Customer Reviews

The Ionian Mission (Vol. Book 8) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels)

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe.
Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania.
Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatly. In some ways, it was a ruthless meritocracy whose structure and success anticipates the great expansion of government power and capacity seen in the rest of the 19th century.
O'Brian is also the great writer about male friendship. There are important female characters in these books but since most of the action takes place at sea, male characters predominate. The friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the central armature of the books and is a brilliant creation. The position of women in these books is ambiguous. There are sympathetic characters, notably Aubrey's long suffering wife. Other women figures, notably Maturin's wife, leave a less positive impression. On board ship, women tend to have a disruptive, even malign influence.
How did O'Brian manage to sustain his achievement over 20 books? Beyond his technical abilities as a writer and the instrinsic interest of the subject, O'Brien made a series of very intelligent choices. He has not one but two major protagonists. The contrasting but equally interesting figures of Aubrey and Maturin allowed O'Brien to a particularly rich opportunity to expose different facets of character development and to vary plots carefully. This is quite difficult and I'm not aware of any other writer who has been able to accomplish such sustained development of two major protagonists for such a prolonged period. O'Brian's use of his historical setting is very creative. The scenes and events in the books literally span the whole globe as Aubrey and Maturin encounter numerous cultures and societies. The naval setting allowed him also to introduce numerous new and interesting characters. O'Brian was able to make his stories attractive to many audiences. Several of these stories can be enjoyed as psychological novels, as adventure stories, as suspense novels, and even one as a legal thriller. O'Brian was also a very funny writer, successful at both broad, low humor, and sophisticated wit. Finally, O'Brian made efforts to link some of the books together. While a number are complete in themselves, others form components of extended, multi-book narratives. Desolation Island, Fortune of War, and The Surgeon's Mate are one such grouping. Treason's Harbor, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal are another. The Letter of Marque and the ensuing 4 books, centered around a circumnavigation, are another.
Though the average quality of the books is remarkably high, some are better than others. I suspect that different readers will have different favorites. I personally prefer some of the books with greater psychological elements. The first book, Master and Commander, is one of my favorites. The last 2 or 3, while good, are not as strong as earlier books. I suspect O'Brian's stream of invention was beginning to diminish. All can be read profitably as stand alone works though there is definitely something to be gained by reading in consecutive order.

"The Ionian Mission" is every bit as worthy as any of the Aubrey/Maturins that came before. This time they are engaged in Jack's worst nightmare: a blockade, which is bad enough, but in this case Rear Admiral Harte is second in command. Harte is a scrub to those under him whom he doesn't especially dislike. But to Aubrey! Ugh.

But Jack gets a respite from the tedium when ordered to escort the ship captained by his old mid, now Commander William Babbington, on a mission that Harte hopes will set Aubrey up for a fall.

We're at sea. Babbington is visiting Captain Aubrey aboard the Worcester, his Dryad sailing along over there, when we are treated to one of tasty little morsels that O'Brian's sack is so full of. Babbington and Aubrey are leaning on the Worcester's rail when the quote begins:

The Worcester and the Dryad had hardly sunk the squadron's topsails below the western horizon before the sun came out and the breeze increased so that the sparkling blue was flecked with white horses.

"Buttons, the French call them," observed Captain Aubrey in his thick, cold-ridden voice.

"Do they indeed, sir," said Captain Babbington. "I never knew that. What a curious notion."

"Well, you could say that they are as much like sheep as they are horses," said Jack, blowing his nose. "But sheep ain't poetical, whereas horses are."

"Are they really, sir? I was not aware."

"Of course they are, William. Nothing more poetical, except maybe doves. Pegasus, and so on. 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."

In this episode Jack re-encounters that dusky maid, Mercedes, a re-encounter that might have been a reunion if Stephen had not made the most untimely and unwelcome entrance to the Crown in his life. And it is Stephen's turn to issue the call, "Come brother. There is not a moment to lose. We must run to the boat."

It ain't all poetical and dashed hopes, however. Fate delivers to Jack his favorite ship, the Surprise. She takes on two ships in as furious a little battle as you could ever wish to see. And wins, with Bonden doing it the civil, tucking the vanquished Turk's swords under his arm with savoir faire.

Capt. Jack Aubrey of the British navy sets out on a delicate mission calling for cunning, finesse, and political acumen -- not generally his strong points, at least on dry land. With the advice of his friend, surgeon and sectret agent Stephen Maturin, Aubrey must choose which of three rival regimes to support in their conflict over a disputed territory. If he chooses amiss -- as some in the admiralty seem to hope he will do -- he faces disgrace and quite possibly bankruptcy. Can he navigate the treacherous waters of politics in the Ottoman Empire? I wouldn't dream of giving it away!

Along with the dry humor and vivid historical texture Patrick O'Brien can be counted on to provide, this book brings out depths in Aubrey's character that hadn't been apparent in earlier books. I rate this one of the best of a very good series. (They're best read in order; start with Master & Commander, if you haven't started yet.)

Patrick O'Brian continues his series of wonderful novels about the Royal Navy in the age of sail. I am amazed how he is able to continue to construct fresh interpersonal dynamics to keep the plot lively. I continue to be impressed with his ability to convey vivid images and emotions of his characters. Those who have served in the military will sympathize with O'Brian's characters through his great descriptions of how leaders wrestle with leadership and endure bureaucracy. Anyone unfamiliar with his work should start with the first in the series, Master and Commander.

This is the eighth in the naval action adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, and, except for the last twenty pages, there's a surprising lack of action. Jack is doing a turn commanding a seventy-four-gun ship of the line in the blockade of Toulon on the French Mediterranean coast, a mostly cold, dreary, boring, enervating sort of warfare. The admiral he admires is wasting away from overwork and the vice-commander, Jack's old nemesis, tries to use him in a diplomatic feint which turns into a debacle, damaging his reputation among those of his crew who don't really know him and even making him doubt himself. Stephen is busy behind the scenes, sharing the secret limelight with Prof. Graham, an expert in all things Turkish. Finally, in a narratively somewhat disconnected incident, they are sent off to the Turkish-held Greek islands to undermine the French among the local beys and pashas. While it makes for interesting reading in depicting another, rather less dashing, side of the naval war against Napoleon, this volume is uncomfortably episodic and not at all one of O'Brian's best. I would definitely not recommend this as one's first novel in the series.

Patrick O'Brian's "The Ionian Mission" is a solid entry in the Aubrey/Maturin novels- it could be read as a stand alone, but I do not recommend that. As is often the case, the story opens with Jack Aubrey on shore after a long series of adventures that have taken him to the far reaches of the globe. And equally unsurprising to those familiar with the series, he has quickly had his fill of domestic tranquility (or lack thereof) and is hounded by his creditors and a cabal of lawyers who threaten to undo his fortunes. So when an old Ship of the Line, the Worcester- named one of the `forty thieves' due to the corruption that riddled its construction some years before, becomes available to command Jack Aubrey jumps at the opportunity to escape and return to his natural environment. The mission is far from the dashing Frigate actions and independent journeys familiar to readers, however; Jack and Stephen are ordered to the Mediterranean to join the blockade of the French fleet.

The blockade duty is harsh and unforgiving, and Jack discovers that his old nemesis, Admiral Harte is the second in command of the fleet, and has forged an `unholy alliance' with Jack's political enemies ashore (one Andrew Wray). With little room for error, he conducts a series of political and intelligence missions with his ship's surgeon and naval intelligence officer, Stephen Maturin. Unfortunately, although the missions are not failures, they are far from successes, and offer little battle to distinguish the ship's officers and crew. With morale falling, Jack finds that Admiral Harte has taken command during the transition between Commander's in Chief, and he is given a sensitive mission in the Greek Isles that offers far more opportunity for failure than for distinction. Jack and Stephen plunge in to the twisted Byzantine politics of the Ottoman Empire's hinterland and the final climax is intense and explosive.

"The Ionian Mission" introduces Professor Graham, an interesting counterpart to Stephen Maturin, who provides some awkward conversations as well as humor. The chapter describing the `neutral' Barbary port of Medina is very exciting, and as the disappointments mount you'll wince with Jack Aubrey as he is berated before Admiral Thronton. Admiral Harte returns as the man we love to hate, and the political alliance with Andrew Wray sets up events in the novels to come. As usual, O'Brian's writing brings the characters to life, the dialogue is excellent, and you'll be longing for the next installment as soon as you conclude this one.

If this is your first look at a Patrick O'Brian novel, please start with "Master and Commander"- you'll find the whole series much more enjoyable if read in sequence.

"The Ionian Mission," the eighth book in Patrick O'Brian's otherwise brilliant Aubrey-Maturin novel sequence set in the early nineteeth-century finds our heroes stuck on Royal Navy blockade duty off the southern coast of France. If sailing back and forth in a line of ships does not sound very exciting, well, it's not, and reading about it isn't much fun, either. Early in the story, we learn that Jack Aubrey's command should have been the HMS Blackwater at the more exciting North America station (the War of 1812 is going on) rather than the old, slow, and leaky HMS Worcester off Toulon, but Aubrey's calling out a senior civilian official for cheating at cards (as well as the usual unhelpful political antics of his father, General Aubrey) have resulted in his pulling blockade duty. A failed spy mission for pal surgeon Stephen Maturin and a naval engagement late in the book do not ultimately rescue the overall story from the dullness of blockade duty--neither does an extended exploration of ship life.

For the author O'Brian, the slowness of this particular chapter of life at sea gives him an opportunity to explore the cultural aspects of shipboard affairs. Along with Aubrey and Maturin's violin and cello playing, a musical relationship that has been vibrant since the first volume, we are given a glimpse of music, drama and poetry practices and performances among the other officers and the rest of the crew. Though certainly interesting, it is not the stuff of a rousing plot, and it becomes something of a letdown that this makes up much of the novel. After four-fifths of this novel have been exhausted, the reader is treated to what was long anticipated, an adventure in which Aubrey is finally in his element.

For this brief adventure, Aubrey is reassigned to his former command, the frigate HMS Surprise and reunited with many of his former crew (why does this sound like a "Star Trek" reunion movie?) as they set off on a diplomatic mission to enlist the aid of one of three possible sets of Turkish allies against the French. Aubrey and company are double-crossed, which leads to a climactic naval engagement--way too late to save the story but at least it's something.

Now that we've gotten the culture out of the way, one hopes that O'Brian returns to form in the next volume. To quote Q from the Bond movie "Never Say Never Again," "Now you're on this, I hope we're going to have some gratuitous sex and violence."

Needing a reliable book for a long flight, I turned to a random O'Brian work. They never disappoint, and The Ionian Mission was true to form. I am about halfway through the series, and am avoiding the sequential order. It's very doable. All of the usual wit and nautical flourishes are here, and most readers will learn a good deal more about the foreign world of early nineteenth century nautical diplomacy and warfare. I was searching for a distinguishing theme in this book, as I seem to recall finding in others; this one was a little more elusive. Nevertheless, I particularly enjoyed to diplomatic intrigue in the Ottoman empire along with the discovery of Bach and the preparation for the Handel oratorio. Better still was the representation of how the foibles of career advancement played out in the British navy.

As usual a wonderful insight into life in more trying times at its most colourful. Great characters, storyline and action, although a rather abrupt confusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series of books, I just wish the author had had time to write more of them.