After having been enamored of Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, I decided to give a try to the Patrick O'Brian novels which served as the basis for the film. There are, in total, twenty one novels in the series beginning with Master and Commander, which introduces us to the protagonists of the series: Jack Aubrey, Royal Navy, and Stephen Maturin, Physician.
The novel begins directly with the first meeting between Aubrey and Maturin, appropriately enough at a string performance, and moves on immediately to Aubrey being awarded command of the Sophie, a sloop in the King's Navy. In need of a doctor for his first command, Aubrey requests the services of Maturin, who rationalizes a mutual benefit in the arrangement, and off we go. Throughout the next few hundred wonderful pages, we learn the depths of Aubrey's and Maturin's respective characters and dispositions, each different in many ways, similar in others, and both worthy of due respect. O'Brian does well to accomplish this rather thoroughly, amongst the densely packed activity of a King's ship in wartime waters - disciplining the crew, regular practising of combat technique, and of course the ship-to-ship conflicts.
Set just after the turn of the 19th century and therefore during the Napoleonic Wars, the natural intensity of service in the Royal Navy during that time functions as a perfect backdrop from which to aptly flesh out the motivations and desires of the book's characters, of course in particular those of our two protagonists. Aubrey proves himself to be an excellent seaman as well as a fine tactician; though often brash - sometimes intentionally, sometimes not - and a bit of a maverick (not to mention a bit of a womanizer as well), he takes care to adhere to duty, since he has a love for command and advancement of command. Indeed, he has been made Master and Commander of a ship and referred to as "Captain", but that is a formality - Aubrey has his eyes on being made "Post Captain", a true Captain, and of course also hopes to advance beyond that rank. Perhaps due to his love of command, Aubrey - "Lucky Jack", as he becomes known - seems to come off as something of a born leader and as the novel progresses, this is reflected by the crew under his charge not only in their respect for him but in the fluidity and efficiency with which they (after much practise) execute his orders.
Stephen Maturin, an Irishman who secretly has associations with Irish revolutionaries, is a very educated man if not a bit of a scholar - he agrees to serve as the Sophie's doctor for two reasons: one, it provides potential opportunity for him to further his natural history studies; two, at the time he meets Aubrey he is practically penniless with no readily available source of income. Though he has a general distrust for authority, Maturin seems to believe in Aubrey and appreciates his friendship a great deal. Indeed, the two prove to like each other instantly during their first full conversation, if for nothing else than the natural rapport that seems to exist between them, and throughout the novel the pair frequently have discussion about what's recently gone on or what is going on at the moment, each offering their own philosophies and perspectives - whether it be on the quarterdeck, at mess, or during a pause in their frequent string practise (Maturin plays the cello, Aubrey the fiddle). And so we learn how these two admire and affect one another, eventually gaining our own admiration for the both of them as well as an interest to see what lies ahead in the novels to follow.
To be sure, the biggest hurdle in O'Brian's novel is overcoming the incessant use of nautical terminology which, if you are not already familiar with, can take a bit of getting used to. But because of its high frequency, it's not long before things come together nicely and the prose begins to flow that much more evenly. I would not say this is a setback, nay it is a necessity as there is no other way to properly tell such a sea story.
I believe this novel to be an excellent work and I look forward with great eagerness to continue on with the second novel of the series, Post Captain. If you enjoyed Peter Weir's film, or are keen on sea stories and naval battles, I highly recommend you try Master and Commander.
