Chris's review
Master and Commander (Book 1) by Patrick O'Brian
The first book in a series of twenty that follows British naval Captain Jack Aubrey, and his particular friend and spy Stephen Maturin, through their adventures before, during, and after the Napoleonic wars, roughly 1800 to 1820. Rather than add all twenty to my list, I'm posting my thoughts on the whole series here.
This is simply the best story I've ever read. The twenty books essentially form one long novel that covers the careers of these two great friends from beginning to near-end. It's hard to quickly summarize how wonderfully written, hilarious, entertaining, and often touching these stories are. The writing, and dialogue especially, sounds like transcripts from the early nineteenth century. It is perfect literature in terms of storytelling, and the two main characters (in the mold of Holmes and Watson) are opposites that combine to form an unforgettable pair.
Just read this, the first, to see if you have a taste for the story. Warning: if you do, you are essentially doo...more
This is simply the best story I've ever read. The twenty books essentially form one long novel that covers the careers of these two great friends from beginning to near-end. It's hard to quickly summarize how wonderfully written, hilarious, entertaining, and often touching these stories are. The writing, and dialogue especially, sounds like transcripts from the early nineteenth century. It is perfect literature in terms of storytelling, and the two main characters (in the mold of Holmes and Watson) are opposites that combine to form an unforgettable pair.
Just read this, the first, to see if you have a taste for the story. Warning: if you do, you are essentially doo...more
