Patrick O'Brian Books

Fans of the Aubrey-Maturin series will not be disappointed.

Here again is the real, witty dialog, the warm (and evil) characters, the all-too-real scenery made possible by what can only be called preternatural powers of story-telling.

You won't be disappointed in experiencing O'brien's failings, too: complete disregard of tying off the loose ends of a plot, complete lack of any epilogue. But haven't we come to love even that part of his work?

It needs to be said, that The Unknown Shore is 99% based on the narration by John Byron (grandad to the poet) a midshipman of the Wager, who survived the wreck in desolate Patagonia and returned five years later to England. History describes Byron as "surviving great hardships". You have to read his account of the story to really understand the meaning of the word (well, from your comfy chair). So when some of the reviewers sort of complain about "oh, how much hardship can we take", I'd say, "Dude, that actually happened"
Patrick O'Brien simply lifted the story, scene by scene, and in no edition of this book I have seen any recognition to Byron's narrative.
The story is so compelling, that it is still in print. Do yourself a favor and read the original. Find it in Amazon as The Loss of the Wager. This edition adds even more fascination to the story, because of including a second account of the wreck, this time by the group that deserted Captain Cheap, and sailed back south, through the Magellan Strait once more.

You know how these characters in "24" and "under Siege" constantly get the stuffing kicked, stabbed, shot, slashed, punched, imprisoned, tortured and just plain irritated? Well. this is what Patrick O"Btian does to Jack and Toby - the predecessors to Aubrey-Maturin in the 20 volume/episode novel(s). There are section that are just hard to read because of the empathy that you feel for the characters. These characters are not two dimensional. black and white. They are real people moving within a realm that is from light to charcoal grey.

The book is a great read but it really doesn't stand on its own. What keeps you going is knowing that the treasure trove awaits in the other novels. There are many loose ends never tied up - what sis happen to Captain Cheap and why was he not slowly skinned alive or disemboweled?

It is a good intro to O'Brian but don't stop here. Read it and then go get those next 20 novels.

The Unknown Shore is the story of Tobias and Jack, two unlikely companions who, after enlisting in the royal navy are subject to so many trials and tribulations at the end of the novel I was surprised that they survived with their sanity intact. The novel starts off mildly enough, but after they are castaway, things begin to go rapidly downhill. As if the gruesome descriptions of scurvy were not enough, the reader is treated to watching characters starve to death slowly, under the iron fist of a stupid, and selfish captain.

Frankly, my greatest disappointment was that O'Brian did not show us what happened to the cruel and heavy-handed captain Cheap, who deserved to be eaten by cannibals at the very least.

Good, but not great, and not something I would want to read again.

I am a longtime reader of O'Brian's work and sought this out after I had exhausted the Aubrey-Maturin series for the second time. This story is often said to be a progenitor of the series, but I beg to differ. The main characters bear some resemblance to the two heroes, but are wholly unlike when closely examined.

This is a rich, detailed story at first, far funnier than many other of his novels. Midway through, though, he loses his thread (he often talks about sailors ashore being fools, and this may be a case in point) and never fully regains it. The story wanders through detailed descriptions of suffering and death with a deus ex machina end seemingly borne of the mutual exhaustion of both author and reader.

Tales of survival are well and good... inspiring, even, at times... but after a point it becimes an endurance test for even the most stalwart reader. In his later works, O'Brian learned that it was the characters and not the events that kept the reader enthralled. Sadly, this work wore on me: again and again the dismal tales of survival against all odds stacked up like cordwood until I was no longer interested.

The language is lovely, but the clean, superb O'Brian style fades away in the late-middle. This is not unusual in novels; few carry their bold beginnings to the end. With O'Brian, though, I had hoped for more, even in his early work.

There is some comfort that even such a master faltered at first, and that his later command of story, character and voice was learned (authors such as Saul Bellow are disturbing in their untiring published perfection, and I am cheered that one of my all-time favorites is capable of sometimes boring me.)

I would say that this is a journeyman piece: beautifully researched, well-begun but ultimately not up to the standard that set you reading it in the first place.

Being a descendant of an Admiral of the Fleet I have always been intested in naval life in the days of sail and wondered what the balance was between wonderful and privileged adventure and virtual slavery below decks. "Jack Aubrey Commands" gives you all the answers!I am not a great fan of Patrick O'Brian's books, but am glad he wrote them. This book, by Brian Lavery, is well-researched, suitably illustrated and enjoyable reading for well-informed naval historians or schoolboys who have an interest in the subject.

Brian Lavery is the author of the thoroughly excellent "Nelson's Navy", praised by Patrick O'Brian as the most nearly royal road to knowledge about the Royal Navy of the 1793-18115 period he knew. Lavery's new book, "Jack Aubrey's Commands: A Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian", is quite evidently tied to the release of the film "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World", based upon O'Brian's novels -- the book's foreword, after all, was written by Peter Weir. the director of the movie. But the book is at least as much directed towards the readers of O'Brian's novels as to viewers of the film (and more so, I would argue), and it should be equally enticing for those simply interested in that historical era. To be sure, Lavery's "Nelson's Navy" is an excellent reference book that contains far more detailed information than the present work, but "Jack Aubrey's Commands" is written in a more approachable style for the general reader, with a text that is meant to be read as a continuous whole, rather than as a collection of details and essays. Its particular strength lies in the numerous and lengthy quotes taken from contemporary sources, making the narrative more vivid and easy to relate to a living world long vanished. In this regard, "Jack Aubrey's Commands" serves as a companion to Lavery's own "Nelson's Navy" as well as to the novels of Patrick O'Brian.

Someone recently asked me whether it was better to buy "Jack Aubrey's Commands" or Richard O'Neill's recent "Patrick O'Brian's Navy: Jack Aubrey's World". Putting the obvious answer of "Buy both of them!" aside (and assuming that the reader already has Lavery's "Nelson's Navy" or feels that this earlier work is as yet too formidable to approach), then my recommendation would depend on the reader's personal preferences. Both volumes contain a good detail of information about the Royal Navy of Jack Aubrey's era. O'Neill's book is especially strong in the area of excellent period illustrations, Lavery's in the direction of narrative strength. The first is perhaps best for repeated browsing, the latter for a straightforward read.

While the sub-title of this book relates it to Jack Aubrey's world, this book is equally at home in understanding the world of C. S. Forester and indeed to the real world of of the Royal Navy of the time.

The book is broken into sections on the major aspects of the Navy including: ships, officers, men, techniques, life at sea, enemies, the Navy in Action, and finally the experience of war.

The book is a delight to read. Each of these sections contains not only information about the actual navy of the time, but also relates many of the details to particular Forester or O'Brian books. For instance the naval blockade is discussed as a tactic. Then there it talks about Hornblower having the Hotspur on blockade duty, and Aubrey being part of the Mediteranean Fleet in the book The Ionian Mission. He even mentions other novels, such as Sharpe's Trafalgar, while normally a soldiers story, Sharpe is put at Trafalgar almost as an accident.

Profusely illustrated by paintings from the time, these include not only the usual outlines of ships, but of the details of the action. These include not only the use of the guns, but also of the less happy parts of the ship, like the surgeon's cockpit.

It's fascinating to read just how accurately life is portrayed in fiction.

If you're a fan of nautical adventure, this is definitely a book you want to own. Lavery, a greatly respected naval historian, has written several earlier volumes on the Royal Navy of the Napoleonic period (including the highly regarded _Nelson's Navy_), and he was also one of the principal technical advisors on Peter Weir's film, MASTER AND COMMANDER. (Weir, in fact, provides a glowing Foreword.) This heavily illustrated volume tries to cover all the bases, organizing its topics into chapters like "The World of the Seaman," "The Ships," "Officers," "The Lower Deck," "Techniques," and so on. Technical information is provided but is kept under control so as not to frighten the novice, and he quotes heavily from early Victorian memoires, biographies, and histories -- and also from the works of Marryat, Forester, O'Brian, and even Jane Austen's _Persuasion_. On the other hand, Lavery, unfortunately, was not well served by his editor, copyeditor, or proofreader. (Having worked for them myself in the past, as a freelance editor, I know Naval Institute Press is capable of far better support work.) There often are several typos, omitted words, and confusing references on a single page. There also are a number of incorrect or incomplete source citations and at least one mislabeled diagram (on page 104). Lavery also is prone to frequent and unnecessary repetition in his discourse, especially in explaining points of shiphandling and other technical matters. Finally, the index and the bibliography are rather amateurishly organized. But on the *other* other hand, I finally understand catharpins!

This book covers a large area rather thinly. It is saved from "coffee table" status by some penetrating insights into such things at shipbuiding methods, or the composition of the Admiralty administration. It left me with the need to follow up many subjects, and I count that a plus for this type of book.
I was a little disappointed that there was so little nexus between the sections of the book, and O'Brian's stories. One of the joys of O'Brian's work is that it seems closely related to fact, and I'd hoped for the little tingle of pleasure when the fact and the fiction are joined together.
on a very minor point, it seems to me that the cover illustration shows a ship whose sails are not properly set...some are on starboard, and some on port tack. If I'm wrong, someone please show me my blunder.

Lots of great large pictures and plenty of information. A good book to ad to your collection of movie related books.

My dad loves Master and Commander (and so do I), so I got him this book for Christmas. He loves it and said it was his favorite present this year! He says he's also reading the books by Patrick O'Brian (the author of the books that inspired this movie) and he said he sometimes goes back to this book for reference after reading the novels.

This book is divided into sections - stuff about the crew, the doctor, the captain, etc. It has quotes from the actors and stuff about the novels and the author.

Well, all I can say is my dad loves this book and is still looking at it from Christmas and I look at it all I can. If you love the Master and Commander movie, you'll love this book!

If you love the O'Brian series and the movie, this book is not only full of colour photos but also contains much information about the movie and its actors. Any interested in the 19th century British Royal Navy will find it intersting, also. A great book!!!

I'm a great fan of O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels and of Napoleonic era naval fiction in general, and I looked forward to this film with a certain apprehension. I mean, how could they possibly do justice to O'Brian's extremely detailed world? Would they just crank out a superficial action film? I'm not sure any devotée was entirely pleased with the result, but it was, in fact, a pretty damn good movie. And all the background information and photos in this book help explain why. Peter Weir, the director, was a fanatic on accurate historical detail, including small items you never see on camera (but the crew knows they're there). He kept the entire cast together for the full five months of filming at the big tank in Baja, the same way a ship's crew would be together every day of their lives. And he instituted hierarchy (with Russell Crowe at the top, naturally) even during the "boot camp" phase at the beginning of the project. And on and on. A fascinating look behind the scenes and into the minds of all the people responsible for the film. I winced every time they talked about the "cannon," though.

Patrick O'Brian was not an art historian or a professional biographer. He was an accomplished writer with a wide range of interests and knowledge. He is, of course, the author of the celebrated Aubrey/Maturin nautical novels ("The best historical novels ever written" - New York Times), but was much more than that. Among other things, he was the first to translate Simone de Beauvoir's works into English, and was the author of a fine biography of the English scientific luminary Joseph Banks. He was also a close friend of Picasso's.

O'Brian's familiarity with Picasso, his wide range of interests and knowledge, and his attention to historical context and detail is a recipe for a wide-ranging and very personal account of the artist. It attends carefully to the material and geographical circumstances of Picasso's origins and life; it is filled with real truth about the artist and how his life and history are reflected in his art. It is not a treatise on Picasso's contribution to 20th century painting, but is nonetheless a wonderfully written and engaging perspective on the man and his work. Highly recommended.

A note: Amazon lists several versions of this title. Most of them are imports that will take 1 to 4 months for delivery, and the more current one from Norton doesn't show up in a search on Picasso and O'Brian. Do a search on ISBN 0393311074, listing just the number, to get the most current edition.

I have read two other books about Picasso ("Picasso's Women" and "Picasso's War". This give a much more-rounded (and affectionate) view of the great man, and also gives much insight into his work and the critical reception of it. Highly recommended.

After having read many books about Picasso. It was a pleasure to enjoy the author's prose. The subject was a keen interest of Mr.O'Brian's as were his other bio. clients who form a wide range of characters. It is apparent that it is the writing rather than exacting erudition which is the author's trademark.

The opening of the book which describes Malaga and its history is fascinating and sets the stage for Picasso's development. One can easily understand Picasso absorbing this rich culture.

On comparison with Richardson this volume comes off rather poorly and subscribes to some well known anecdotes which are now known to be false. One such incident was when Picasso's father is supposed to have given up painting altogether after seeing how good his son was. Picasso was fourteen or fifteen at the time yet there exist paintings of pigeons signed by Don Ruiz up until his death.

The narrative follows Picasso from Spain to France and rightly emphasises the entire cubist episode. The usual list of early characters are present, e.g. Max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire, Fernande Olivier, etc.

What struck me as the best of this book was the author's willingness to describe Picasso's terrible behaviour, especially in his latter years when he would ignore or reject official plaudits. His treatment of women including the terrible initiation of Jacqueline Roque is not spared and yet it is not written with malice but with an understanding that it was all the sycophants and their scraping that only served to isolate Picasso even further.

Nevertheless, when Picasso was faced with an equal (Matisse or Braque) or someone even older than himself whom he may have known as a youngster (Pallares)he was a gracious and tactful host.

This is not the best biography of Picasso (that honour belong's to John Richardson) but it is perfectly readable and does contain some insights that are unique.

It is a pleasure to find a work of non-fiction in which the writing flows smoothly across the page, and in which a rich portrait of the subject emerges without recourse to over-wrought speculation. This sympathetic, yet detailed account of Picasso is both fun to read for its own sake, and fascinating for the sake of its subject. A very readable biography.

Much better than I expected and much better than King's bio. Here is so much meat for the interested reader in O'Brian as a young man and it explains how O'Brian became who he was. I hope that Tolstoy writes a "Volume 2".

This is an extremely well written summary of the first 35 years of Patrick O'Brian/Richard Patrick Russ/Richard Ross's life. Nikolai Tolstoy does a superb job mapping the parallels between the unattested portions of his step-father's life through a detailed analysis of O'Brian's 3rd and autobiographical novel, Richard Temple. Tolstoy's interpretations is measured and credible. While critical of certain points in Dean King's portrait, he avoids getting excessively embroiled in their differences.

What I still am at a loss to understand is exactly what prompted O'Brian's name change at the end of WWII, particularly given that Richard Russ operated as Richard Ross while working with what appears to have been one of the propaganda branches of British Intelligence during WWII. Tolstoy teasingly describes how Richard Russ a.k.a. Richard Ross had assumed the identity of an academic with a PHD from an Italian University. Was Richard/Patrick escaping these lies?

The other area that remains unexplored is Patrick O'Brian's craftsmanship. Tolstoy certainly makes clear that Russ/Ross/O'Brian leveraged many of his life experiences when writing his short stories (and many themes reappear in the Aubrey/Maturin series). But how did a largely uneducated writer evolve such a potent writing style. Tolstoy himself is no mere scribbler. The writing is very clear and moves the reader effortlessly along. But what of his subject's beautiful style? Tolstoy apparently had access to manuscripts from this earlier period. Do they tell us anything?

Finally, I believe that this book will help readers look at the characters in Aubrey/Maturin series, especially the female characters, in a new and richer light.

Tolstoy is currently working on Part II of his O'Brian biography.

Dean King's groundbreaking biography of Patrick O'Brian has taken a real beating of late from Nikolai Tolstoy's recent and competing treatment of his stepfather's first 35 years. Having slogged through both biographies of the literary gifted but humanly flawed O'Brian, I have to say, no one wins. In fact, a pox on both their houses; I am going to forget what I have read and will just start rereading the man's work.

King gets credit for being the first to put together O'Brian's life. Even with all the inaccuracies so helpfully pointed out by Tolstoy, King was able to anchor the main points of that life in a way that make Tolstoy's criticisms often seem petty (more on that). Above all, it must be understood, King has written a biography more of O'Brian's work--what was written when, how it was received, the struggles for recognition--than of his life with all its hidden chapters and strange motivations.

Tolstoy, having read and disagreed with King's bio of his stepfather, has given us an uneven, often tedious, and overly defensive account of O'Brian's life until his move to France in 1949. In the end, quite ironically, his biography leaves one less enamored with O'Brian the man than does King's.

Tolstoy's thickest problem is that he's too close to his subject for comfort. The most transparent example of this is Tolstoy's repeated criticisms of Dean King's errors--some factual but most on the writer's motivations--that themselves originate in O'Brian's lies about himself, lies that Tolstoy dismisses as "innocuous pretense" or "romancing." Tolstoy, in essence, just doesn't see what all the fuss is about, but as one of those O'Brian family members who refused to speak with King, he really cannot have it two ways. Likewise, Tolstoy swings between saying that O'Brian knew perfectly well that he was lying about his background (and what does that matter really?), the suggestion that O'Brian believed his own lies (and therefore is not culpable), and the idea that others wanted to believe O'Brian was Irish, so he had to follow along (and therefore should be forgiven).

It's in the substance of Tolstoy's defense of O'Brian--responding to what King unearthed in his research--that things get ugly, or amusing, depending on your point of view. King discovered that O'Brian had an affair shortly after marrying his first wife; Tolstoy gives O'Brian a pass on adultery because the girl was willing and the wife probably would never know! Tolstoy lets us know that "nothing can justify" O'Brian's leaving the first wife and two small children--one with a fatal disease--but he apparently thinks the situation mitigated somehow by the fact that O'Brian was "constitutionally ill equipped" for fatherhood (in fact he hated children), that his little daughter wasn't going to live long anyway, and that in any case he had met and moved in with his soul mate, the author's mother, a woman of wit and education, quite in contrast to the first wife. At one point Tolstoy cannot understand the first wife's bitterness, as O'Brian had done nothing (nothing!) to provoke it.

Tolstoy's biography is more accurate than King's (it helps to have the subject's diaries and papers), there is no doubt Tolstoy is a better writer (a family thing, perhaps), and I have to say his teasing out autobiographical elements from early short stories is very good indeed. But one must question both his judgment and his perspective. He started by wanting to defend O'Brian against what he saw as unfair treatment, but he ended up portraying a far more dysfunctional, far less appealing Patrick O'Brian than Dean King ever did or would.

A biographer who is intimately familiar with his or her subject, especially if that familiarity extends over nearly half a century, can bring a unique perspective to the subject. Tolstoy certainly does that since his mother, Mary Tolstoy (her last name derives from her first marriage to a member of a branch of THE Tolstoy family) was O'Brian's second wife for that much time. It can also bring a certain bias to the biography, for better or for worse. In this case I think that the author has succeeded in presenting a balanced and highly nuanced portrait of a complex and secretive individual. I disagree with one of the trade reviews on the Amazon page that suggests that Tolstoy is too much of an apologist for O'Brian's behavior, especially towards his first wife and mother of his son.

The writing can get rather tedious at times and I often found myself scanning quickly over whole paragraphs, but taken as a whole the book is well written. Much of it is based on private letters and diaries available only to Tolstoy and not to O'Brian's previous biographer (a book I did have not read). As a result of access to this material there are exquisitely vivid portrayals of war time London and the harsh but beautiful landscape of Wales. Tolstoy's analysis of O'Brian's life, particularly his youth, relies heavily on deconstruction of O'Brians short stories and other early writings. I was amazed to learn that O'Brian's first work was published when he was barely a teenager. While highly speculative, Tolstoy does manage to present a fairly convincing and consistent picture of the author. Although you might wonder if a completley different picture might be drawn from the same fictional writings of O'Brian, the lengthy excerpts from these writings that Tolstoy presents suggests that if you are going to take this approach, then you are not likely to end up with a widely divergent description.

I read the entire Aubrey/Maturine series over a period of a few months about a year ago and wanted to learn more - actually anything - about the author. While Tolstoy's work ends well before O'Brian began or even conceived of the A/M series, you can certainly see his growing fascination both for detail and for life in the late 18th early 19th centuries. Indeed, Tolstoy makes the case that O'Brian probably would have been much happier living in the past than in the present. He was exceedingly class conscious and regarded with disdain many of the "new-fangled" contrivences of mid-20th century life.

So, would I rank this as amongst the best biographies I have read? No, for reasons I have already given. But I certainly do not regret having read it since the writing is good and I learned a great deal about O'Brian. And I certainly would read its successor volume if one is in Tolstoy's plans.

As phones go, this is one of the best for the family to enjoy operating, cut tel costs, and simplify your communications network. Its clarity is outstanding and its simple to operate for the entire family.

are old people real people? that is de Beauvoir's question.
When I first read this book 30 years ago, I thought it was so great I assigned it to my students in a course on gerontology. Now that I am older than the author was when she wrote it, I realize how little she really knew about old people.
de Beauvoir is not a sociologist or a gerontologist, but a professor of philosophy and leftist French writer. She (and her partner Jean Paul Sartre) often took official positions on certain topics as a matter of principle, but with little understanding coming from the heart. She has a clear philosopher's gaze and is utterly pitiless. She doesn't cut people any slack.
Her great contribution here is that she brings a wider attention to what it's like being old in terms of how societies conceptualize old age and in terms of old age as a subjective experience by quoting from the lives and works of famous authors and artists who lived to a ripe old age, defined as anything over 60! How times have changed. Currently the average life expectancy in the US is over 75! (It's over 83 in Kansas).
I now live in a town of 15000 whose founding mayor was elected over the age of 80 (he died in office, suddenly, at 86 in the middle of a development planning project).
Many of my neighbors are pushing 90 or 100 (and over) and keep active walking for miles and swimming for hours daily. Are they real people? You bet! Are some of my neighbors with canes, walkers, hearing aids, cataract surgery and nurse's aides or companions real people? You bet!
The amazing thing about old age is people just want to keep on doing what they are used to doing for as long as they can.
Many of the peculiarities of age that de Beauvoir describes are now known to be due to physical medical problems which are treatable. However, her work is still valid for those last few weeks or months of severe impairment before death.
You just won't feel good after reading this book.

I read this book by when my grandmother was living her last days in a nursing home. There was so much I didn't know about older people -- what is important to them, how they think, what their needs are, how they approach death. Simone de Beauvoir, the celebrated French thinker and writer offers an in-depth study of older people as individuals and older people in society. She also looks at the treatment and psychology of older people across time in western civilization. Anyone who is a caretaker of an older family member or friend, or cares about understanding older people will find this book remarkable and thoughtful.

Readers of the Aubrey Maturin Series may be disappointed as this book of short stories has nothing to do with that series. While I personally read and enjoyed all 20 1/2 of the Aubrey Maturin Series as well as the related Golden Ocean and Unknown Shore, I did not enjoy the few stories I read in this volume. So I would urge caution here.

This is a compilation of short stories, written by Mr. O'Brian over many years. They are emotionally dark, speaking to man's helplessness against the forces of nature and emotion, but they are masterpieces of characterization and understatement.

Read "The Chian Wine" first and you will be astounded.

Ahoy, shipmates! I enjoyed the Aubrey-Maturin books as much as any of you. I was introduced to them by a Medieval musicologist, not someone you'd expect to swash his buckle much, and I read the whole series in one summer. I'm still hoping that another all-concluding volume will be discovered in a secret cask somewhere in Provence. I wouldn't want O'Brian to have been another writer than he was. Nevertheless, his early short stories display the fact that he COULD have been a very different writer, and perhaps a very great different writer. I rather lament the writer that he wasn't as much as I value the writer he was.

The stories in The Rendezvous apparently represent O'Brian's own selection, and thus part of his literary testament. Most of them would be impossible to regcognize as his work if one encountered them anonymously. They are terse, dark, evocative, elusive, and beautifully crafted. Another reviewer has already identified the masterpiece of the collection, "The Chian Wine", a story about ritualized Jew-baiting in an otherwise idyllic village. It's a story that will knock you out of yourself. A classic. But there are other stories of almost equal power, and then there are graceful flirtations with an aesthetic never exposed in the Aubrey-Maturin books. Too bad cloning hadn't been perfected in time to create two Patrick O'Brians - one to write the great sea novels that he wrote, and another to write the great psychological novels that he could have written.

WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?

This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

Many children of fourteen have trouble reading, much less writing well enough to get published. It's a child's story, but already you get glimpes of Aubrey/Maturin. If you're a book collector--and even if you are not--get it for value, and of course for the sheer pleasure of reading what is truly a well-told tale. The first sentence of the first page grabbed me and it never let go. Listen to this:

First you must understand that I am a panda-leopard. My father was a giant panda and my mother a snow-leopard.

And four sentences down the page:

The first thing to make any great impression on my mind was the killing of my sister.

I challenge anyone to put the book down after that.

This book follows the life of a panda leopard. At first, he's nameless, living with his brothers, sister, and mother in a cave. Later he's captured, put into a cage and domesticated. He learns first to live this kind of life. Then he learns to love his master. He comes to the point where his love for his master overcomes his reason. Caesar questions this, but comes back to the fact he does love his master and wouldn't think of disobeying or hurting him. The story also covers another part of his life where Caesar finds a mate and becomes a father. And all the trials and rewards this new life brings. The book basically documents the nature of nature. Right off the bat, the book is an account of nature, its vicious brutality, and its laws. How in nature, death is an everyday thing and its just part of nature. Caesar looses everything, his family, the family he brings into the world, and the family he makes when his master captures him. The story follows him through this all and his feelings towards this. The book offers no sympathy towards anything living as that is not the nature of nature.

4-5 novels per book and 5 books. A must read for naval buffs. A real buy at this price.

The Aubrey/Maturin series are the greastest collection of novels that I have had the honor to read.Obrian has created characters that almost live and breath.I have read all the napolianic war naval writers and I believe Obrian to be the very best! Long live Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin!

A very good value collection. Each volume holds four books in sequence and are physically quite large but seem to be well bound with clear print on thinnish pages.
The text has a small number of typographical errors that I don't remember seeing in the original books but to get the entire collection of O'Brian's Aubrey novels in one set for such a reasonable price I'm prepared to put up with the odd blooper. The ribbon bookmark is a very cute bonus and will certainly stop me from dog-earing the pages.

I bought the series after I read the good reviews from Amazon. Having only 2 Patrick O'Brian's books, I thought this would be a good buy to read all his Aubrey-Maturin novels. The collection despite its economical price has very bad editing. There are numerous typos, misspelled words, misquotations and missing words.
Quite a disappointment. Shoddy work from Norton's editor.

The set is beautiful, makes a great gift. The ribbon in each volumne certainly adds a nice touch. The story itself is spectacular, can't put it down, lots of 2:00 a.m. reading.