Desolation Island

In "Desolation Island", Patrick O'Brian begins what can be considered a miniseries within the larger arc of his Aubrey/Maturin Novels. This miniseries continues through "Fortune of War", and is concluded in "The Surgeon's Mate". It is preceeded by the stand alone "Mauritius Command". So if you are considering purchasing books in this arc, make sure you read them in order to get the most enjoyment. And while I'm at it- go back to the first novel, "Master and Commander" and read the series in its entirety if you are a newcomer. You will become hooked in no time, and it is well worth the time commitment - my father and I initially read the series over the course of several months. Back to the story at hand. "Desolation Island" begins with CPT Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin being dispatched to rescue CPT Bligh of the HMS Bounty notoriety from colony that has rebelled against him in Australia. However, this initial mission is quickly subsumed in a variety of mishaps and adventures that conspire to throw the two friends on one of their greatest stories, spanning three novels mentioned above. This book includes what I consider the most intense and greatest ship to ship battle that I have ever read. As Aubrey commands the HMS Leopard, a decrepit old ship of the line, he is pursued by a larger, more heavily armed and fully manned Dutch ship of the line - the Waakzamheid. Their chase leads them through the trecharous waters of the southern hemisphere, where the slightest mistake is fatal, putting Jack Aubrey's legendary sailing prowess and gunnery skills to the test. The story contains Stephen Maturin's struggle with his dangerous addiction to laudanum; as well as his covert intelligence battle with a dangerous and seductive spy being transported to the penal colonies of Australia. When their ship is struck on a rogue ice berg and begins to flounder far from land and any aid, the crew begins to show signs of mutiny, led by an aged Lieutenant who served under Bligh himself. So in addition to the overt action on the high seas, "Desolation Island" also succeeds as a psychological thriller. All in all, this novel is an exceptional entry in Patrick O'Brian's masterpiece series.

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 greatl

After the disjointed Mauritius Command, I found Desolation Island a refreshing change to the plot devices that maked this series worthwhile. Instead of loosely commanding a squadron of ships as in the prior novel, Captain Jack Aubrey is again commanding a single ship here, the Leopard, accompanied by his good friend (and fascinating character), Stephen Maturin. Stephen really takes center stage in the novel, since his on-again off-again relationship with Diana is explored early, and Stephen (with his intelligence background) is intricately involved in the action of the novel as American agents are aboard the Leopard, on the verge of the outbreak of the War of 1812.Since the entire novel takes place, more or less, on board the Leopard we see more of the interaction among the characters, especially Aubrey-Maturin, an odd American stowaway, and a pretty female prisoner with ties to both Diana and the American stowaway. There is a tremendous naval battle involving a much larger Dutch ship, and a desperate detour towards the Antarctic as Aubrey fights to save his ship among calamity and possible mutiny as the Leopard races to rescue the infamous Captain Bligh. For fans of the series, there is a great deal here to like, and I thought the book was as good as anything I have read thus far by O'Brian.

One of the more suspenseful books in O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. Also one of the grimmest. Much of the book details a naval chase in perilous seas with a gut-wrenching outcome. O'Brian's shipboard characterizations are further deepened. Jack's brief recollection of how the sailors once convinced young Babbington he was pregnant is a howl. And it is a throw away idea caught in a brief paragraph. O'Brian seems to have an infinite supply of nuance and human insight. Desolation Island is more than seafaring genre, this is a masterful work that can stand with some of the best contemporary fiction.

The Aubrey/Maturin books aren't the easiest in the world to read. O'Brian doesn't baby the reader -- you just have to plunge in (sometimes with a dictionary at your side) and immerse yourself in the language of these novels. But if you stick with the series, Desolation Island (along the book immediately following it, The Fortune of War) offers a thrilling payoff. By the time you're through with this book, you'll resolve to read every book in the series.