Customer Reviews

The Mauritius Command

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 Patrick O'Brian naval series of books are an acquired taste. If you love the first book, chances are that over the next few years you will find a way to work through the entire series. I do not recommend reading the book on its own. The true joy is seeing the transformation and progression of the two main characters.

The books are not for everyone, the writing style differs from what is found in 21st century adventure novels. The language is deep and the sentences are carefully crafted. While the books appear on the outside to be simple naval adventure tales, they are really deep studies in character development of a British naval officer and his best friend/ship surgeon/intelligence operative.

The Mauritius Command is one of the best books in the series. Almost the entire book takes place at sea. A few of the earlier book got bogged down whenever the lead character, naval officer Jack Aubrey, steps onto land, but at soon as he takes to sea the books take on a whole new life.

While the characters speak of honor and duty, the author makes no attempts to hide the rough, cruel, and violent life aboard British naval ships during the early 19th century. While not a quick read, if you are willing to invest the time and energy, the Mauritius Command and all of the books in the series are well worth you time.

The opening of THE MAURITIUS COMMAND finds "Lucky" Jack Aubrey married, poor, and bored. He is without a command, on half pay, and doing no more than tinkering with his telescopes. Happily, his particular friend Stephen Maturin comes bearing glad tidings: an assignment leading an expedition to capture the French-held islands of Mauritius and La Reunion just east of Madagascar.

Unlike the previous novels, where Jack commands a vessel usually unattached from joint maneuvers, he here commands several ships. Unfortunately, the Commodore (as Jack is temporarily called) has a problem: the captains of the three primary ships are troublesome. Lord Clonfert nurses a long held jealously of Jack's fame and success, and has a tendency for self-promotion and showmanship. Pym is solid, but in the end lacks judgment in battle. Corbett is the polar opposite of Jack in regard to discipline. While Jack believes in discipline, he staunchly believes that brutality and frequent punishment is both cruel and counterproductive, leading to an unhappy ship. Corbett, on the other hand, is a savage disciplinarian, and keeps his crew on the edge of mutiny.

All of the novels in the series have their unique appeal, and this one delights in its chronicling the course of a single campaign, a campaign that O'Brian notes is based quite closely on real events. The novel is also superb in its setting in a locale of which most readers will be utterly unfamiliar. It is also fun because more than in the previous novels, Stephen Maturin plays a more prominent role as an intelligence officer, and his work on the islands in fermenting rebellion against the French is as crucial as Jack's role in leading the military expedition.

I would caution anyone tempted to read O'Brian to start with the very first novel and work from the first to the last. I deeply love these books, but they do not stand alone.

At the end of the previous novel in the series, Jack Aubrey is returning home to England and marriage to his beloved Sophie, dreaming of the rosy future.

Here in the opening chapters of The Mauritius Command is that future, and they are some of the most sustained humorous scenes of the entire Canon. Poor Jack - marriage isn't quite what he imagined it to be!

But all too soon we are away on another cruise with Stephen Maturin, this time with a temporary promotion to Commodore, and the flying of a broad pendant to mark the fact. There's glory for you!

The bulk of the novel concerns the more or less historical campaign to win back Mauritus from the French, and it is here that I venture a word of criticism, for Patrick O'Brian bound himself a little too tightly with the actual history and has to resort to some literary strategems to keep up with the sometimes confusing action.

But that's by the by and along the way we meet some fascinating new characters, revisit some happy old ones, and spend a reasonable amount of time doing the things that make a Patrick O'Brian novel so well worth reading.

I enjoyed this book very much, hence the five star rating, for even a Patrick O'Brian book a trifle off his usual pace is a very good book indeed.

It is a good self-contained adventure, very rare in this series where a journey quite often takes four books or so to come to a conclusion, and it comes with the necessary maps at the beginning and an excellent essay on Jack Aubrey's ships at the end, including extracts from the plans of the dear old Surprise.

An excellent read and the pleasure is enhanced by the marvellous Geoff Hunt painting on the cover.

O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series seems to get better with every book. I found the first, Master and Commander, hard slugging and gave the series a second try based on recommendations and the publicity following the author's passing. It has been well worth the second try.

Unfortunately, The Mauritius Command reveals the second strategic error that the author made in writing the series. The first error was starting it in 1800 leading to some historical crowding later on. Similarly, the author has let several years slide since HMS Surprise contributing further to the crowding. I have read that the author regretted his timing of the series although in fairness too him it wasn't obvious that Aubrey/Maturin would catch on and that he would ultimately complete 20 novels covering an 18-year period. The novel itself has few flaws and is well paced.

Jack Aubrey has spent the intervening years in wedded bliss although his circumstances and life away from the sea have not been kind to him. Not only is Jack Aubrey married but he also has twins. The opening pages make me wonder what married life would have been like for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth had Jane Austen written a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. The allusions are there and the writing is good enough for O'Brian to pull it off.

The Mauritius Command really picks up when the duo return to the sea bound for Capetown and a campaign against the French held islands of La Reunion and Mauritius. Aubrey is to fly a Commodore's pennant and administer a hiding to the French. However, he has to deal with an untrustworthy admiral, captains with varying abilities and fighting spirit and personality conflicts. The tension builds steadily and there is more action than in earlier novels. The conclusion is anti-climactic although it is very neatly tied together.

The Mauritius Command was published at roughly the same time as Kent's Passage to Mutiny. Both are examples of the authors at their peaks. O'Brian is clearly the better writer of the two but he doesn't deliver the action the way Kent does. Still if events didn't happen as O'Brian relates, he did a superb job of catching the flavour of the times. He was a great author and The Mauritius Command demonstrates this thoroughly.

The opening of The Mauritius Command brings us some changes, especially for Captain Jack Aubrey, who finds himself in the improbable role (for him) of husband and father of twins. Unsuccessful and hapless in his domestic life, he immediately jumps at the chance to leave England and take over a new command. Off the coast of Africa, Jack is promoted to commodore, putting him in command not just of his own ship but of a small fleet. In the course of the book, Jack stretches his abilities to the fullest as the British vie with the French for possession of several small islands crucial to controlling the India trade.

Of course, Dr. Stephen Maturin is on hand too. His facets as doctor, naturalist, and spy all come into play in the course of the novel. The previous novel, H.M.S. Surprise, involved incredible physical suffering, loss, and rejection for Stephen so it was nice to see him get a break in this installment. However, Stephen is still haunted by what has happened to him. A dark current runs through him that no doubt will resurface in future books.

The overriding issue explored in this novel is leadership and what it means to be a good leader. Jack has to deal with two very different captains serving under him, one of whom is a silly and vain man who is kind and familiar with his men and thus beloved by them. The other is a brave commander who exercises brutal tyranny with those under his rule. The weaknesses of both men lead to very different disasters.

In spite of the battles and some serious turns of event, The Mauritius Command involves more action and comedy and less angst than H.M.S. Surprise, making it a lighter read.

This fourth novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series shows more narrative unity than the first three, which is partly a function of Jack Aubrey's now-exalted rank. As a newly promoted commander in a small sloop, and even as a post captain, he was at the beck of more senior officers. Now, as commodore in command of a squadron of several ships-of-the-line and lesser warships, plus a small herd of transports and Indiamen crowded with troops, he has reached a position of high command, with orders to capture the French outpost islands of Mauritius and La Reunion in the Indian Ocean. As Dr. Maturin privately notes in his diary, Jack was probably happier as a junior officer, with only his own ship and men in his direct responsibility; now he must manage other ships's captains at one remove, deal diplomatically with the Army, and oversee the installation of a new British governor. O'Brian hews closely to historical fact in narrating this little-known but complex campaign, and he also delves more deeply into the psychology of the supporting characters -- especially Lord Clonfort, a not unintelligent but very unhappy young commander apparently afflicted with bipolar disorder, who constantly seeks the approval of his own subordinates as well as his seniors. As true historical fiction, this volume is, for me, the most enjoyable in the series yet.

It's now part of literary legend that J.K. Rowling wrote the final chapter of the final book of her beloved Harry Potter series well before she wrote even half the novels. She knew how the story was going to end, and she said that allowed her to keep a tight rein on the characters, and resist the temptation to let the series spin out of control.

One wonders how Patrick O'Brian was able to keep his beloved characters, "Lucky Jack" Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, under such control over a series almost three times as long as Rowling's. "The Mauritius Command" is the fourth book in this amazing series, and O'Brian shows a deft command over both his subject matter and his characters. Often, by the fourth book in a series, the characters start to grow dull. Not only does the reader get the sense of retrodding the same ground, the author has to somehow overcome the sense that his characters are invincible.

O'Brian avoids both of these pratfalls with apparent ease. "Lucky Jack" may be lucky at sea, but he finds new and innovative ways of getting in trouble on land. Now, not only is he ashore with no ship and on half-pay, he must contend with his recently destitute mother-in-law and a brace of twins - girls, no less. Dr. Maturin arrives with the promise of a command and a daring mission - to take two French-controlled islands off Madagascar. Soon Aubrey is at the helm of a ship, but in addition to his usual cares and concerns, he must now cope with being a Commodore, commander over several ships, including several whose captains carry several tragic flaws. These various scenarios allow Aubrey to experience fresh troubles with which he has no actual experience, and wonder whether his old tactics will see him through.

Dr. Maturin continues to grow as a character, as well as in practical significance to the storyline. In "Master and Commander," he was basically a bystander, an observer of the naval action around him. Now, his role as an intelligence man (read, spy) becomes more important as he plays a vital role in helping the British governor assume his station . . . including playing a game of propaganda warfare against the French. Maturin also gets a few chances to practice his amazing surgical skills, breaks a few bones, and is confronted with his "dedication" to opium.

Not quite as funny as previous books (no drunken sloths to be seen), but with a little more action, "The Mauritius Command" is a defining book in this series. Even though this book, according to some, can be read out of sequence, I disagree since Aubrey's (temporary) promotion to Commodore falls in line with the other books.

Of course there is historical and nautical detail and accuracy galore, but the real richness in this novel, like all of the Aubrey/Maturin series lies in the characters, with all their depth and eccentricity, and how they react to this relatively obscure amphibious campaign. No one beats O'Brian for richness of character. All the history and detail is icing on a very tasty cake.

The fourth in Patrick O'Brian's wonderful seagoing series. O'Brian does not disappoint as Captain Aubrey and Stephen Maturin do battle against the French in the Indian Ocean. Here the plot turns on psychological profiles. Aubrey commands a squadron of ships, and each captain is a different study: Pym steady but unimaginative; Clonfert vainglorious, insecure, and unpredictable; Corbett daring but brutal; and Colonel Keating steady and brave. And there are Aubrey and Maturin, separately and together, musing upon the different elements in each of the captain's characters. As the action progresses, each captain is led into crisis, and each benefits and suffers by his particular choices.

In some respects "The Mauritius Command", at 348 pages in the Norton edition, may be too short. Clonfert is the captain we come to know best, the others are not as fully drawn because we spend no time aboard their ships. Also, the final assault on Mauritius is reduced to a few throw-away lines on the last page, as though O'Brian turned away from the book, unfinished, and simply chose not to write the last two chapters. The book is a good one, O'Brian's intentions are clear. The captains' stark choices are grounded more in their personalities than the circumstances of the struggle. Their fates are sealed long before they join Aubrey in the Indian Ocean. "The Mauritius Command" is a thrilling psychological study.