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A review by captain_bob
The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian
5.0
Another reading. Here in volume eight, Patrick O’Brian has fully immersed himself in the life and time of his beloved characters, and the need for swashbuckling and sea battles to keep reader interest has been replaced by more subtle character development. We see what Maturin is like as a married man (not much has changed!). We get a view of life at sea under a never-ending blockade of the French, and the politics involved in being a post-captain within the British Royal Navy, both within the quasi-corrupt admiralty and dealing with mostly unreliable allies against the French. Pullings, Bonden, Babbington, and Killick are all here, giving us insights into their unique characters and bringing us joy. Maturin’s bungling at sea takes on new levels to Aubrey’s dismay.
O’Brian’s ability to catapult you aboard an 18th century frigate with his beautiful, descriptive language is truly unparalleled:
The water of the bay was gently rippled in some few places but glass-smooth in others, and in the purest of these natural mirrors they could see the astonishing peaks that rose from the sea with the whole town at their feet — all this reversed, and superimposed upon the image stood ships and boats, most as it were suspended, hanging motionless, a few creeping across the surface with sweeps or sculls. The dead calm, the cloudless sky, the stillness of the ship and perhaps this sense of being on or even in a looking-glass gave an extraordinary impression of silence and people spoke unnaturally low.
The book concludes with a heart-thumping sea battle that might very well be the best of the entire 20-volume series.
I love these books!
O’Brian’s ability to catapult you aboard an 18th century frigate with his beautiful, descriptive language is truly unparalleled:
The water of the bay was gently rippled in some few places but glass-smooth in others, and in the purest of these natural mirrors they could see the astonishing peaks that rose from the sea with the whole town at their feet — all this reversed, and superimposed upon the image stood ships and boats, most as it were suspended, hanging motionless, a few creeping across the surface with sweeps or sculls. The dead calm, the cloudless sky, the stillness of the ship and perhaps this sense of being on or even in a looking-glass gave an extraordinary impression of silence and people spoke unnaturally low.
The book concludes with a heart-thumping sea battle that might very well be the best of the entire 20-volume series.
I love these books!