
I recommend highly "The Far Side of the World" to any reader who wants to settle down to a splendid tale full of far-off places, danger and difficulty, and good company along the way.
Disclaimer: Prices are posted in good faith and are accurate at the time of posting. However, in the event of any difference between the price set by Amazon.com and the price quoted on this page, the price set by Amazon is the correct price.