Rindis.com

The third Aubrey/Maturin novel takes does a good job getting the balls back in the air.

We start with Aubrey temporarily in command of a frigate watching Toulon as part of the Mediterranean blockade. Ordered back to Gibraltar, on the way he captures a French supply ship, and rendezvous with Maturin, who has continued his spying in Spain. He has been captured, and tortured, and is physically recovering for the bulk of the novel. But, the capture and the rescue of Maturin serve the needs of early action.

After that, we get a bit more on the social side. Aubrey is  in debt, again/still, which has his romance on hold. He escapes his creditors by getting command of HMS Surprise, and is ordered to deliver an ambassador to Kampong (on the Malay peninsula). This makes up the bulk of the book, with various nautical misadventures along the way. Of course ship-board life is a large part of this series, and O’Brian is not going to skimp on that. I appreciate this, but still find it a bit much.

Still, we get as far as India, and things bog down a bit again for various cross-purposes and social adventures there. In fact, it’s not long before heading home to England, and the action side of the plot suddenly comes to the fore again. As ever, this part is handled well, and after the carnage the novel slips into a steady current to the conclusion.

Now, don’t mistake me, all aspects of the novel work, and I enjoyed it. I do feel passage out towards the Indian Ocean drags on, but it’s also a good demonstration of the sorts of problems of sailing anywhere in the period. These books are good for giving a better appreciation of several aspects of the period at once. Also, HMS Surprise was a real ship (somewhat fictionalized here), and the ending action is based on the actual Battle of Pulo Aura (which I only know because I looked it up; but the outline was familiar to me).