Reviews

The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian

neilrcoulter's review against another edition

4.0

After a break from Aubrey and Maturin for a few months--mostly to take care of some nonfiction reading and reviewing--I finally have time to dive back into the continuing story. I went into Book 8, [b:The Ionian Mission|77429|The Ionian Mission (Aubrey/Maturin, #8)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388360954s/77429.jpg|3575252], with a bit of fear, however. Why? Because the last time I tried to read through [a:O'Brian|5600|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212630063p2/5600.jpg]'s series, this is the point at which I fizzled out and stopped the series. (This was partly because at that time I couldn't find a copy of Book 7, and it was difficult to get back into the series without having read that volume.) Added to that, a friend recently borrowed The Ionian Mission and returned it months later, saying, "This is really O'Brian at his most soporific; I could hardly pick up this book without falling asleep." So, I was worried. Was this the book that was going to stop my progress yet again?

I needn't have worried. I finished the book in a week and thoroughly loved it. Not only did it include the "double-bottomed defecator," but it featured subtle character development that kept me intrigued the whole way through.

Many ongoing plot points were settled, to some extent, by the end of the previous book, so this book is now a slow build into the next phase of the story. Jack's and Stephen's internal struggles start off very muted, but they will grow and develop through this book into what I assume will be the main conflicts in the next phase of their journeys.

Stephen is assigned a complicated negotiation mission in enemy territory--typical for him in these stories. But this time, now that he has "settled" (such as he and Diana ever will), the conflict he faces has a different depth than before:

If he were taken now he could expect no mercy at all: he could not hope to come away untortured or alive. In earlier days he had faced much the same kind of fate, but then there had always been a certain chance of deceiving the other side or of escape: and in those days he was not married - his aims were single-hearted and in any case he cared less about his life. (216)

He is not much softer-hearted now than in previous books, but it is encouraging to see him beginning to develop a larger sense of the value of life.

Jack begins to wonder about his destiny. He is as pained by his unluckiness on shore as the reader has been on his behalf for the past few volumes. The adventure that started with such verve and enthusiasm and promise seems to perhaps be fading into a grey existence.

"I have noticed . . . that luck seems to play fair, on the whole. It gave Mitchell a damned ugly swipe early on, and then made it up to him: but, do you see, I had amazing good luck when I was young, taking the Cacafuego and the Fanciulla and marrying Sophie, to say nothing of prizes; and sometimes I wonder . . . Mitchell began by being flogged round the fleet: perhaps that is how I shall end." (127)

But Jack is now more concerned for those around him--especially Pullings, who still awaits an action that will move him from Lieutenant to Post--than for himself. His bitterness toward certain superiors, such as Admiral Harte, is more tempered, and he so desperately wants to be a better quality of senior leader than many that he has served under.

As usual, the reader waits for the climactic battle that most of the Aubrey/Maturin books build up to. In this case, the reader waits almost the full length of the book, and has to work through some dizzingly complex political negotiations, but the battle finally begins. The end of the book sees the satisfying conclusion to a number of ongoing minor issues, while leaving open the larger matters of character development. I will be moving on soon, with much eagerness, to Book 9.

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

Re-read one year later, Sept 2012, because I brought it on a trip by mistake. It had no problem remaining fresh and entertaining because why? Because The Aubrey/Maturin books are freaking genius, that's why.

Audiobook, March 2015. Still awesome.

January 2021. Still awesome. This installment is particularly rich in memorable episodes and incidents.

jkrudop's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

aaronreadabook's review against another edition

3.0

Probably my least favourite of the series so far, but any time spent with Aubrey and Maturin is time well spent.

brontesaurus84's review against another edition

4.0

"Sheep ain't poetical... Think of the fellow in the play that calls out 'My kingdom for a horse' -- it would not have been poetry at all, had he said sheep."

mdunnbass's review

4.0

So, as usual, a note first about the narrator(s) of this series. Patrick O'Brian wrote 20 (and a half) Aubrey/Matchurin books before his death, and only 2 men have narrated all 20, Patrick Tull, and Simon Vance. I listened to Tull narrating the first 5 books of the series, because those were the versions my library had. For Desolation Island, I could only get a hold of the Simon Vance version. He is a highly capable narrator, but has no concept of the characters in this particular series (and his women's voices were shrill and painful). For example, One of the 2 main characters, Dr. Stephen Matchurin, is a highly respected, highly intelligent Physician and Naturalist, as well as a British Spy, and grew up predominantly in Ireland. As such, Tull narrates his as being thoughtful, humorous, and with a decided Irish accent. Vance narrates him as a thuggish Peter Lorre on quaaludes. It goes on from there. Not my style. So, as much as humanly possible, I plan to stick with the AMAZING narration of Patrick Tull for the rest of the series.

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!

mordshunger's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Not the most memorable one of these, aged poorly. Still good sailing fun. The bit with the coloured powder is great.

saglo's review against another edition

5.0

Come sempre un magistrale O'Brian che riesce a far appassionare il lettore delle avventure di Aubrey!

armchair_vibes's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

3.0

So far the dullest in the series. An explosive finale could not save this boring entry into an otherwise excellent series. Unfortunately the nature of the story makes this a frustratingly slow read. As Jack and Stephen are part of a line of ships blockading the french and the french dont want to fight. There are some side quests of a political nature but nothing meaty. Even O'Brians addictive prose couldnt win me over in this one. A real slog.

weaver's review against another edition

medium-paced

5.0