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kynan's review against another edition
4.0
Many a better reviewer has reviewed this series and its component parts so I'll just mention the bits that I loved and be done with it.
Desolation Island has a few passing allusions to Australia since the penal colony at Botany Bay is the ultimate destination of the voyage that this book describes. This leads to references such as "Think of the opportunities, Stephen - thousands of miles of almost unknown sea and coastline - wombats on shore for those that like them...". My Australian heritage and subsequent prolonged absence therefrom make me a sucker for anything Aussie and it was fun to hear ye olde Australia referenced like that.
The chase scene in this story is also fantastic. I don't want to mention any specifics but the description of the participants (including the weather), the general drama leading up to the final conclusion really was top notch.
Stephen's intelligence work plays a reasonably central part in this story and his machinations are interestingly examined and explained as the story progresses.
Finally, as previously mentioned, the minutiae of historical shipboard life, the details of the convict transportation, the food, the medical treatments of the time, it's an awesome (in both the old and new senses of the word) reminder of what people used to take for granted and of how lucky we are today.
In conclusion, go read it now, great fun!
fflf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
dotorsojak's review against another edition
4.0
Here it is the fifth in the series and still a damn fine novel.
One of the great naval chases I've ever read. And a meditation on honor among spies
Worth a read for sure
neilrcoulter's review against another edition
5.0
Five books in, and the series has not lost the number of its mess. [b:Desolation Island|77425|Desolation Island (Aubrey/Maturin, #5)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390360105s/77425.jpg|2366490] begins with an update on life with the Aubreys at Ashgrove Cottage. It's the beginning of ongoing struggles Jack will have with con men who prey on hapless sailors on land. But it reaffirms Jack's trusting, kind heart, and it reveals Sophie's deep strengths—the perfect wife for Jack, despite her doubts.
But Jack and Stephen are quickly back to sea, and so commences what will be a very long and tortuous journey before they return home to England. For Maturin, this is all part of a “long dark night” for him, mentally and physically, as he tries to overcome the laudanum addiction that has grown in the previous books. There is no single "Man with the Golden Arm" moment of triumph for him, but a gradual, logical, well-reasoned victory is more fitting for his character. Stephen also wrestles with the duplicitous and decidedly non-holistic life he is leading. And of course his mind frequently turns to Diana. She herself remains absent in this book, but one of the passengers on the ship, Mrs. Wogan, is a friend to Diana and bears enough resemblance to her that she will bring up many conflicting emotions within Stephen.
This book is about the point in the series at which I began to appreciate how time is moving on in the story. Aubrey and Maturin are ageing, and recurring characters like Bonden and Babbington are no longer the young kids they were. Even Killick will settle down--after his fashion, anyway.
Like [b:The Mauritius Command|77431|The Mauritius Command (Aubrey/Maturin, #4)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389977562s/77431.jpg|2393986], Desolation Island is a single voyage that moves through extremes—of emotion, personality, and climate. I really enjoyed this second read-through, and I was glad to have a copy of the next book, [b:The Fortune of War|77426|The Fortune of War (Aubrey/Maturin, #6)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390360106s/77426.jpg|1527549], close to hand as I approached the end of this one.
My reviews of the Aubrey/Maturin series:
Master and Commander
Post Captain
H.M.S. Surprise
The Mauritius Command
Desolation Island
The Fortune of War
The Surgeon's Mate
The Ionian Mission
Treason's Harbour
The Far Side of the World
The Reverse of the Medal
The Letter of Marque
The Thirteen-Gun Salute
The Nutmeg of Consolation
Clarissa Oakes
The Wine-Dark Sea
The Commodore
The Yellow Admiral
The Hundred Days
Blue at the Mizzen
21
michael5000's review against another edition
5.0
aaronreadabook's review against another edition
5.0
mdunnbass's review against another edition
5.0
As for the books themselves, I am really liking them a LOT! I never had any interest in the Royal Navy and the Age of Sail in the past, but after reading some of these books, I am hooked on it! I am so sad that I squandered opportunities to really closely look at the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor in the past. It really meant nothing to me back then. But now, I really want to wander it's decks, take in the feel of the ship, and smell it, just to get closer to this world. It's not one I ever want to have lived in, but I want to experience it vicariously again and again.
O'Brian is masterful at wry humor, and his characters are amazing and vivid. The first few books in the series were more or less stand-alone adventures, but now we're getting into books that very much immediately follow the previous books in terms of consequences and plots. It's amazing how well he is weaving his fictional narrative in with the actual Napoleonic Wars. Very Highly Recommended, but Read them in Order!
matteo_of_eld's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0