Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Addition to a Great Series, June 29, 1999
By A Customer
A year ago I read "Master and Commander" and was impressed. A month ago I read "Post Captain" and was hooked. Now I've read eleven of the installments of what has to be one of the great novels of the century. "The Fortune of War" is an epic, moving installment that works on many levels. Although a Yankee, I can't help but feel for Jack and the Brits as they try to salvage some honor from the War of 1812, a rather dishonorable war for all concerned. Who could fail to be moved by the image of the Constitution holding its fire rather than destroy the helpless Java? Or Captain Lawrence tipping his hat to Jack from the deck of the Chesapeake, only to be killed immediately afterward (O'Brian doesn't mention that it was Lawrence who said "Don't give up the Ship"). The battle scenes are thrilling but tinged with regret. In order to fit Jack and Stephen into actual historical events O'Brian has to put them into the background, and we share their anguish as one British ship after another falls victim to the tiny but tough American navy. Remember, this is during the Napoleonic wars, and the Americans were effectively allied with the Hitler of that day. This book was apparently written with Homer in mind. Jack and Stephen are unwilling participants in historical events, when all they really want to do is to go home, Jack to a new command (so he can come back and whip the Americans) and Stephen to deliver an important message to Sir Joseph. In between battles, shipwreck, near starvation, and certain execution, O'Brian finds time to consider timeless notions of duty, honor, loyalty and freedom.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best in the series to date!, March 22, 2001
The Aubrey/Maturin series seems to get even better with each installment. The Fortune of War begins with Lucky Jack bringing his ship into port after the events of Desolation Island and reaches a thunderous conclusion with historical battle between the Chesapeake and the Shannon. In between O'Brian provides the reader with naval disasters, naval battles, cloak and dagger, tense escapes and even a cricket game! All this is set against the backdrop of the opening months of the War of 1812. The reader lives through unexpected reverses at sea and unanticipated successes on land in what is a tragic and senseless war.In The Fortune of War Aubrey and Maturin spend much of their time in the United States where Louisa Wogan and Diana Villiers of early books reside. The reader gets an excellent feel for the period and place. Interestingly, in what appears to be a nod to modern readers, O'Brian cites the low taxes in the USA. Also, many modern readers might be surprised to read how unpopular "Mr. Madison's War" was at the time. Ironically what was a nasty, vicious war on the Canada/US border was a gentleman's war at sea. Officers were paroled and free to roam the streets in an enemy city. Ships' captains could write courteous letters to enemy captains inviting them out to engage in bloody naval conflicts. Perhaps the greatest irony was that the two societies with the freest men were engaging in a wasteful conflict while a tyrant was running roughshod over Europe. Perhaps the most interesting perspectives for the naval buff are O'Brian's explanations of initial American successes at sea and their affect on British morale. According to O'Brian American frigates (the largest class they had available) outgunned their RN counterparts. Furthermore, many of their officers and men had learned their gunnery skills on RN ships. However, the RN was also the victim of some its own policies and past successes. The restrictions on the use of gunpowder in practice left Captains without independent means the opportunity to maintain crews with a high level of fighting efficiency. Furthermore, the systems of privilege and patronage had put a number of excellent captains on shore and poor or mediocre captains at the helms of fighting ships. Nelson's successes were also a problem. His approach to attacking French and Spanish ships was inadequate for better trained American crews. For the RN, which had a magnificent track record for decades culminating with Nelson's victory at Trafalgar, the few relatively insignificant tactical losses to the Americans were devastating to morale. Aubrey's reaction demonstrates this thoroughly. The fact that ships like the Constitution were severely damaged and out of action for long periods after victories did not satisfy. Nor did the victories on land in Canada. The Fortune of War features some of the best action sequences that O'Brian put on paper. In particular, the historical battle sequences are riveting. The reader also gets to see the good Dr. Maturin as a man of action. Somewhat surprisingly the gentle doctor can be quite ruthless when the need arises. Rescued from torture by Jack Aubrey earlier in the series, it is now Maturin who plays the role of rescuer. O'Brian has succeeded in providing his most action packed novel to date without sacrificing any of the use of language and insight into human nature that have been constants in the series. This is the best entry to date in what may be the greatest historical series written.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's not just naval fiction, it's also a spy novel, October 23, 1997
By A Customer
This is the sixth in the excellent series about a British Navy Captain and his friend the British Intelligence Agent but it is a little different from the previous novels. Steven Maturin the spy is definitely at center stage while Captain Aubrey mostly waits in the wings. This book is therefore, by and large, a spy novel. After being captured with his friend by the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812, Maturin enveavours to keep the Americans from discovering that he is anything but a simple surgeon and naturalist. To make his life even more complicated, his lost love is also living in America and he struggles with his feelings toward her even as ruthless French agents seek him through the twisted streets of Boston. But Captain Aubrey isn't entirely neglected. The English and American Navy are locked in a series of frigate battles and Aubrey and Maturin manage to be in the middle of two of them. O'Brien upholds the outstanding reputation this series has garnered with another fine contribution.
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